(A version of the below article by culture and film reporter Todd Gilchrist originally appeared in the June 2021 issue of Military Officer, a magazine available to all MOAA Premium and Life members. Learn more about the magazine here; learn more about joining MOAA here.)

Poets from Walt Whitman to Willie Nelson have long memorialized the open road. But traveling with friends or loved ones has seldom felt as appealing as it does today, after a year in which getaways and great views were experienced through the dull glow of electronic devices — if at all.

Right now, road trips offer travelers an opportunity to feel the rumble of unfamiliar terrain beneath their wheels and experience the country’s beautiful vistas firsthand, whether they’re a final destination or simply part of the journey.

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And as COVID-19 restrictions continue to vary on state and national levels, road trips afford a unique degree of flexibility in terms of itinerary and cost, as long as you’ve done a bit of planning in advance.

Make sure you bring along the right tools, supplies, and equipment for when the rubber meets the road. This will greatly reduce lingering questions, guaranteeing a fun experience that allows you to explore long stretches of highway and various detours with comfort and enjoyment, whether they’re carefully planned or improvised in themoment.

Apps. A handful of cheap or free apps will help you planwhere you’re going and keep you on track once you’ve embarked. Real-time navigational app Waze is probably themost common, but Roadtrippers was explicitly designed to help plan your route — with up to 150 stops.

Roadside America collects offbeat attractions worth stopping for as you’re exploring. Meanwhile, Gasbuddy will help you save money by locating the cheapest places to refuel, while Hotel Tonight can identify day-of room deals if you overshoot a day’s mileage or get caught up at a place you’d like to explore for longer. And Citizen sends users real-time, location- based safety alerts in more than 20 cities across the country, including COVID trends, so you’ll know where to break out the masks and hand sanitizer and where to roll down the windows and soak up some sun.

Check out our Live and Play 2021 destinations below. If there is a spot we’ve missed or an attraction you’d like to share, use the subject line Dream Destinations to send a message to editor@moaa.org. We may use your comments in a future issue, or use them to help plan upcoming coverage.