Two Road Trip Routes to Beat the Winter Blues

At times, the winter months are breathtaking.

The snow cascades to transform scenes into a winter wonderland. People are jubilant to play in cooler temperatures and make snow angels. Although December marks the dawn of a beautiful new season, it’s also a heads up that treacherous storms are soon to come.

With looming grey skies and the tedious task of shoveling away your yard on the forecast, snowbirds can’t take it. There must be a way out. You can plot out your escape into a warm paradise, but there are also other ways to outrun the cold.

Here are two fantastic road trip routes for you to soak up as much sun as you want. They’re based on average monthly temperatures as well as average days of sunshine by location. These stats are derived from the years of 1985-2015 and ensure that you’ll have plenty of sun in the sky when you make the decision to get out there.

Route 1: 4,187 Miles of Year Round Sunshine for You

Ditch the cloudy weather and chase the sunshine year round.

If you can’t even stand the thought of waking up knowing you have to deal with dreary weather, this one's for you.

In this route, you’ll kick things off in lovely coastal California. You’ll hop in your car and cruise past the palm trees of Los Angeles and Palm Springs to make your way over to the Southwest desert. Then, you’ll saddle up past the breathtaking views of Colorado and head back on the road, passing by beautiful parks like the Zion National Park. Lastly, you’ll travel past the bright lights of Las Vegas and complete your journey through Northern California on to the state capital, Sacramento.

That’s over 4,000 miles of sunshine for you, starting and ending in the great state of California, and stretching over to Texas and Colorado. This trip comes with over 20 cities marked on your map. Follow the route, make memories, and smile in the sun.

Route 2: 7,845 Mile Year Long Snowbird Road Trip

Maybe you can’t handle extreme temperatures. In this case, Route 2 is your go-to choice for road trips. In this grand adventure, you’ll follow cities with an average temperature of 70-76 degrees, starting on the New Year and ending on the 1st of December.

Your experience begins in pleasant Palm Springs as you’ll travel through the southern part of the country, making your mark on Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta. After a quick stop in Asheville, North Carolina, you’ll climb up the East Coast and tour through New England. You’ll take in the beautiful views the northeast has to offer then rest in Buffalo, NY. Next up, it’s time to hit the road for Wisconsin and Minnesota during the prime of summer. Hundreds of miles later, the Rocky Mountains await you, as you make your trek over to Portland in the Pacific Northwest. Your destination will come to you back in the sunshine state. Ending the year where you began.

To make sure you’re at each location during the best temperatures, you’ll spend a month in each city. July will be the most you travel if you follow this route, surpassing up to 1,391 miles of sun. You’ll get the most out of your trip during the ripe months of summer, knocking out hundreds of miles from June to July.

So, what are you waiting for? Ditch the polar vortex and set out on a new adventure. You’ll enjoy warm weather, sunshine, and get to experience cities you might never have thought you’d visit.

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