Thoughts on this trip?

[peachacid]

BF and I only have three weeks. Here is his plan:

Pennsylvania to Chicago
Chicago to Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls to Rapid City, SD
Rapid City to Jackson, Wyoming
Jackson to Crescent City, CA
Crescent City to Reno, NV
Reno to Las Vegas
Vegas to Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque to ROSWELL and then Pecos, TX
Pecos to San Antonia, TX
San Antonio to New Orleans
New Orleans to Atlanta
Atlanta to Charleston, SC
Charleston to Richmond, VA
Richmond back to Pennsylvania

I am worried that it is too much, but there's not much talking him out of that. Any changes you would make? More interesting things to see along the way?

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I think you have very good reason to be concerned. The US is a big country, and trying to do a loop of the entire thing in just 3 weeks simply leaves very little time to enjoy any of it.

Nearly all of your drives are ok by themselves. Jackson to Crescent City is 1000 miles, that's a full 2 days, but otherwise there is nothing that jumps out as being impossible.

The problem is that over 21 days, you are going to be on the road all day long for 16 of those days. So the question becomes, on this huge trip of the US, which 5 places do you want to actually spend a single day to see?

I think that's how you need to put things while discussing plans with your boyfriend. Most of these places, you're only going to have time to see the inside of your hotel room, so do you really want to do a trip where you say you've been to all of these places without seeing hardly any of them? It doesn't sound like much fun to me, and worse, I suspect it would be quite the strain on your (or anyone elses) relationship.

If it is me, I'm slowing things down a little bit, and finding a little more focus. That means cutting some things out. To me, the obvious ones would be the cities in the Southeast that could be easily visited on a shorter trip in the future, and probably Crescent City since it is so far away from the other places you want to visit.

[peachacid]

California wasn't supposed to be included when we first started talking about it...but now he wants to include it because it "wouldn't be a real cross country trip" without it. We're going to stop in Boise and in Bend, Oregon, on the way to CA, I think.

BF wants to see the Alamo, too, so if we're going to go down that far...and I love New Orleans, so...my main concern right now is basically what you said, that we're not going to have time to enjoy much. Here is the thing, though. If we go all the way out to Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, there is no quick way BACK...so why not just stop all the places we want?

[Midwest Michael]

If we go all the way out to Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, there is no quick way BACK...so why not just stop all the places we want?

Because you've got a limit on the amount of time you've got available. You can try to make 2+2 = 5 all day long, but it isn't going to change reality!

And it's also a statement that really isn't true. The Grand Canyon to Philly is 2200 miles, and you could make that drive in 4 days going direct. The route you've described adds 1000 miles to that, and adds 2 full days of driving alone. Again, before that's you even think about stopping anywhere like the Alamo or New Orleans.

Again, you can stop at all the places you want, you just need to ask yourself if you want to actually see them, in addition to stopping at a motel for a night in said place before moving on to your next destination.

Along those same lines, do you want to be able to say you did a "real cross country trip." where you didn't do anything other than look out the window of a car for 10 hours a day for 3 weeks? Or do you want to say you had a great 3 weeks where you got to have fun and can talk about all the things you got to do?

There really isn't a wrong answer, as I have taken trips where the vast majority of days have been driving days, and if you really just wanted see the country as you drove by it at 70 mph, then you've got a good outline.

But based on what you've said you want to see, and the other things you've said, I don't get the impression that is kind of trip you'd actually enjoy. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's something you've really got to be asking yourself.

[TravelTOAD]

In my opinion there is no sense in taking a trip and not have the ability to take it slow, enjoy the drive\sights and attractions... but that's me.