Tips for Planning the Ultimate Foodie Road Trip

If food is your love language, make your next long weekend a trip where you drive to a relaxing destination and aim to find the next best meal. Think “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ,” but you are the host, and your Instagram followers are your audience.

If you and your friends enjoy the small town food scene , imagine eating your way through Newberg, Oregon, one of USA Today’s 10 best small town food scenes. To top it off, this beautiful town in the Willamette Valley is the gateway to wine country.

Stop drooling and grab your driving partner. With these helpful tips for planning the ultimate foodie road trip, you will be on the road in no time!

Create a Map of Foodie Destinations

The internet can be a great resource for mapping out your ideal location. Once you’ve narrowed down the destination, make a list of any must-try spots on your journey. Google Maps is a great way to map out your route and make sure you hit all the sites on your list while also planning enough time to get from one place to another.

Read reviews and recommendations so that you have an idea of things you would like to try. Also, check each place’s hours of operation so that you don’t make the mistake of showing up on a day it’s closed.

Book Accommodations Carefully

Don’t overlook this important step when booking your trip. If you have a full day of foodie adventure planned right in the city’s center, you may want to reconsider staying in an isolated air B&B an hour away. Plan ahead and book a hotel that is close to all the destinations on your list. It saves time and energy so that you can focus on having a great time.

Relax and Enjoy Your Trip

Traveling is about relaxation and enjoyment! Make sure you’re not overscheduling yourself. It’s so easy to say yes to every meal, bar, and fun thing in your path. But if you push yourself beyond the breaking point of exhaustion, a life-changing adventure can devolve into a stress-inducing nightmare of constant racing around town with too much on your plate. Be sure to leave space in your schedule for naps or other kinds of self-care .

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Foodie Road Trip Snacks

The point of this trip is to get away, disconnect, and enjoy every bite. If you spend hours on end looking at stunning landscapes, make sure you have enough food to sustain yourself. Get creative with travel-friendly foods for long drives between cities and pack things that won’t melt if left out in your bag or in the car.

Plan activities that include food. For example, visit an apple orchard or berry farm and incorporate food into your trip in a nontraditional way. You even get to snack on your stash as you travel back home.

Follow these tips to plan the ultimate foodie road trip that is both enjoyable and delicious.

This story originally appeared in Cuisine Noir Magazine