Summer Road Tripping!

Hey guys,


I've been reading this site for a few days now and I absolutely love the responses from the other members. Everyone seems super helpful and welcoming. That being said-


I've been on a couple basic road trips. (Los Angeles to El Paso, Los Angeles to Seattle), this summer I am planning to take a much more involved one.

Los Angeles>Chicago>Memphis>New Orleans>Albuquerque> Los Angeles

My questions for you guys are:

Does anyone have any suggestions for things to see along the way?

Any tips on getting motel rooms for cheap?

Which routes are the best to go?

What is your favorite place to stop around (or on the way to!) these areas?

Good to see you here, so welcome aboard! It looks like you have a loop trip planned. How long do you have for this trip? I'm going to try to answer most of your questions except one.

Favorite places to stop around or on the way to these areas will depend a lot on what YOU want to see. (That is also my answer for "things to see along the way"). Get out a good map of the US and take a look at what's between the major stops you want to make. Another answer to that question will depend a lot on how much time you have, or want to take.

Tips on getting motel rooms for cheap: look for the mom-and-pop motels outside of big cities but not in the resort areas, Motel 6 and Red Roof Inn. When driving into a state, stop at the state information center, rest area, or truck stop and look around for a stack of booklets with motel coupons in them. We've been able to get mid-range hotels (Quality, La Quinta, Super 8, Econo Lodge) for the price of the cheaper ones, using coupons. (Just don't expect coupons to work on Friday or Saturday nights, or in resort areas.) Use expedia.com, hotels.com or other discounter.

Which routes are the best to go? Once again, that depends on you. What do YOU want to see, what kinds of roads do you like to drive? My husband is a dedicated interstate driver, and doesn't like the 2-lanes very often. A friend of ours refuses to get on an interstate unless she absolutely has to, so what's your style? Another thought is how soon do you need to get someplace?

Recommendation: Don't try to drive any more than 550 or 600 miles per day. If you want to stop and see something along the way, do lots less miles than that. If driving on 2-lane roads, less mileage will be done in 10 hours than on a freeway.

So...if you tell us a little bit about what types of things you'd like to see, we can help. Also, take a look through the gallery, Trips and Ideas, Routes & Sights, and see what appeals to you.

If this were me, I'd probably get on I-10 to I-15, to I-70, catch I-76 in Denver up to I-80, and take that into Chicago. Then I-55 down to Memphis and into N.O. From there to ABQ are several choices. Then I-40 across to I-15, and south into LA. Lots of gorgeous things to be seen along that route. But my husband and I may have different tastes than you.


Donna

Hi Donna!

Thank you for your reply. We have two weeks set aside for this (with the ability to give or take a few extra days). We will be stopping in Chicago for 2/3 days to see family. That is really the only place we have anything set up. We will be leaving here (Los Angeles) around noon and stopping in Las Vegas for the night, from there we hope to get to grand junction,co as it looks like the only place to really stop going in that direction.

As far as the things I like to see- pretty much anything. I saw a quilt museum in Nebraska that looked cool and there is the worlds largest catsup bottle somewhere in Illinois. So, anything that you think is cool and worth seeing- I'd probably agree!

I don't mind two lanes or freeways. I'm used to either. When I really try to think of which i would prefer- I don't have a preference. I'm a Los Angeles native so I'm used to stop and go traffic everywhere I go!

Thank you so much for the motel tip! I never even considered that. Great tip!

Quote:

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We have two weeks set aside for this (with the ability to give or take a few extra days).

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If you want to do some sight seeing along the way I certainly wouldn't give up any days, but I would try to add some. You have around 9 days of dedicated driving with time for the basic stops for food, rest and a stretch of the legs etc, and with 3 days in Chicago that only leaves a couple of days to look around Memphis, NOLA and Albuquerque as it stands, never mind other things.

There are a thousand and one possible attractions between LA and Grand Junction alone, which is also just one of many 'places to stop going in that direction'. ;-) This is why we don't do 'best' around here because each trip is unique.

In the green tool bar above you will find the RTA Map Centre by putting your cursor on the 'Maps' link, you can put in your route[s] and find hand picked attractions by RTA contributors from first hand experiences. Once you have researched and discovered what routes are best for you, we can help to fill in the blanks and 'Fine tune' what you have, but unless you find more time you won't have much time to spare. There are many great National Parks and driving roads through Utah and Colorado which could take a fortnight just to scratch the surface. Moab would be an option for an overnight stop after Vegas to include a quick visit to Arches or Canyonlands NP, near Fruita there is the rim drive of the Colorado National Monument just off I70 and a little further along near Dillon there is a spectacular drive over the Continental divide at Loveland Pass, but even 3 detours like this will eat away the hours.

Enjoy the planning !

Is NOLA a must stop for you?

That really becomes a pretty big detour, on a trip where you don't have much time as it is. If you started heading back west after Memphis, that would save you more than 500 miles - or one full day behind the wheel - and would really seem to make more sense, especially since you want to go back up to Albuquerque on your way back. I'm sure you could find more than enough stops in Arkansas and Oklahoma to fill up your time.