Plan a day drive that's worth the fuel

You do not need a week off to get a good drive. A well-planned day can be as good as a long trip, and it takes about ten minutes to plan.

Build it around one road

Pick one road you want to drive, ideally something twisty and long enough to settle into, and make that the middle of the day. The rest of the loop only has to get you there and home.

Go out one way, come back another

A loop beats an out-and-back every time. You see twice as much, and nothing is repeated. In the planner, set your start point and one or two stops, make it a round trip and choose a twisty route rather than the fastest.

Set the time first

Decide how long you have, then plan to that. Two to five hours of driving is the sweet spot. Remember that twisty roads are slow: a loop that looks like 150 kilometres on the map can take most of a day.

Put a real stop in the middle

A coffee, a lookout or a swim. Mark it on the map before you leave so you are driving towards something. The Lookouts, Food and Fuel layers show what is on the way.

Check fuel

Your range is not your tank size, and country pumps close early. Look at where you will fill up before you leave. Fuel planning covers the maths.

Finish before you are tired

Plan to be home with something left. The last hour is when concentration slips, so make it an easy road or a short run on a main road.

Not sure where to go?

Use Surprise Me to build a loop from where you are, then adjust it. Next weekend, ask the planner to avoid roads you have already done, and you will get a different one.