Alright folks, so I finally got around to planning that big Texas caravan trip I’ve been yapping about forever. Thought I’d scribble down how it actually went down ’cause let’s be honest, my first attempt was kinda… well, a hot mess. Ended up breaking it into five chunks just to keep my head from exploding. Here’s how it all shook out.
Step 1: Grabbed My Notebook & Started Doodling
Okay, first things first. I plopped my butt on the couch, grabbed this beat-up notebook I use for everything, and just started scribbling. No fancy apps yet, just paper. Wrote down all the stuff swirling in my head: “Big Bend?”, “Hill Country wineries?”, “Gotta see Austin weirdness”, “How long can the kids survive in the car without mutiny?”. Honestly, it looked like a toddler attacked it – arrows everywhere, question marks, stars next to things I really wanted. Took like an hour just to vomit all the ideas onto paper.
Step 2: Pulled Up Maps & Waged War With Distances
This part sucked. Big time. I pulled up a regular road map on my laptop and fired up a couple mapping sites side-by-side. Started trying to connect the dots from Step 1. Houston to Big Bend? Holy smokes, that’s a full day just driving! Austin to Fredericksburg? Not bad, but then where? Suddenly my grand tour of the whole darn state started looking impossible in two weeks. Had to face the music: I was trying to cram too much in. Ended up scrapping half the scribbles and focusing on a loop: Start in Houston, hit Hill Country & Austin, swing down to San Antonio, and maybe squeeze in a short coastal bit if time allowed. Reality bites, man.
Step 3: Dug Deep For Stops & Sleep Spots
Now that I had a rough path, it was scavenger hunt time. Hit up travel blogs, camping apps, even just straight-up Googled “cool stuff near [town name]”. Found a killer BBQ joint everyone raves about near Lockhart, circled it three times. Looked for state parks along the route for camping – got some booked FAST ’cause apparently everyone else had the same bright idea. For the nights we wanted a real bed, I spent ages checking motel reviews and prices, trying to find places that wouldn’t break the bank but didn’t look like a serial killer’s hangout. Pro tip: Reading the bad reviews is usually more useful than the good ones. Learned that the hard way before!
Step 4: The Budget Tango (More Like Wrestling Match)
Alright, time for the fun killer: money. Made a big, ugly list:
- Gas: Guessed wildly, then multiplied by 1.5 ’cause Texas is huge.
- Food: Budgeted for mostly cooking our own grub, with splurges on a few must-eat spots.
- Camping Fees & Motels: Added up all those reservations from Step 3. Ouch.
- Park Entry Fees: Little things like $10 here and $5 there add up quick!
- Random Stuff: Ice, firewood, emergency snacks, maybe a souvenir or two.
Looked at the total and winced. Had to go back to Step 2 and 3 a bit, ditch one motel night for an extra night of camping, maybe cut one paid attraction. Budgeting always feels like whack-a-mole.
Step 5: The Gear Dump & Double-Check Circus
Final stretch! Went out to the garage and literally started pulling stuff out of the camper and off the shelves. Tents? Check. Sleeping bags? Found ’em under a pile of old tarps. Cooler? Dug it out. Made a pile on the garage floor – looked like a yard sale. Then, went point by point:
- Tire pressure? Pumped ’em all up.
- Spare tire & jack? Still there, thankfully.
- First Aid Kit? Dug it out and added more bandaids because kids.
- Reservation confirmations? Printed ’em all out like it was 1999, phone batteries lie.
- Route maps? Even with GPS, printed backup maps never hurt.
Took a whole afternoon, felt kinda ridiculous, but better safe than stranded on some dusty Texas backroad.
So yeah, that was my five-step thrash-fest to plan this trip. Is it perfect? Heck no. Am I gonna forget something crucial? Probably my favorite hat. But at least now I’ve got a fighting chance. Time to go hit the road! Texas, here we come… eventually.
