Senior Trip 2004!

Ok, so my friends and i are planning on taking a roadtrip after graduation next year. we are planning on going east (i live in arizona), then criss-crossing back and forth until we get to washington state. after that we are driving down through oregon and california to san diego. then we are flyng to hawaii. if plans go as follows, we should leave june first and be back around september first. does anyone have any ideas or suggestions about how i go about planning this? i am totally lost. any websites or advice would be greatly appreciated.

*OH YEAH* being from the 'land of rattlesnakes', my friends and i aren't into the whole camping thing. and does anyone know exactly how many miles it would be to visit the 48 states?

Three months is not enough time to hit all 48 states & actually SEE or DO anything.

How much of that three months is in Hawaii? At what point/date in the trip are you flying out and from what city/state - to Hawaii? That will give us a better idea how to direct your route.

Are you interested in city life / national parks / scenic routes / hiking, etc? Give us some ideas to pinpoint you in a direction. Do you have budget$ limit on types of things to do/places to see?

Sounds like fun! Be sure you are compatible with those going with you or it will quickly become a nightmare. Even though you are friends in school, travelling together 24-7 can become a strain.

OK, the minimum required miles to travel through all of the 48 lower states is 10,500. The minium to see less than 50% of the most interesting things in each of the 48 states is closer to 20,000 miles. Even if you took Hawaii out of the equation, you would have to drive an average of 200+ miles per day. Fuel and related vehicle maintenance costs would exceed $3500. A stab-in-the-dark budget for such an undertaking would be at least $10,000. So... Do you you have unlimited funds?

Three months is a great length for a road trip. But I would suggest focusing your interest on one region of the USA. Try and see 8-10 states and enjoy yourself!

WHEN TRAVELING WITH FRIENDS OVER A PERIOD OF TIME 21 DAYS IS THE MAGIC NUMBER WHEN PEOPLE BEGIN TO LET THIER GOOD MANNERS START TO SLIDE. THE TIME TO START WORKING ON KEEPING IT TOGEATHER IS BEFORE THE TRIP BEGINS AND START TALKING ABOUT WHAT EACH OF YOU WANT TO DO FOR THE DAY BEFORE THAT DAY BEGINS A WRITTEN PLAN FOR THE DAY. THE BEST PART OF ANY PLAN IS THE FREEDOM TO CHANGE IT. THE ABSENSE OF A PLAN ACTUALLY OFFERS LESS FREEDOM LESS CHOICES AND A LOT MORE POTENTIAL FOR PROBLEMS. HAVE A GOOD TRIP GEORGE

A written plan?

One of the joys provided by a road trip is the choice to plan not a whit. I prefer to get up in the morning, sip some java and while looking at the distant horizon -- decide on the route of the day. Mosey-style is always my first choice when "planning" a road trip.

(As an aside -- postings are much easier to read when they aren't "shouted" by using capital letters).

After hundreds of consecutive days spent living and working on the road, I am curious how you determined the magical number of 21 days as the break-down of polite interpersonal relationships. For those pre-disposed to such behavior, it usually appears on day one in my experience.

When I send amateur drivers on the road for road promotional tours, the rule of thumb (in regard to efficiency and over-all politeness) I employ is 6 weeks. But that is only my opinion.

Mark