Moving from NJ to LA - Need advice on route

[mandygirl77]

Hi All!

I'm moving from NJ to LA and am driving by myself. I plan on taking 8 days to do it and have figured out 2 possible routes. Would love your opinion and which might be better suited for me.

So a few things:

• Sedona is a must - this is not an option
• I'm 35 and F - safety is important
• I don't have a lot of time to stop on side trips so scenery while driving is important

Here are the 2 trips I put together:
NJ -> Columbus -> St. Louis -> Salina, KS -> Denver -> Moab -> Grand Canyon -> Sedona -> LA
NJ -> Columbus -> St. Louis -> Oklahoma City -> Albuquerque -> Sedona -> LA

I guess I'm wondering if driving along Route 66 is more worth it than visiting 2 other awesome national parks.

An opinions and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Mandy

[glc]

Welcome!

It all depends on your interests, but if it were me, I'd take the parks and I-70 between Denver and Utah over Route 66 in a heartbeat!

[Lifemagician]

Me too. For me it's a no brainer... I-70 and onto Moab, GC, etc. If there is no special reason for visiting the other places, take the first option.

Using common sense, and the same security measures as you do in your own home, you will be fine. If you feel uncomfortable, just move on. Make sure all your hotel rooms have the safety lock on them, which you can lock from the inside.

I have met ladies on the road travelling solo who are more than twice your age.

Lifey

[Mark Sedenquist]

A couple more tips for traveling solo

Scroll down to post #3 on this thread -- Judy is a long-time solo tripper...

And this report from a then-first-timer solo roadtripper...

[mandygirl77]

I was definitely leaning more towards that route but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to miss anything good!

Thank you!!

[DonnaR57]

I've done both routes, several times each. When push comes to shove, I'd do the first route you mentioned!

As a matter of fact -- we did that route both last year and this year (though with a couple of variances this year). Last year we left Stanhope, NJ (on I-80) and spent the first night at Springfield, OH, and the second night at Columbia, MO (where we ended up for 3 weeks due to the death of a family member). Our next stop was Burlington, CO, and the final stop was Richfield UT. The first 2 days were around 500 miles each, and the last 3 were all about 600 miles.

This year we came out of Syracuse NY and spent the next 3 nights in Dayton. From there, to Columbia, MO. Spent 2 weeks there. Our next night was in Burlington CO (we like that it's small and the motel is cheaper), and then 2 nights in Moab UT while seeing Arches. From Moab we went to Primm NV then home. Columbia to Burlington is 560 miles, Burlington to Moab was a little over 450, Moab to Primm was nearer to 500.


Donna