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need help planning
Hello,
A friend and I are planning a trip across the US. Hopefully starting the beginning of next year. We would like to hit every state (48 of them at least) and possibly see Canada as well. We are both starting and ending in California.
My questions to you all are: 1.) What are some good ways to save money on food and lodging? We are not opposed to the occasional campground. 2.) How long would you all suggest or think this might take us. We want to be fairly leisurely but can’t be gone forever. I was thinking maybe 2 months. 3.) What are some sights around the US would you all suggest to us first time travelers?
Thank you!
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A place to start
Welcome to the forum!
Here's a good starting point -- check out this article and the others in our roadtrip planning (and the planning and preparation) sections!
The only way to figure how long it will take is to come up with a preliminary route and see how many miles it is -- then figure in the main attractions you want to see, how much time you want to spend seeing them and add that to the driving time. Keep in mind that even experienced roadtrippers tend to be overly optimistic about how much they can get done in a specific span of time.
First get yourself a good map, and see what direction you want to go -- then come back here and run it past the inhabitants of this board. We'll tell you whether or not it seems reasonable or not. MS Streets and Trips is an easy to use and inexpensive software that makes the planning easy -- even if still a bit time consuming.
Bob
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Bob gave good advice. A trip like this can take a few months or a few years. I'm skeptical that you can see all 48 continental states in 2 months and really get to explore much along the way. I would suggest that instead of trying to make sure you step foot in every state, that you focus on identifying the things you want to see and then route accordingly.
Ways to save money: camping, eating out of your cooler, a National Parks Pass, and using coupons for lodging/restaurants/activities that can often be found at visitor centers.
