How to Plan Out a Road Trip Like a Pro
Wise Words: Seasoned road trippers Storm and Dalton Graff — better known as The Nomadic Sweethearts — share their insights for mastering life on the open road.
By Nicole Keen | Illustrations by Maya Nguyen
For Storm and Dalton Graff — otherwise known as The Nomadic Sweethearts (@TheNomadicSweethearts on Instagram and YouTube) — the silver lining of the COVID-related lockdowns was remote work and the possibility of life on the open road. They left Southern Ontario with a few belongings strapped to their SUV, eventually upgrading to an RV in 2023. The Graffs and their two dogs — Minnie and Drogo — spent this past spring camping on Vancouver Island and plan to head to the East Coast for the latter part of 2026. With six years of road-trip travel under their belts, they’ve learned first-hand how to live the nomad life. If you’re looking for road-trip travel tips, they have all the info. The Graffs share how to plan a road trip and what to bring, including easy meal ideas and a must-have laundry gadget.
What are some easy road-trip ideas for beginners?
The best thing to do if you’re a beginner is leave on a Friday and come back on a Sunday. It doesn’t have to be a giant cross-country trip. Just start out small and see if you like sitting in a car for eight hours. Following a well-trodden path, you’re never going to be alone on those highways.
Where do you stay when you’re on the road?
For our first road trip, we had every Airbnb booked, every gas stop planned. Currently, we don’t have an off-grid system [to manage power, water and waste], so we have to stay at RV parks or national park campgrounds, and that definitely requires some planning ahead as they all open reservations on specific dates. The national parks do require a fee to be inside of them, but this year it’s free from June 19 to September 7 (though you still have to pay to camp).
What are some travel tips you wish you had known sooner?
When we were first learning about road-tripping, we heard of the 3-3-3 rule. Don’t drive more than 300 miles (approximately 480 km) per day, don’t arrive at your campsite after 3 p.m. and don’t stay fewer than three nights. Basically, don’t over-stretch yourself. Another big one is downloading your map [so it’s available] offline because so many places don’t have service. A lot of times, we’ll set up Google Maps before we leave, but then, for whatever reason, it gets disconnected when we stop to get gas and then won’t reconnect because we’re in the middle of nowhere.
What should I bring on a road trip?
Snacks, water and then a car emergency kit (with a blanket, a candle, etc.). If you’re going to places that are remote [consider getting] a satellite phone to be able to contact people.
Do you have any tips for how to plan meals?
We travel in our trailer, so we have easy access to cooked food, but we always like to buy emergency meals [such as boxed mac and cheese or instant noodles] — all you need is hot water. Most gas stations will at least have a coffee maker, so you can add hot water to something. We like to have those little emergency meals just in case we get stuck somewhere or we arrive way later than normal and don’t feel like making a real meal.
How do you handle laundry during a long trip?
We have this item called a Scrubba Wash Bag. It’s almost like a dry bag, but it’s got little nubs on the inside for washing your clothes. We use that in the summertime a lot, and then we can hang our clothes to dry. In the winter, we just use the laundromat at our campground.
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What are some easy road-trip ideas for beginners?
The best thing to do if you’re a beginner is leave on a Friday and come back on a Sunday. It doesn’t have to be a giant cross-country trip. Just start out small and see if you like sitting in a car for eight hours. Following a well-trodden path, you’re never going to be alone on those highways.
Where do you stay when you’re on the road?
For our first road trip, we had every Airbnb booked, every gas stop planned. Currently, we don’t have an off-grid system [to manage power, water and waste], so we have to stay at RV parks or national park campgrounds, and that definitely requires some planning ahead as they all open reservations on specific dates. The national parks do require a fee to be inside of them, but this year it’s free from June 19 to September 7 (though you still have to pay to camp).
What are some travel tips you wish you had known sooner?
When we were first learning about road-tripping, we heard of the 3-3-3 rule. Don’t drive more than 300 miles (approximately 480 km) per day, don’t arrive at your campsite after 3 p.m. and don’t stay fewer than three nights. Basically, don’t over-stretch yourself. Another big one is downloading your map [so it’s available] offline because so many places don’t have service. A lot of times, we’ll set up Google Maps before we leave, but then for whatever reason, it gets disconnected when we stop to get gas and then won’t reconnect because we’re in the middle of nowhere.
What should I bring on a road trip?
Snacks, water and then a car emergency kit (with a blanket, a candle, etc.). If you’re going to places that are remote [consider getting] a satellite phone to be able to contact people.
Do you have any tips for how to plan meals?
We travel in our trailer, so we have easy access to cooked food, but we always like to buy emergency meals [such as boxed mac and cheese or instant noodles] — all you need is hot water. Most gas stations will at least have a coffee maker, so you can add hot water to something. We like to have those little emergency meals just in case we get stuck somewhere or we arrive way later than normal and don’t feel like making a real meal.
How do you handle laundry during a long trip?
We have this item called a Scrubba Wash Bag. It’s almost like a dry bag, but it’s got little nubs on the inside for washing your clothes. We use that in the summertime a lot, and then we can hang our clothes to dry. In the winter, we just use the laundromat at our campground.
For Storm and Dalton Graff — otherwise known as The Nomadic Sweethearts (@TheNomadicSweethearts on Instagram and YouTube) — the silver lining of the COVID-related lockdowns was remote work and the possibility of life on the open road. They left Southern Ontario with a few belongings strapped to their SUV, eventually upgrading to an RV in 2023. The Graffs and their two dogs — Minnie and Drogo — spent this past spring camping on Vancouver Island and plan to head to the East Coast for the latter part of 2026. With six years of road-trip travel under their belts, they’ve learned first-hand how to live the nomad life. If you’re looking for road-trip travel tips, they have all the info. The Graffs share how to plan a road trip and what to bring, including easy meal ideas and a must-have laundry gadget.