First Timer..Need a lot of help.

[SCMathTeacher]

Ok. So I have always wanted to drive cross-country. ALWAYS. I am considering it for our family vacation this summer. We live in SC and I would love to see the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.

We have an 8 and 4 yr old. They both travel well. I am mainly wondering how much to budget. We would likely do hotels. Would $2000 be a good start? I truly have no idea.

[glc]

Welcome to RTA!

I don't think $2000 will be anywhere near enough for a cross country round trip. A family of 4 is probably going to need $200 a day for gas, food, and hotels, and you are going to need at least 3 weeks to do the drive and see what you want to see.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

The biggest variable in how much this trip will cost is one thing you haven't mentioned: time. Obviously, the longer you are on the road, the more it will cost.

Of course, there are other factors too. How nice of hotel, what you have for a vehicle, what you plan to do for food, and what you plan to do for attractions/fun/etc.

I will say, $2k seems pretty low at first glance. To do a loop to the GC, Yellowstone, and back home, you're probably going to want at least 3 weeks on the road. Even at optimistically, at budget motels, thats $1,000 just for lodging. If you mostly eat out for meals, you'll probably need close to that for food, so that puts you around $2k before you've factored in gas, entertainment, or any other expenses.