Every region has its iconic road trip. In Mississippi, the Natchez Trace leads north to Tennessee. In Colorado, the Million Dollar Highway threads the San Juan Skyway. Landmarks of American history sit within four hours of nearly every front door, and 2026 is the year to take advantage of that.
The Mother Road (aka Route 66) turns 100 on November 11, and America hits its 250th birthday on July 4. The coinciding anniversaries are bringing renewed attention to the American road trip—and you don’t have to plan some sprawling four-state route to participate. Consider a regional loop within a gas tank or two of home that keeps an introverted teenager, a curious 9-year-old, the parents, and their parents back for Sunday dinner. No matter how far you’re going, here’s how to prep so the trip is the thing everybody remembers, not the logistics.
Book Your Stays Before the Route
Nothing fuels an “Are we there yet?” meltdown faster than a long day on the road without a place to land, which is why booking hotels early (especially larger suites or adjoining rooms) matters just as much as planning the route itself.
Comfort Suites near Route 66 in Springfield, IL, sits within walking distance of the Lincoln Home and the Presidential Library—two natural stops during America’s 250th anniversary year. The hotel’s all-suite layout also gives parents the king bed and teenagers the sleeper sofa, with enough separation for everyone to enjoy a little personal space. Three miles from Cadillac Ranch in the Texas Panhandle, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Amarillo I-40 West greets road-weary travelers with the brand’s signature “Be Our Guest” cookies at check-in and a hot breakfast to fuel another day on the road. Off Route 66 in Williams, AZ, The Ellsworth Hotel, an Ascend Collection™ Hotel, sits steps from the Grand Canyon Railway depot, where families can board a vintage train to the South Rim before lunch.
Have a Plan B for Every Stop
Roadside attractions close without notice, diners shutter, and the famous donut shop everyone recommended has a two-hour line the day you turn up. Every anchor stop needs a backup written down with operating hours, an address, and a phone number. (Cell service can be unreliable when it matters most.) A backup hotel 30 to 45 minutes off the planned route is worth pinning, too; with a network of more than 7,500 hotels, Choice Hotels® means a clean, family-friendly room is rarely more than an exit or two away when a thunderstorm closes the interstate. The road trips families remember are the ones flexible enough to handle the unexpected
Map Everything—Even the Unglamorous Stuff
The laundromat, the grocery store with a pharmacy counter, the 24-hour urgent care—nobody plans a vacation around these, but every family needs at least one of them by day four. Pick the right hotel and you can take care of half of these needs on site: Select Comfort Suites and Country Inn & Suites properties offer in-room mini fridges and microwaves, along with guest laundry facilities that can make longer road trips a little easier. Drop pins for the rest throughout your two longest-stay cities, and the afternoon you would have otherwise lost hunting down a place to wash a juice-stained shirt stays yours.
Download Offline Maps Before You Leave the Driveway
Cell service drops between rural exits in ways no signal-bar app can predict—on Route 66 between Tucumcari and Albuquerque, yes, but also on the back roads through the Berkshires, the Smokies, and most of Wyoming. Load your route’s offline maps the night before departure (because maps tiles can expire after 15 days). Most newer smartphones also save offline regions in their built-in maps app, so turn the feature on before pulling out of the driveway. Screenshot every hotel address. Print a one-sheet with the itinerary, every phone number, and your insurance information. Hand a copy to Grandpa—you’ll be grateful he has it when everyone else’s phone battery calls it quits.
Drive at Grandma and Grandpa’s pace
AAA recommends a break every two hours or 100 miles; older drivers and passengers may need to stop every 60 to 90 miles. So build the day around 250 driving miles, not 400. Eat lunch off the highway. Get to the hotel by 4 p.m. so there’s time for a pool swim and a hot shower before dinner, and a chill hour for the 9-year-old to draw every half-buried Cadillac she saw. Multi-generational trips don't fall apart when the kids melt down; they fall apart when the schedule is built for the youngest stomach and the oldest legs are an afterthought. Comfort Suites’ all-suite footprint—king bed for the grandparents, sleeper sofa for the kids, and a microwave for the late-night snack—was built precisely for the multi-gen stay.
The trip your family will remember isn’t measured in miles. It’s measured in the laughs at the rest stop, the postcards picked up at the gift shop, and the places visited along the way.
Start planning your road trip at choicehotels.com.
