So where do you begin if you're itching to hit the wide open pavement and start moving?

Before you start searching online for road trip ideas or a road trip planner, decide who is going with you on the journey and make sure that everyone's interests coincide well enough for a long trip in confined spaces. More than one friendship has ended over road trip disasters. Then set a budget. Make sure you can afford the gas home. You don't want to be forced to sell your car on the other side of the country and hitchhike back to your house. Decide how far you want to go and how much time you have for the vacation, but leave plenty of wiggle room for spontaneity (like seeing the world's largest ball of twine or stopping for a bungee jump off some insanely high bridge).

You can use Tripbase's road trip planner to see estimated gas costs for various distances and check out road trip ideas based on your starting point and how far you want to travel. Nevertheless, don't be tied down to a strict itinerary. Part of the fun on a road trip is seeing the unexpected so don't let your predetermined plans turn it into a scheduling nightmare in which you're racing across the country or along the coast to beat some unrealistic clock.

The best road trips follow one simple rule: have fun while you see beautiful and wacky new things.