The short answer as to whether or not a road trip is a good idea is absolutely. Unless you hate fun, freedom, and the occasional sing along that gets wildly out of hand, of course. If you are choosing 2026 to be your year of the road trip, you need to decide whether you’re plotting a simple 2 day escape or you want to dabble in the wild world of RV travel and go for something longer. A road trip has a certain magic no flight, ferry or teleportation device can quite match. Road trips are the ultimate choose your own adventure, so if you were a fan of those books as a kid, then you’re going to love a road trip. You are in charge. You are in charge of the pace, the playlist, the snack selection, and who you take with you, and you’re also in charge of the number of completely unnecessary photo stops you take along the way.
Road trips don’t come with any rules or security queues or tiny airplane seats. There’s no passive aggressive luggage shoving, and you don’t have to deal with many other people if you don’t want to. It’s just you, your passengers, and the open road which on a good day is as cinematic as it sounds. One of the biggest perks of a road trip is total flexibility. If you fancy a detour to see the world’s biggest ball of twine or a waterfall that may or may not be worth the walk, you can go for it. If you want to stop for lunch at that suspiciously busy roadside cafe because of the crowds equals good food, then why not? On a road trip, you get to say sure, why not? More often than any other kind of holiday.
There’s also something undeniably bonding about spending hours in an RV or a car with people that you like. Conversations get deeper, sillier, and occasionally philosophical in ways that simply don’t when you’re shouting over airplane engine noise. You’re going to learn things like who can’t read the maps and who packs 14 snacks for a three hour drive and who thinks all roundabouts are personal attacks. But let’s not pretend that everything is perfect. Road trips do have their moments. You might encounter traffic that tests the limits of your inner peace, and you might even think about those questionable restroom stops for a while. A road trip isn’t supposed to be flawless, because a flawless road trip would be suspicious. Adventures need a little bit of chaos as a sprinkling of flavour.
The real question is whether or not a road trip would fit the kind of break that you’re craving. If you need something structured, maybe stick to resorts and room service. But if you want a getaway that gives you stories to tell and silly memories to hoard, then a road trip could be exactly what you need. Going with a loose plan and a pile of hope is all you need for a perfect trip.