How to plan an epic mountain road trip

Thinking about hitting the open road this year? Want a taste of freedom and adventure?

After enduring months of cold dark winter days and a fairly chilly spring, you might be ready to leap from the sofa and make a break for the open countryside.

Why not make this the year you do something truly extraordinary and embark on a thrilling journey through the majestic mountains?

Here’s my guide to planning your perfect mountain road trip, where winding roads, soaring peaks and hidden valleys invite you to discover their secrets.

You’ll find tips on when to go, what to pack and how to make sure your vehicle is up to the trip ahead. I’ve also included a few ideas on how to make your trip more environmentally friendly.

Make sure your trip is as stress free as possible by planning ahead.

Then, sit back and enjoy the freedom of the open road

Table of Contents

Why a road trip?

Whether you’re looking for an action packed trip or just a relaxing getaway, a road trip offers a sense of freedom and adventure that’s really hard to match.

Here are just a few reasons to plan your get-away on the road…

flexibility and spontaneity – go wherever the fancy takes you. You can adapt your plans, take detours, stop whenever you like and for as long as you like.
explore out of the way places that organised tours don’t include. A road trip can take you to little known places where you can discover the local culture, regional cuisine and historical sites for yourself.

connect with nature – travel through some of the world’s most scenic routes, like the French ‘Route des Grandes Alpes’ (which you can read more about here), and marvel at the natural landscapes.
escape the stresses of daily life – being immersed in nature can be both relaxing and rejuvenating. That old adage of ‘getting away from it all’ is certainly true when it comes to the mountains.

Where do I start planning for a mountain road trip?

A great road trip depends on good planning….but first things first. Where to go? There are some incredible, well-documented road trips in Europe.

From the crazily popular North Coast 500 in Scotland to the lesser known Grand Tour of Switzerland or the iconic Route des Grandes Alpes in France, to name a few.

Find one that appeals to you and look at the total distance. Decide how far you want to drive every day and factor in several stops. You’ll definitely want a few stops to admire the scenery, for lunch, and to visit interesting places along the way. Allow yourself plenty of time to see the sites worth seeing.

There are loads of online resources that can help you to map out a route. Google Maps is just one example. It’s also a good idea to buy an old-fashioned paper map to get an idea of the landscape.

Watch the sunsets over the mountain tops

Choose the right time of year

Picking the right time of year for your trip can be crucial. In the peak summer months even smaller backroads can be busy.

The weather in mountainous regions can be a major factor in picking the route for a road trip. Some of the high passes in the alps are only open from mid-June until October. Check here ahead of your trip that the higher mountain passes have been cleared of snow.

Fog and rain in the mountains can also prevent you following the route you’ve planned. So stay flexible. A good paper map will let you find alternative roads lower down in the valleys.

Try to avoid travelling at weekends. If you can travel mid-week you’re less likely to meet the swarms of motorcyclists that take to the alpine passes every weekend during the summer months.

There are an awful lot of motor bikers! They’re fast and they tend to travel in packs. As some of these roads are very narrow and twisty it’s good to ‘Think Bike’ at all times

Feel the coolness of a mountain stream

Picking your wheels

Whether you’re travelling by car or campervan there’s a few things to think about before you set off.

Is your vehicle the appropriate size for the chosen route? Taking an oversized campervan or huge 4×4 along narrow roads or over twisting rock strewn mountain passes isn’t very relaxing.
You may find some roads are single track with steep drops. If you meet a similar vehicle coming in the opposite direction you could have to reverse, not ideal in a campervan.
Is your car capable of travelling long distances. Will it manage steep climbs or rough unmade roads.
Does your vehicle need a service before you leave? Check the oil, the tyre pressures and the windscreen wiper fluid before you leave.
Work out your petrol consumption and look online for filling stations on your route. Petrol stations are pretty thin on the ground in rural areas, (as are toilets), take advantage when you see one, and keep your tank well topped up.
If you’re driving an electric car, make absolutely certain that there are charging points along the route. This can be a considerable problem in many rural areas where recharging facilities just don’t exist.

Discover forgotten mountain villages

Mountain road trip essentials

Put together a few items in case you do breakdown or get stuck somewhere miles from a town.

A small first aid kit is really essential and you can buy them cheaply online or in most sports stores. Most contain a selection of bandages, sticking plasters, antiseptic wipes and painkillers.
Jump leads for the car in case the battery goes flat
A spare tyre or similar
Check you’ve got a warning triangle.

A torch and extra batteries. Head torches can be useful and are relatively cheap to buy. Don’t just rely on the torch on your phone.
Take an additional phone charger. If your phone is constantly searching for a signal (likely in the mountains) it can drain very quickly.
A Swiss army penknife or equivalent can be incredibly useful, even if it’s just to open that bottle of wine you bought at the end of the day.
Plenty of water and snacks. Energy bars, chocolate bars, trail mix or nuts are good options and easily packed. Your hotel or accommodation may let you fill a small flask with coffee in the mornings before you set off.
Take a blanket or warm covering in case you’re stranded or waiting for assistance.

Where to stay on a mountain road trip

Small villages in out of the way places along the way offer limited accommodation.

With the number of cyclists and bikers also travelling the back roads it’s really essential to pre-book your overnight stays. Don’t risk having to sleep in your car overnight because you forgot to book or thought you’d just wing it.

If you’re in a campervan or camping keep in mind that:

It can be difficult to park, wild camping’s not allowed in some areas.
Campsites are rarely in the centre of towns. If you’re in a camper van you might need to repack it each time you venture into town to go site seeing. You could rent bikes or use the local bus.
Town carparks often have height limits, check before you go.
Washing facilities are extremely limited in some vans, so pick a campsite with showers and flushing toilets. Invest in a ‘portapotty’ if your vans not equipped with toilets.
Only travel with someone you get on really well with. Living space is cramped. Take earplugs if you’re bothered by snorers.
It can be incredibly dark, but that’s not really a disadvantage as you’ll get to see the stars more clearly.

What to pack for a mountain road trip

When you’re packing for your mountain road trip it’s all about the space. In fact, you really don’t need much with you.

Think layers! Remember to pack a really warm jumper or fleece. Even in the summer sun it can be freezing cold and windy at the top of the mountains.
Pack sunglasses, sunscreen and the mosquito repellent
Hiking boots, towels, shorts, sun hat, tee shirts

$Car with overloaded roofrack$

Taking a small separate overnight bag can be useful if you don’t want to completely unpack the car every night.

Here’s a good tip if you plan to use the overnight safe in your accommodation. It’s easy to put your wallet, credit cards or electronic devices in the safe overnight and drive off forgetting them next day (yes, that was me!).

If you put your car keys in there as well there’s no likelihood of leaving anything behind. I’ve even heard of people leaving a shoe in the safe too, not much chance of leaving without that either.

What travel documents to take on your road trip

Certain documents are essential for any car journey. You’ll need to pack the following depending on where your trip may be taking you:

Passport and visas
Driving licences
Car insurance
Road tax documents
Travel insurance documents
Emergency contact numbers

Check that all documents are valid and will still be valid at the end of your trip. Check they’re relevant to the country or countries you’re planning to travel through.

Make copies of all your documents before you set off. Leave one copy at home and take the other copy with you but keep it separately from the originals.

Mountain road trip safety tips

As with any trip most of the advice on staying safe is common sense. Doing your homework first can play a large part in preventing mishaps.

Keep credit cards, money and ID documents on your person, preferably in a specially designed travel wallet. Use the hotel safe if there is one.
Don’t leave your car documents in the vehicle overnight.
Park your car in well lit places, in front of CCTV cameras or in front of the hotel and it goes without saying, don’t leave valuables in the car overnight.
Research the area you’re travelling through, particularly if it includes suburbs of towns and cities. Read other writers experiences of the place. Avoid known hot spots.
Stay alert and avoid fatigue by taking regular breaks. You have so much flexibility on a road trip that you can schedule in more overnight stops or longer breaks if you feel you need them.
Be careful about what you eat. A stomach upset can be pretty devastating if there are no toilets in sight. Watch out for salads and unwashed raw vegetables and stick to bottled water (fizzy will always be in a sealed bottle) if you’re concerned.
Making a contingency plan in case of emergencies. Check your car insurance, see what’s included in the case of accidents. Does it offer breakdown cover anywhere (even in remote off the beaten-track areas) and is a replacement vehicle included if necessary.
Does your travel insurance cover accident and emergencies. Are your hospital fees covered. Is repatriation included?

Maximise the enjoyment

It might sound like a lot of organising and preparation when all you want to do is jump in the car and head off. It’s so tempting on a road trip to have the destination as your goal and just to keep driving till you get there, but you’ll be missing out on so much. Don’t forget to include plenty of stops to see local sites of interest. Take the time to soak up the scenery, enjoy the local culture and to relax.

After all… this could be the best holiday you’ve ever had

Road trips and the environment

We all want to do our best to protect the environment and the following points are also really just common sense, but I’m still going to mention them.

Drive a fuel efficient vehicle. If you’ve got a choice pick the one that has the best fuel economy. The more fuel efficient the car, the less greenhouse gases it produces.
Stay within the speed limits to reduce fuel consumption.
Plan your route carefully. When you reach your stop over points why not use the local bus, biking or hiking to places of interest?
Pack light to reduce the weight in your vehicle. Less weight equals less fuel consumption and less emissions.
Reduce the amount of waste by using reusable water and food containers.
If there’s a choice then look for eco-friendly accommodation. Some hotels and campsites have energy efficient lighting and water conservation practices.
Minimise energy use – switch off lights, take shorter showers.

and finally…..supporting local communities

You could enjoy a road trip by bike and there are lots of great websites devoted to cycling. Or what about a long-distance hike? Travel by train?

Living in the beautiful Haute Savoie region of France, I’ve seen how important tourism is for remote places like the Alps. Without tourists, villages and hamlets would struggle to survive, with no jobs, no young people and no sense of community.

The roads that criss-cross the Alps play a vital role in keeping services and supplies flowing to the far-flung villages. These quaint traditional communities are the heart and soul of the region’s culture and history, but they rely on tourist income to get by.

Love it or hate it, cars are here to stay in these remote areas for the foreseeable future. However, with electric or hybrid cars on the horizon, there’s hope they’ll become less harmful and more environmentally friendly.

But for now, when you’re planning your next vacation, don’t dismiss the idea of a road trip. You could actually make a difference and contribute to the survival of a whole community.