Road Trip Planning Spring 2011

Hey folks,

I am 25, from Germany, and 3 friends and me want to go on a cross country roadtrip next spring.
There are only a few rough ideas where we do want to start and what we want to see.
The roadtrip mustn't be longer than 3 weeks in total, we want to start in either New York City ( already been there, so no sightseeing or so) or Boston.
We want to do a little sightseeing, f.e. Grand Canyon, National Parks maybe the Niagara Falls, but we are open to new ideas :)

We absolutely want to visit the following cities : Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles and maybe Chicago, Greater New York City area

What is the "best" route to cover all of the cities and as many sightseeing spots as possible. It won't matter where we sleep, i think we are all okay with motels or simple hotels.
Even more important, how many miles do I have to take into the planning of the total costs?!

Are there any other things I missed?!
I work for a car rental service and get some kind of a special fare. But I am interested, what a normal car (4 per) would cost me.
What would the total cost be like (except the rental car!)?

Thank you for reading.

Any suggestions, help or so would be very nice:)

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

Costs can vary significantly depending on just how lavish you want to be. It sounds like you are living on the frugal side of things, at least for this trip. Still, with four people, it wouldn't be unheard of to spend $150/day for the group.

A car rental runs about $250/week (it's been awhile since I've rented), but if this is going to be a one-way trip, then the drop off costs can add a substantial sum to the overall expense.

There isn't any one "best" route. Some folks like to get from place to place as quickly as possible, and for that there isn't a better option in a car than the Interstate system. Others enjoy meandering a bit and exploring the cities and towns along the way; this is where the US routes and two-lanes (state and local highways) excel. If this is a one-way trip, figure on at least 3000 miles starting in New York.

Are you planning on a one-way or a round trip? Two weeks is about the minimum for a round-trip crossing of the United States, without any significant sightseeing.