8 Road Trip Planning Hacks From a Certified ‘Planner Friend’

As the self-declared (and appointed) ‘Planner Friend’, Explorer Eva’s organised her fair share of adventures. She’s shared her tips for making sure all those grand ideas actually come to fruition.

The Planner Friend – we all have one! They get the road trip out of the group chat and onto the tarmac. They plan the route, wrangle the friends, book the accommodation, factor a stop at The Bottle-O into the itinerary, and are always prepared with a stacked first aid kit and a spare headtorch.

Stop No. 1

I know this person well because I am her and she is me. I’ve been a planner since the dawn of time (ask my mother) and I LOVE plotting adventures for my mates.

If you’re thinking, ‘Hey that’s me too!’ you’ll probably nod along wisely to most of this article (I see you planner friends).  If you’re like ‘I would’ve forgotten my headtorch’, THIS IS FOR YOU.

I’m here to convince you that everyone should try their hand at being ‘The Planner’ at least once, so you can enjoy watching your friends vibe out on the epic adventure you planned for them. All aboard!

Get ready to hit the road

Tip 1. Get Excited!

The first step to planning a great trip is getting yourself hyped for the adventures you’ll have!

You know that feeling of seeing an amazing travel photo and thinking, ‘That’s sick, I so wanna go there’? That’s the feeling you’re chasing.

I usually start with a Googling frenzy of ‘best views in…’ or ‘epic hikes near…’. I read a few blogs, watch some Insta reels, or chat to a mate who’s been there before (they always have the best recs) and soon enough I’m buzzing to find out more and wrangle the crew.

Essentially, the more you want to go to a place, the more likely you are to get your butt into gear and organise the trip! It won’t feel like as much of a burden if every step brings you closer to an adventure you’re DESPERATE to go on.

My most recent road trip was with two new friends who’ve moved to the NSW South Coast from Sydney. We stayed at a cute campground recommended by my Mum, checked out a tiny beach I’ve seen on a fellow photographer’s Instagrams, and finally visited a waterhole a girl from work told me about years ago. 

It was so easy to get excited about it because I really wanted to go to these spots and I also really wanted to show off the magical South Coast to my new friends (so they stay and never move back to Sydney!).

Tip 2. Plan for Your People

Now that you’re inspired and ready to rock, the first step to a successful road trip is matching your mates to your activities (or vice versa).

If they’re thrill seekers, you’ve probably got the scope to throw in some serious action, but if they’re more beers-by-the-campfire, read-on-the-beach kinda people, you might want to save your treacherous Type 2 Fun for another day.

You might even have a mixed bag. I planned a Northern Territory road trip with a group whose adventure skills ranged from multiday hikers to non-campers. My American sister in law was firmly out of her comfort zone, but I was conscious to book idyllic camp spots with decent amenities, plus we opted for campervans over tents. She handled the bush and the camping like a champ and the rest of us were certainly grateful for a cold beer out of the car fridge and a shower at the end of the day.

Find a way to make everyone comfy

The same sentiment goes for how organised your mates are. Are they the kind of people who’ll remember to stop by The Bottle-O but forget a stove to cook on? Or are they super organised and will turn up with every gadget under the sun?

For example, my Dad needed zero prompting to drive his ancient Troopy across the Simpson Desert with us, but definitely needed convincing that yes you do in fact legally need a sand safety flag and a satellite phone to make the journey.

Tip 3. Prioritise Your Logistics

If you haven’t already picked your dates, do that first, then work backwards.

Plot out a general route that matches how much time you have, then start to highlight some key activities along the way and some potential campgrounds at good intervals. This might look different depending on where you’re headed, for example, the NSW South Coast seems to have amazing microadventures every 10km, so you might only travel 50km per day while a remote WA roadie might take you 500km in an afternoon!

Halfway there

Usually the next priority is accommodation, but (and this one is for you, planner friends) try not to over book. Lock in what you really need to, like popular national park campgrounds, tickets to events, or hikes that have capacity limits, but leave some flexibility to go with the flow on the day and follow your nose to cool adventures!

Tip 4. Get on the Apps

No not THOSE apps, c’mon guys. I’m talking Willy Weather, Wiki Camps, Google Maps, AllTrails, HipCamp. They’re the tools of the trade and you’d be mad not to make the most of them. I’m forever checking the wind direction on Willy Weather, zooming into campsites on Google Maps satellite mode, and reading Wiki Camps reviews.

When we travelled Australia, I used Wiki Camps daily to choose campgrounds and find cool swimming holes. Plus I ended up with a sick map showing everywhere we’d driven!

This tip includes spreadsheets! They’re perfect for keeping track of everything and also shareable so you don’t have to answer ‘Wait, where’s our first campsite?’ 15 times in the group chat. Speaking of group chats…

Tip 5. Utilise the power of the group chat!

While no one likes an out of control group chat, they ARE super handy. Having all the chat in one place means theoretically no one should miss important info and everyone can get hyped together!

Keep in mind some people will have loads of energy to contribute ideas, while others just won’t have the time or headspace.

I usually try to avoid open ended ‘What’s everyone’s thoughts?’ kinda questions in favour of ‘Choose option A, B or C’, style messages when it comes to logistics. Silly nicknames and a ridiculous group chat picture never go astray either.

When the trip finally makes it out of the group chat

Tip 6. Delegate!

There always seems to be a million last minute jobs on a road trip so use your crew to divide and conquer! Send someone to grab post-hike beers from The Bottle-O, and someone else to secure firewood. One car can bring the esky and another car can take the dry food. Someone sets up the tent while the others make dinner and a fire. Teamwork makes the dreamwork as they say!

Beers? Check!

When we road tripped through the Kimberly for ten days with another couple, we had a great system where we planned five dinners each. Every night one couple made food and washed up while the other couple made a fire and got to chill and enjoy a delish meal! It made the whole trip way more relaxed, we didn’t have to fuss about dividing grocery bills and we all had plenty of time to chill and soak up nature!

Tip 7. Stay Fed and Watered

Hangry thirsty is never a good combo. Road trip snacky snacks and post-adventure campfire drinks are a non-negotiable. It’s always safer to stock up at the supermarket and The Bottle-O before you head out, because you never know where the adventure is going to take you!

How handy!

On our girls-take-the-South-Coast road trip, I was actually joined by two fellow Planner Friends, so we were extra prepared on the snack and drink front.

We stocked up at The Bottle-O and earlier that morning, Carrie-Anne visited our fav bakery and picked up donuts, which we saved for our afternoon coastal walk. We trekked along the cliffs in search of the perfect viewpoint to enjoy our arvo treat. Confirmed: a lookout with a donut in hand makes for a 10x better view! And yes, that lookout is now named ‘Donut Rock’. Core memory unlocked for sure.

Tip 8. Soak it Up

It can be tricky to detach from planning mode once you get into your adventure, but try and enjoy the moment! No need to micromanage, you’ve done the hard yards, now you get to sit back, relax, and revel in the joy of your mates that you helped create!

Now all there is to do is enjoy it!

And don’t stress if your trip doesn’t exactly go to plan – take it from a certified Planner Friend – all the best adventures go a little bit sideways. 

Whether you’re enjoying your friends relaxing around the campfire, laughing in delight while swimming under a waterfall, or bonding over getting totally rained out of your campsite, sharing an outdoor adventure cements friendships like nothing else. Regardless of how the journey turns out, I reckon you’ll be instigating the next group chat adventure in no time!