What’s the Best Time to Leave for a Road Trip? (And Why It Actually Matters)

There’s nothing quite like that pre-road trip buzz. You’ve packed your bags, stocked up on snacks, triple-checked the playlist, and maybe even cleaned the windscreen for once. But then comes the one decision no one seems to talk about enough… What time should you leave for a road trip?

We’ve lived on the road full-time, spent over a decade road-tripping across Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and have set off at every possible hour – from late afternoon dashes to pitch-black 5AM starts. And after all that? There’s a clear winner.

Leaving earlier in the day makes for a better road trip. Every single time.

Whether you’re planning a weekend escape or a multi-week van life journey, the time you set off has more impact than people realise.

It affects how far you get, how safe the drive feels, how enjoyable the journey is, and even whether or not you’ll actually want to stop along the way.

In this post, we’re going to break down how we decide the best time to leave for a road trip, why mornings usually win, when not to leave, and how to prepare so you actually enjoy the ride – rather than regret getting behind the wheel in the first place.

Why Mornings Are the Best Time to Leave for a Road Trip

After years of trial and error, we’ve learned that setting off in the morning gives us the best balance of clear roads, energy, and flexibility.

When we leave in the morning – usually around 6am – the whole day just flows better.

There’s something about having the roads mostly to yourself, a coffee in hand, and knowing you’ve got the full stretch of daylight ahead of you.

You’re not rushing to beat the sunset, you’re not stressing about traffic, and you’ve got plenty of time for detours or longer lunch stops if something catches your eye.

We always plan to stop within the first couple of hours. It gives us a natural break, a chance to stretch our legs, and – let’s be honest – grab a second coffee.

This pause sets the tone for a more relaxed, flexible trip. And speaking of coffee, we never set off without snacks. Having something easy to eat within reach (for both us and the dog) makes those early hours far more enjoyable, and saves us from overpriced petrol station food.

When Not to Leave

We actively avoid setting off during peak commute hours.

In most places, that’s between 7:30 and 9:00am, but it can start earlier or run longer near big cities. We will also make sure our route doesn’t go through towns/cities during peak hours too where possible.

Mondays and Fridays are notoriously heavy traffic days too, especially if you’re heading near a tourist spot, city or using major motorways.

Weekends can be unpredictable. In theory, Sundays are supposed to be quieter (and you’ll find plenty of stats claiming they are), but we’d love to meet whoever compiled those numbers, because Sunday traffic around coastal towns or mountain routes tells a very different story. The title Sunday Driver exists for a reason!

Holiday periods are the worst.

We’ve been caught out during Easter, summer holidays, and Christmas more than once.

Even if you think you’re setting off early enough, everyone else has the same idea, and suddenly every layby, café, and fuel station is packed.

We now build in extra time (and patience) if we have to travel over any major holiday, especially in Europe where religious celebrations can shut down entire towns with barely a heads up.

Is Night Driving Ever Worth It?

Night driving sounds appealing on paper – empty roads, cooler air, peaceful vibes. But in practice? It’s rarely the dream it promises to be.

We’ve done our fair share of night drives, and while they can be helpful for avoiding heat or catching ferries, they come with a lot of drawbacks.

Visibility is reduced. You’re more likely to come across wildlife – I’m looking at you, Australia, where night driving is not safe or advised. And the chances of feeling drowsy go up significantly – especially if you didn’t get a full night’s sleep beforehand.

In rural areas, you’ve also got the added challenge of poorly lit roads, fewer services, and nowhere open if something goes wrong. Even something simple like needing to use the toilet becomes more complicated.

When we do drive at night, it’s short distances only, and we prep for it the same way we would a day drive: well-rested, well-fed, and fully aware that we might need to stop and sleep earlier than planned.

What to Consider When Choosing a Departure Time

We’ve learned that the best time to leave for a road trip often depends on a few key factors – not just what feels convenient.

There’s no magic formula, but these are the five things we always check before picking our start time:

Traffic: We check the route in Google Maps (even the day before) and take note of major pinch points. If we’re heading through any cities or commuter zones, we’ll either leave extra early to beat it, or wait until it clears.

Wildlife: If we’re travelling through forested areas, farmland or outback-style regions, we avoid dawn and dusk when animals are most active. We’ve had enough close calls with deer, sheep, and kangaroos to know better now.

Visibility: Good daylight makes all the difference, especially if you’re wild camping or heading somewhere new. We always aim to arrive with at least an hour of light left.

Fatigue: No one drives well tired. If one of us didn’t sleep properly the night before, we’ll push the start time back a bit and adjust our route. Better to drive a bit less and be safe than to white-knuckle through a long day with no sleep.

Facilities: If you’re leaving super early, know that not everything will be open. A café you were counting on for breakfast might not open until 9am. Same with fuel stations in rural areas. We always plan our first stop based on when we know something will be open.

How We Prep the Day Before

Once we know what time to leave for a road trip, we start prepping the day before to make the early start as smooth as possible.

We always pack the van or car the evening before – clothes, water, snacks, emergency kit, everything.

Fuel gets topped up the day before, too, so we’re not starting the trip already behind schedule.

We also run a quick maintenance check: tyres, oil, coolant, lights. We check the weather forecast (especially if we’re driving through mountains or coastlines), and download any offline maps or campsite info we might need along the way.

The playlist gets loaded, the snacks go in their place, and we both try to get a solid night of sleep. It makes all the difference to how that first drive feels.

Long Drive Safety Tips We Swear By

Some of these might seem obvious, but they’re the kind of things that are easy to ignore when you’re in “get there faster” mode.

We’ve ignored them before, and regretted it.

We always take regular breaks. Even if we feel fine, we stop every couple of hours to move around, switch drivers, or just get some fresh air. It keeps fatigue from creeping in, and gives the dog a chance to stretch too.

We never push past our limits. If we planned to drive six hours but feel drained after four, we call it a day. That flexibility is what makes road trips enjoyable. It’s not a race.

We keep distractions to a minimum. The driver never touches the phone. GPS is mounted, music is ready, and the passenger is in charge of snacks, directions, and dealing with the dog. It’s a system that works, and keeps us both focused.

We use air con to stay alert. Cooler temps help with focus, especially during long straight stretches or warm climates. It’s a small trick, but it makes a noticeable difference.

And finally, we loosely follow the 330 rule whenever possible: stop driving by 3:30pm or after 330 miles, whichever comes first.

Not only does it give you time to enjoy your destination, but it means you’re not scrambling in the dark trying to figure out where to park or set up for the night.

Want Help Figuring Out Your Best Time to Leave?

We’ve actually built a road trip calculator that helps you work out the best time to leave based on your drive time, route, stop preferences and ideal arrival window.

Pop in your details, hit go, and it’ll tell you the latest time you need to leave to stay on track. It’s simple, helpful, and based on exactly how we plan our own travel days.

We recommend saving this page to your bookmarks or Pinterest so you can easily get back to it!

Ready to Actually Enjoy the Drive?

Figuring out the best time to leave isn’t just about beating traffic, it’s about setting the tone for your entire trip. A calm, smooth start makes every detour feel like part of the adventure, not a disruption.

We’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that the little logistics matter more than you’d expect – and getting those right means more time enjoying the views, the stops, and even the coffee breaks.

If you’re ready to make your next road trip feel less chaotic and more effortless, we’ve put together the exact planning system we use within the Road Trip Ready Toolkit – from timing to budgeting to the little stuff people always forget. It’s helped us turn spontaneous ideas into stress-free travel days, and it might just do the same for you.