We will be trekking across the country from California to Pennsylvania to visit family. Since we are in the midst of a pandemic, we will go as quickly as possible with minimal touristy stops. We will also avoid hotels by camping or sleeping in the car, and as much as possible bring the food we need.
Map the Route
AAA has a great online TripTik tool, also in their AAA app. You can say how many hours of driving you want to do each day, and it will tell you where to stop! And you can add layers to show gas stations or campgrounds.
I also create a Google map where I can map the planned route, and expected points of interest/gas stations/overnight locations. But you need the internet to see it, so that where the Opensignal app comes in handy. You can choose your provider, and it shows you a map of cell signal!
Apps / websites:
Gas Buddy app
AAA TripTik in AAA app
Roadtrippers app
Rand McNally TripMaker website
Opensignal app to check cell service
Car Supplies:
a cooler that plugs into the cigarette lighter port!
a battery charger that has USB ports to charge devices
rubber gloves, sanitizing wipes, litter genie borrowed from our cat supplies for trash
neck rest for bobbing head front seat napping