To see New England in its best attire, make sure your Road Trip Planner includes the dates from mid-September to mid-October. While New England is beautiful year-round, but unlike other regions, its busiest tourist season is during the Fall, where fiery colors reign supreme.

Enjoying the Fall Foliage is reason enough to visit New England, but what many people discover during their road trip planning is that this region is also steeped in American History. Thus, a Fall Road Trip to New England not only gives you nature’s colorful bounty but also a rewarding cultural experience. Add to that the abundance of festivals held during this season and the readily available lobster and you’ve got a memorable trip in the making!

So where do you start your road trip planning? For many, a New England Road Trip means flying first into Boston & then renting a car. This virtual road trip will take you in a clockwise loop over the course of 8 days where you’ll hit all six New England states: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.

Boston is one of the oldest cities in America with many things to do so plan on staying two nights here. The following morning, put on your walking shoes and hit the Freedom Trail! A good place to start is at Boston Common, the oldest park in America. This 2 ½ mile walk will bring you to 16 significant historic sites worthy of exploration. One site to explore more thoroughly is the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, where you’ll walk on cobblestone streets and meander in & out of shops, restaurants and historic buildings.

The next day, enjoy a scenic drive from Lexington to Concord and then south to Plymouth Rock. Here, your road trip planner should include explorations of the Mayflower II, and the extraordinary Plimoth Plantation. There aren’t many places where you can catch a glimpse of living history reenacted in the village found here.

Add Cape Cod to your road trip planner for your third night. Your best bet for a hotel during this busy season is in Hyannis because it’s the largest of the seven Cape Cod villages. Consider taking a ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard for the day if you’re interested in seeing the historic whaling town of Edgartown. Otherwise, Cape Cod has plenty to offer to fill a full day’s itinerary.

Heading into Rhode Island the next day and – if you’ve planned your road trip to start mid-October – then you should be able to catch Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival. Get your fill of lobster and clams and… and well, it IS a seafood festival. Here you also have an option to enjoy a ferry ride from Newport to Providence if you’re interested in seeing sprawling estates set against color-laden backdrops.

From Newport, you’re only about 50 miles to Mystic, Connecticut for your next overnight stay. For many visitors, this community becomes the highlight of their road trip because it’s a seafaring village dating back to the 1600s. Here you’ll find guides sharing “whale” stories, a 19th century tavern, a printing office, a lighthouse, and of course, boats. Consider adding a steamboat cruise along the Mystic River to your road trip planner.

For the next two days, you will truly be hitting the road as you travel about 3 ½ hours to Woodstock, Vermont and the following day another 4 hours into North Conway, New Hampshire. Make sure you stop along the way to gather leaves so you can make a Fall Foliage collage to remind you of your drive through the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusets, the Green Mountains in Vermont, the acclaimed picturesque town of Woodstock and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Pencil in Portland, Maine in your road trip planner for your last full day. You’ll emerge from the mountains and lakes to cruise along the rocky coastline, just in time to enjoy one last lobster dinner before checking into your last New England hotel. The following morning, you have about a 1 ½ hour drive to Boston, so enjoy the Atlantic Ocean views while you can!

While some travelers like turning the wheel over to tour operators, others like to do their own Road Trip Planning so they can travel at their own pace and stop at whim. Either way, you’ll get a memorable Fall Foliage Experience.

When considering the size of Alaska, a road trip planner will invariably ask if Alaska can truly be explored in one road trip. Alaska offers vast mountains, colossal blue-white glaciers and an abundance of wildlife with activities unique to the state; this combination earns an Alaskan Road Trip top honors in travelers’ memory books.

For most road trip planners, their itinerary will start with flight plans. Most people flying in will land in Anchorage. At this point, they’ll either rent a car and stay in hotels along the way (reserved in advance of course!) or they’ll rent an RV to explore Alaska at their own pace (with their itinerary allowing impromptu exploration options).

After exploring Anchorage’s offerings, many place the city of Tok as a destination in their road trip planner because it helps create a good triangle for your road trip. Tok is known as the “Sled Dog Capital of Alaska”. Plan on 5 ½ hours driving time from Anchorage but I know you’ll stop – even spend a day or two – around the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Get ready for the largest and most magnificent of the National Parks of Alaska, with 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the United States. This mountain region contains numerous glaciers, lakes and mountain streams and is home to a rich variety of wild life. It is superb country for climbers, walkers and water sports enthusiasts.

Fairbanks would be the third point of your trip triangle to add to your road trip planner (Anchorage to Tok to Fairbanks). Some travelers start their Alaskan Road Trip by flying in to Fairbanks, so for them, their trip triangle would be Fairbanks, Anchorage, Tok. Fairbanks is second biggest city of Alaska and has the all the amenities of an urban community. The Gold Rush Street at Pioneer Park was a replica but a real operating gold mine exists in this proud city. Visit the Museum of the North, take a river trip for half-day cruise through the Chena and Tanana Rivers. In the summer, the Riverboat Discovery Tour runs twice a day. Trip reservations are a must so make the necessary arrangements ahead of time.

Leaving Fairbanks, include the impressive Denali National Park in your road trip planner before hitting Anchorage. Denali contains Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America and is definitely worthy of some heavy-duty exploration.

A four- to six-hour drive down south from Denali National Park, passing through Talkeetna, you’ll reach the town of Wasilla. Have your camera at the ready because moose or bear sightings along the way are often part of the journey. For canoeing experience, go to the Nancy Lake Recreation Area. There are plenty of cabins to rent for overnight stays. Further south, visit the Big Lake for swimming, camping, jet-ski and fishing. Proceed to Mat-Su Valley and drop by Iditarod Trail Headquarters on Knik Road. Learn some history at Knik Museum and the Sled Dog Musher’s Hall of Fame.

Another town to add to your road trip planner is Palmer, only 15 minutes away from Wasilla. There is a great RV campground here as well as some cool farms like the Musk Ox Farm. Best time to be here is in late August when the Alaska State Fair is celebrated.

Leave another day in your road trip planner to explore more of Anchorage. It has plenty of hiking opportunities, cultural events and art exhibits. The Flattop Mountain and Chugach State Park are the city’s pride together with Alaska Zoo and Potter Marsh, a bird and wildlife sanctuary.

If you have more time, add another leg of your road trip by driving along the Seward Highway, designated as the All-American Road, and enjoy the scenic view. Picnic opportunities are everywhere, and the picture perfect backdrop is hard to resist. Fishing, camping and canoeing activities in the Kenai/Soldotna area are nice options too.

I’ve shared one road trip example, but customize yours to reflect your own Dream Alaskan Trip. Below are some tips to help you get the most out of your trip.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO…?* See the Northern Lights; plan on coming either late fall and early spring.* Enjoy the Midnight Sun; put June 21st in the middle of your road trip planning.* Go whale watching; head to Alaska anytime from mid-May through mid-September.* View the most wildlife; summer-time will get you sightings of moose, bear, mountain sheep, caribou, coyote, wolves, sheep, beaver, otter, mink, or hare. In addition, birdwatchers can photo-capture eagles, hawks, jays, owls, spruce hens, grouse, and ptarmigan and migratory waterfowl coming north to nest each summer.

Make this the year you go wild with your road trip planning and head North to Alaska for a trip of a lifetime.