Hollism Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 Me and a friend are planning an All-American road trip some time in 2019. We initially looked at route 66, and then a full coast-to-coast trip, but being the way we are, we want to go BIG. New York-New York via just about everywhere is the plan. (http://imgur.com/nfFNJQ1 for the first draft of the itinerary) The plan is to hire an RV to allow variation to the itinerary though. The last thing we want to do is force ourselves away from a place that we allowed ourselves to spend half a day in, and it turns out that 1.5 days would have been better, because we have already booked hotels for the rest of the month and it's too much effort to change them all. If we are in a camper and want to stay some place for an extra day, we can find that time by skipping somewhere at any other point in the trip. Has anyone done a similar amount of miles in this kind of timeframe? If anyone is able to offer any advice with regard to any aspect of our trip, it'd much appreciated. We both love driving and are totally unphased by the thought of sitting on a highway for 12 hours, but this would be on another level to anything we've done before. The minimum amount are expecting to need is $8,000 each, although we're in agreeance that $10,000 would make for a significantly more enjoyable trip, as well as an emergency fund. (This includes the cost of return flights from the UK to NYC.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacemunky Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 How did you come up with Sandusky Ohio? You must like roller coasters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollism Posted 25 May 2017 Author Share Posted 25 May 2017 13 minutes ago, spacemunky said: How did you come up with Sandusky Ohio? You must like roller coasters Bingo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacemunky Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 8 minutes ago, Hollism said: Bingo I've never done anything close to that. Mostly just been to the north/eastern US. Looks like a fun trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxoffderby Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 Good luck to you. I've always wanted to this also but couldn't find anybody to go with. How are you funding this ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LcFc_Smiv Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 I honestly didn't find Dallas all that great, although I was by myself. Austin I absolutely loved, Houston I never made it too! Sounds like the trip of dreams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon the Hat Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 You would have any trouble at all turning up in places without a hotel or motel booked, America is full of them. you just call up a few places if you get stuck. RV rental would be expensive, and restricts you in cities. I highly recommend driving from SF to Yosemite National Park for a couple of nights, then via death valley to Vegas. Quite a drive. You should also make sure you drive over the Hoover Dam, and head to the Grand Canyon, and monument Valley AZ. Amazing scenery. You need to spend at least one night in New Orleans, no point otherwise. Memphis is worth a stopover, and you really should pop into Graceland while you are there. Don't go all the way down to Miami without driving down to Key west. Crazy highway. I am jealous now!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon the Hat Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 36 minutes ago, LcFc_Smiv said: I honestly didn't find Dallas all that great, although I was by myself. Austin I absolutely loved, Houston I never made it too! Sounds like the trip of dreams. Yeah Dallas is a bit dull, tower blocks and money. Although we did stay with a crazy old lady who got pissed and told us about her friend murdering her husband. Which was nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon the Hat Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 Avoid appearing Gay in the deep south. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastAnglianFox Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 Have done many US road trips over the years when working away. A lot of what you want to see/do and the enjoyment you get from it will come down to the time of the year you decide to pack up and go. I always found September/October time perfect for both the North and South route and helps that the schools and college's have just returned after the summer break. So many little things you never think about will crop up, I know you say you dont mind driving long hours (good job when taking on parts of Texas) but depending on the part of the day you choose to do the majority of your driving if you are driving into the American sun that is beating down hour after hour straight into your face it can get you down pretty damn quick. Will be great fun in an RV and means you can really make the most of any National parks you choose to visit. (again dependent on the time of year you go) When you hit up the big cities some of the best fun can be had by driving just a few miles in either direction until you stumble on some great little towns where you get much cheaper prices and get a feel for the real America (if thats what you want) also speaking to the locals they will point you in the direction of some real gem little places that will never have even thought of. New England in the fall and a ranch stay in Montana were a must for me but without a doubt the most stunning drives were along the West Coast from San Diego up to Seattle taking in the like's of Santa Monica, Laguna beach, Big Sur, San Fran etc. Finally try not to be to strict with itinerary and allow for big changes, something on your bucket list that you will have wanted to do for a lifetime may end up a big disappointment, yet something that you stumble across by sheer accident will end up being something that you will never forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alf Bentley Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 11 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said: Avoid appearing Gay in the deep south. I now have an image of you (looking just like Louis Theroux) camping it up at the New Orleans Mardi Gras - and getting pistol-whipped by some redneck. Very envious of Hollism's trip. I still mean to do this before I completely decay and/or die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxfanazer Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 Literally living out my dream by the sound of it. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
separator Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 A day trip across the border into Tijuana is always fun when you're in San Diego. The border crossing is easily reached by public transport from downtown SD. Much prefer San Diego to LA personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 Definitely miss out Dallas and go to Austin instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollism Posted 25 May 2017 Author Share Posted 25 May 2017 Thanks for your replies guys. In a weird turn of events, the American's are more pessimistic than us lot! I'm getting ripped apart on this forum: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-united-states-of-america/united-states/9-000-miles-in-31-days-can-it-be-done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchandro Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 5 minutes ago, Hollism said: Thanks for your replies guys. In a weird turn of events, the American's are more pessimistic than us lot! I'm getting ripped apart on this forum: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-united-states-of-america/united-states/9-000-miles-in-31-days-can-it-be-done Crikey they are brutal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxfanazer Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 14 minutes ago, Hollism said: Thanks for your replies guys. In a weird turn of events, the American's are more pessimistic than us lot! I'm getting ripped apart on this forum: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-united-states-of-america/united-states/9-000-miles-in-31-days-can-it-be-done Sounds like they know their stuff though. I'd be inclined to take their advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripeyfox Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 4 hours ago, Alf Bentley said: I now have an image of you (looking just like Louis Theroux) camping it up at the New Orleans Mardi Gras - and getting pistol-whipped by some redneck. Very envious of Hollism's trip. I still mean to do this before I completely decay and/or die. mmmmm, pistol whipped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stadt Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 Yeah I'd take what they're saying more seriously than anything else, it seems like you're squeezing too much in one trip and you'll end up seeing less than you want to as you'll be hard pressed to make it on time everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripeyfox Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 It's all about personal choice, but it is a huge amount of distance to cover, and most of your itinerary is taking in the big cities. I'd rather focus on a smaller area and take in small town America. You're going to be spending most of your time behind the wheel and I guess that not all of it will be "interesting" and the novelty might wear off pretty quick. It seems like a lot of driving to say hop from Denver to Salt Lake. You'll be up in the morning, bite to eat and then sat on the freeway all day. You'll then have to find somewhere to pitch up (I'm assuming in the RV which is not always straightfoward in a city) and that's it. You're not going to see much of these cities (and I don' think theres a whole lot to see in Dallas etc). Maybe best to head for the National Parks instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkie1999 Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 Why don't you just take 2 months off and do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastAnglianFox Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 1 hour ago, Hollism said: Thanks for your replies guys. In a weird turn of events, the American's are more pessimistic than us lot! I'm getting ripped apart on this forum: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-united-states-of-america/united-states/9-000-miles-in-31-days-can-it-be-done Yeah to be fair mate I didn't realise you were trying to do it in a 1 month. No way would I recommend doing that round trip in that time, I'd advise just doing the East or West coast in that time or commit to picking the Northern or Southern route and doing just one way for now. I once spent close to a month covering a dot of the West Coast and that was with driving 6-7 hours a day. If you have the time and money put 8-10 weeks aside and you will be sound for the journey you want but still at a pretty rapid pace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 bare in mind that most state parks have camp sites that have RV hook ups... In fact pretty much all campsites here do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 25 May 2017 Share Posted 25 May 2017 Do be careful about trying to drive so much in one day though.... youd need to take into account roadworks as there always seems to be so much of it going on aswell as peak hour traffic aswell.... The speedlimit on most motorways is 65 mph too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollism Posted 25 May 2017 Author Share Posted 25 May 2017 1 hour ago, foxfanazer said: Sounds like they know their stuff though. I'd be inclined to take their advice Oh absolutely. I didn't mean to post it here as if to say "Ha look at these pussies, I'll show them!" I asked on there because it will be populated with people who enjoy travelling enough to seek out a forum dedicated to discussing it. I think the reply that made me realise how much I need to change it up was the one about European's assuming all cities are good just because they're cities. When I think of cities I think of places like London, Paris, Madrid, Stockholm, Vienna, Amsterdam, etc. I didn't realise it until I read that person's comment, but I naively assumed the likes of Salt Lake City and Dallas would have just as many things to see and do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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