Road trip from east to west

[Funkysoldiers]

Hi there

Me and a group of friends are looking to plan a roadtrip across america from the 17th of March till the 17th of April. We plan to start in New York and end up in San Fransisco, we are planning to hire a motor home for the journey and just wanted some ideas of the best route and the best places to stop off and see. We need to be in Miami by the 24th of March for WMC so could some one tells us where we should stop on route. Also after Miami we are planning to head to los Angeles could some one please tell me the most senic route to take and also how much fuel you will think we will need for the full journey on google its telling me that the full journey is 4400 miles.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA forum!

One thing that you won't find here is people who plan your trip for you and "tell you where to stop"

We can provide some tips and ideas to help you plan your trip, and give you some suggestions of destinations, but you really haven't given us anything to go on here. Other than that you are going from NYC to Miami to LA, we don't know anything about you or what you might be interested in doing. Until you help us with some of the highlights of your trip, we really are in the dark about what might be helpful for you.

Based on what you've told us so far, I will say it sounds like you are a fairly young group which means you could be looking at some significant surcharges for renting an RV because of your ages.

The fuel cost calculator on the left side of this page should help you figure out your fuel costs, however you should note that you'll always cover more miles than the point to point listed on a google map - because you'll spend time driving around towns, heading to campsites, etc. On a month long trip, if your basic route is 4400 miles, I'd factor at least 6,000 miles minimum for the total number of miles you'll actually drive.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I'm with Michael on this - You've all got some serious work ahead of you. So far, you have just the barest outlines of a plan for this trip, and you and your buddies have a lot more work to put in before this Minis set up to be as enjoyable as you're counting on. First, let's look at the big picture. You say you already know how many miles the trip will be, but you're still looking for routes and side trips. That 4,000 mile figure you have only accounts for the minimum miles needed to drive the most direct route linking New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. But you've got 3 more weeks to fill than what it would take to just do that and I'm assuming you want to do and see more than is possible by just cruising down the Interstates. For a first cut at planning, figure 5,000 miles, 10 mpg (or less!), and $3 a gallon gas and you're looking at $1500 just for fuel one way. You're probably looking at another $1000 or so for the drop off fee to leave the New York RV in San Francisco. Then there's the rental cost of the vehicle itself. If you're all under 25 this is going to be substantial if anyone will rent to you at all.

Then there are the routes. While we can make some suggestions for the east coast and west coast portions of your trip, most of your time and distance will be spent in between and there are just too many options for us to pick the 'best' route for you all. That will be up to you. So sit down with your friends over a few nights with a good map and atlas of the U.S. and start picking out the places you want to see and then start connecting the dots. Once you have a basic outline of a trip that will please you, we can be of help fine tuning it. But you've got a bit of homework ahead of you first. Good Luck!

AZBuck