3 Countries and 13 States

hi!
I have been reading this website and many many articles but now I'm asking for some advice and insider information. It's my first roadtrip but some of the people in our group are veterans. Our plan is to leave out of Oklahoma City in January and spend 11 days going to Vancouver, Canada, down the pacific coast to Tijuana, Mexico, stopping in San Fransisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Then going back to Arkansas by stopping at the Grand Canyon and Phoniex.
There are 6 20 year olds. Three girls and three guys. We are taking an 8 person van.
Is this reasonable? Can we do this in the wintertime? Any and all advice or tips are welcome!!
Thank you!
Paula

Welcome!

I'm afraid that this is too ambitious - just going from point to point on that route is over 5000 miles and will take you almost all of those 11 days with no time to do any sightseeing. You need 3 weeks to do that trip.

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

If you want to spend 10 of your 11 days in a 'tin can' looking through the windshield you will be OK, but I hope you get on really well !! Crossing the border into Mexico is fraught with danger because of the drug wars going on there so I would think seriously before thinking of going there. If you are in a rented van you will not be permitted to drive across.

I think you would have a lot more fun and have time to explore outside the confines of the van if you dropped Canada and Mexico and perhaps headed to SF and down to San Diego and back towards home. Even then you would be looking at a weeks worth of driving, leaving you just 4 days to split between the places you want to visit.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I would strongly advise against visiting Tijuana. Deadly violence in Mexico, and especially in the border towns is very real, and certainly has resulted in the deaths of many Americans/Tourist. Even Marines located at nearby Camp Pendelton have been warned against visiting TJ! If you insist on going to Mexico, I'd go anywhere but Juarez, Tijuana, or Nogales all of which have Murder rates which are more than double even the most dangerous cities in the US.

The other big question for you is: what is the point of this trip? You're talking about a 5,000 mile loop, so to do that in 11 days means you need to be driving 8 hours a day, for every single day of your trip if you stick to the interstates. That really doesn't leave time to see any of the places you are talking about visiting, and it certainly doesn't give you near enough time to actually drive the coast. Throw in the likelyhood that you'll see at least one weather related delay, and it doesn't sound like it would be much fun. even for the most hardened road warrior.

You need to keep in mind that the above estimates are based on one or two people in the car. With six people you may well find that it can be significantly slower. For every extra person in the vehicle, every stop takes just that little longer. This is a reality which you will not be able to eliminate. And even if it is only two minutes here, and five minutes there, and six minutes somewhere else... it all adds up.

For an enjoyable trip, best you follow the advice above, be less ambitious so you can build memories you will treasure. Remember, not everything needs to be achieved at the age of 20. You have a lifetime ahead of you.

Enjoy life's journey.

Lifey