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My fiance and I are moving her out to me in philadelphia in August and would love any suggestions on the best route, lodging, cost and things to see! Want to do the trip in five days with a night or two in Chicago! Will be taking a pickup that gets about 25 miles a gallon. Any suggestions would help! Thanks so much!
Welcome to the RTA Forum!
You're looking at a full 5 day drive from Modesto to Philadelphia, so you could fit in a night in Chicago but you really don't have time for 2 nights. Even there, Chicago is a tough spot because its still nearly 800 miles to Philadelphia, which is really too much for a one day drive - and you'll need a good 4 days of driving to make it to Chicago.
With your timeline, really the only route that makes sense is to take I-80 all the way to Ohio, then I-76/PA Turnpike to Philly.
If you only have 5 days, you can't spend a night in Chicago. You will need to spend nights in Wendover, Cheyenne, Omaha, and Toledo. If you can add a day, you can get into Chicago in the afternoon of the 4th day and leave before noon on the 5th day. If you want to spend 2 nights in Chicago, take a full 7 day week.