Have you ever done a road trip across america?

Question

i am thinking about doing a road trip from new york to san francisco next year but i would like to get sum advice and info from people who have done a similar trip i.e. costs, places to visit, people who can help me plan it.

thanks

Answer 1

no, but i want to so bad, and i would be going from nyc to san francisco too, hopefully next summer...

Answer 2

Nope

Answer 3

well, gas is a bigger factor than ever before because it is so expensive, so you'd want to go more in a straight line from the east to the west more than before....the question is where to stay in the middle of the country....arizona, colorado and utah have a lot to see with the grand canyon, temple square, arches, monument valley, telluride, aspen, mesa verda, monument crater, promotory point, arches, canyonland.

you might also want to decide whether to hug the northern part of the us or the south, you'l eventually have to move a little southward so you could stay along the great lakes and see cleveland (rock and roll hall of fame, cedar point, etc) then chicago, or you could head  a little down and see st louis which is very nice i hear. i wouldn't miss colorado/utah/arizona area though

Answer 4

I've done a pretty good trip from Texas to Washington state. We started out late Thursday and got there mid-Sunday driving west across New Mexico, Arizona, all the way up California, Oregon and finally Washington. It was amazing, and I'm going to do another trip someday.

This big thing is to decide where about you want to travel to. You could make one big loop or drive a car one way and fly back. The thing is though, you never know what you're going to find once you're out there. Is there any place you really want to see? My personal recommendations are Austin, Dallas, Houston, Galveston and Padre Island in Texas. California is a must, but be careful, once you get north of LA you have about 400 miles of straight road and desert. Oregon had some of the most beautiful scenery. We didn't get to the Grand Canyon, but you might a well while you're being. Phoenix Arizona was crazy because it was just desertdesertdesertdesertCITYdesertdesert...

You'll need a lot lot lot lot of money unless you're planning on working your way around, which is risky. You could hitchhike, but that's risky too. If you've got a group you can split the fuel bill, but expect it to be a couple of thousand, no sh*t. If you're in the country stay in cheap motels or camp to save money. Hotels will vary in the city depending on if you want something grand or something just to sleep in. New York is expensive as sin, I know that.

It's a lot to try to plan, and the big thing about a road trip is not knowing where you're going. But hurry up and do it now or else you won't do it.

Answer 5

Yes I have done many a road trip.  Usually in chunks but I've covered most of the US.  I've also done complete itineraries for other people that did it in a whole shot (gas, stops, places to spend time).  Feel free to send me any questions and I'll tell you anything you want to know.

Answer 6

I've made a living traveling across the country as a trucker, and I'll tell you what truckers know. Plot your trip to include some of the the US highways. I'd say to take the I-78 from New York to the I-81 South, then down through Penn, WV, VA & Tennessee. You might catch the 40 west from there all the way to California; it used to be the old Route 66, in part. From Santa Monica run the Pacific Coast Highway up California to San Francisco. Heading back, run the I-80 east to the 395. Take that north all the way to the Columbia River. Run the 94 east back across. That one trip will let you see the very best.  

Answer 7

you are very lucky person intending for a trip

in USA states get with you in all along

your high way road.don't miss your luck carry on.

by Friend fare well.

Answer 8

I have driven across the US twice.  Both times were from San Francisco to Philadelphia. I took I-80 and I-90 across.  I did not travel for pleasure as I was making it back home from college.  Though the second time I did stop and do some sightseeing.  I stopped in the Dakotas and went to Mt. Rushmore, went through Michigan and into Canada and saw Niagara Falls. What exactly do you want to know?  A lot of the drive is the Bible belt and a lot of farm land. The best roads are I-80 and I-90 as they are made for cross country travel. It will take you about a week or so to do it if you stop around to see stuff; and if you are alone, the drive does get tiring.

Answer 9

Cost will be dependent on gas prices at that time, and the mpg of your car. Plus, you have to factor in costs for attraction you want to see, food and lodging, though there are good ways to cut costs there.

bring a tent and camp at state parks

sleep in your car

couch surfing (google it)

bring a cooler and buy food and drinks, it's cheaper than buying as you go.

Going from NY to SF, I'd recommend the northern route and hit the great lakes, montana, the dakotas, yellowstone, etc. You can take a more southern route on the way back and see the Grand Canyon, go thr Arizona, NM, TX, etc, then along the Gulf and see New Orleans, up thru the south to Nashville, and the great smoky mountains. Figure out what you want to see then plot your course.

Answer 10

Did one this year - me, my wife, 4 kids, and my in-laws in an RV.  My advice...LEAVE THE IN-LAWS AT HOME!!

We traveled from around Pittsburgh to Laughlin, NV and back in 2 weeks - about 5,100 miles total.  It was A LOT of driving.  We went through St. Louis, OK City, Amarillo, etc. out to the Grand Canyon on the way out.  We went through Denver, Topeka, Hannibal (MO), Springfield (IL), and up to South Bend (IN) on the way home.  We got to see a lot of beautiful scenery, but we didn't get to spend much time in any one place.  I'd like to go back to a few places and spend more time there some day (like New Mexico!).

Because we were staying in an RV, we mainly stayed at KOA Kampgrounds, which ran anywhere from $35-$60 per night because of how many people we had.  We bought a KOA membership card before we left, so that saved us a few bucks.

Some things we did that were pretty cool:

-Lincoln Home and Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL)

-College Football Hall of Fame (South Bend, IN)

-Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site (Topeka, KS)

-Pony Express Museum (St. Joseph, MO)

-Grand Canyon Railway (Williams, AZ)

-rode our bikes on an old section of Route 66 in Elk City, OK