Over Ambitious Englishmen

I am thinking about travelling around America in early 2009. My current thoughts are that for me this is a once in a lifetime thing so I want to get as much in as possible. I am thinking about starting out in Atlanta and doing a clockwise circuit going through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona up the West Coast to Seattle, across the North taking in Mt Rushmore etc to Chicago then along to New York and down the east coast to Florida. I dont want the trip to be rushed and i want plenty of time to stay in preferred locations for a few days to a week. I am thinking the best idea would be to buy a car rather than rent. What sort of realistic time frame am i looking at (of which i am quite flexible)? and how much money would be ideal to be able to fund the trip? Any tips welcomed.

Welcome to the RTA forum!

I don't think the question for this kind of trip is how much time do you need, its how much time do you have. You pretty much need a month just to drive the loop at anything other than a rushed place. Now when you add it stops of up to a week at "preferred locations" you'll have to add that on, plus time for siteseeing you might want to do between those locations.

Time Traveling is one of the biggest factors in creating a budget, so until you know about how long you'll be gone, there's no point in throwing out a number until you have that.

As far as a car, buying a car might not be as simple or as cheap as you might think. The hidden costs, not to mention the amount of money you need up front, and the red tape involved in buying a car as a non-resident makes it a pretty challenging process. Generally, you need a couple months on the road to really cover the costs of buying a car to pay for themselves.

and to the Roadtrip America forums.

Your itinerary will be a lot of fun. How much time will you have to make this trip? At minimum, you would need about 14-15 days to make this trip. But that is just the time to drive it without any time to sightsee much along the way. And no time to stop over for a few days or more along the way.

If you want flexibility to stay for a few days or a week in numerous spots along the way, I hope you have at least several months. I would suggest no less than 2 months. Of course, the more the better.

This discussion will help you sort out some of the obstacles you'll experience if you decide to purchase. We generally recommend that people not bother with the expense and effort required to purchase a car unless they're going to be traveling for about three months, or more. This discussion has further tips on purchasing insurance. And this will explain some potential "buy back" options that might be useful for you. Our international page also has a lot of good tips for you.

To help you plan your budget, you might read through this post. It's almost impossible to tell you a set amount because travel styles, types of recreation, miles driven, length of trip, meal preferences, and more will really impact the final cost. But that should give you tips on how to get started.

I encourage you to keep posting as you are doing your planning so we can continue to answer your questions and point you toward the information you need.

Happy planning!

Sorry for being so vague, i would probably want to be travelling for about 6 months, i have read all the information on buying, thanks for that, and I have a relative (US Citizen) living in Miami who could "buy the car" with my money and then i could "borrow it". What kind of insurance would I need? Also continuing on from my original post, I am not much of a camper so would be looking at staying in Motels although i do have friends along the way who i could stay with at a few locations, any sort of idea on a reasonable budget based on that information. All advise is welcomed and it is early days in the planning and dont want to miss anything. I am about to start the fun process of getting a visa wish me luck.

Insurance starts with Liability which is required and covers the costs of damage you cause to another car/person in a crash. Then there is Collision and Comprehensive, which is optional, but would cover the costs to fix your own car, and on top of that is coverage for things like uninsured motorists, medical payments, and rental car reimbursments. You'll have to talk to an agent to find out what would really work best for your own needs. Some of the links Judy provided could also provide some more help.

Judy's links also should give you some help building your own budget. Motels usually start around $50 per night on the budget end, with mid-range places often costing in the $75-100 range. How often you stay with friends, where and how you eat, and the amount of driving you end up doing while staying in an area will all factor into your overall costs.

I will also say that over a 6 month trip, you will miss things. You could travel for 6 years and still not see everything. There's just too much out there. However, that's not a bad thing, it just provides some perspective. Look for things to enjoy, and don't worry about what you might not get to. You've got lots of time, more time than most people have, but No matter what you decide to see, you'll have plenty of time to have fun and see a wide range of things with the time you do have.

Thankyou for all your help and advice you have given me alot to work with. I didnt mean miss anything along the way i meant miss anything important i need to sort out before i do this, I wish i could do it all but that would take a lifetime.

Well, again, that is going to vary based on our different interests. If you would share with us the parts of the country you're most interested in visiting and/or the specific types of things you're interested in, it would help us give you some ideas. After all, someone who is interested in cities/clubbing is going to have very different interests than somehow who is interested in hiking. Help us help you with further info.

But, yeah, you're not ever gonna see it all so just focus on those types of things you want to see the most. And we'll try to help you figure those out.

Looking over maps of the various states/regions might help you get some ideas and start putting this into perspective.