Need Help on Cross Country Trip for 14 days

With a vehicle more than a couple years old, there is always the POSSIBILITY of a break-down -- but as long as you're aware and have taken some precautions, the odds are good you'll be OK. Have the normal wear and tear items checked -- I'd have a mechanic give it a once over for brakes, wheel alignment, belts, hoses, cooling system, electrical system health (battery, alternator, etc). As always, listen for unusual sounds and run those down if any. Most sudden problems on the road involve things like these.

Make sure your tires are good (if you think they are within 10,000 miles of replacement time, I'd go ahead and change them out as thinner tread WILL pick up more road damage than newer, thicker tread) and the better tread you have, the better your traction will be if things get slippery -- remember that everything is riding on those four little square patches where the rubber meets the road.

Plan a little extra in your budget for road repairs, get yourself a road service policy or auto club membership and then go enjoy the drive!

Drove a 78 Vette 7000 miles From San Diego to Virginia and back starting at 100,000 miles exactly.All I did was change all hoses and belts including power steering hoses,gave it a tune and changed oil on the trip.Evaluate your car and go from there.Check everything.

Thanks for your help!

Thanks for the advice!

In early Sept., a friend and I are driving back to college in Santa Cruz, CA in my '99 Honda Civic. I'm just looking for tips on what to see, where to stop, and what the best routes are or where I can research all this. The cheaper the better and is it really possible to more or less just camp for "lodging"? Hotels are generally too expensive, but are there safe places to stay all the way accross? Safety for 2 young women is of the essence here. Any advice is welcome but would especially like to hear from people who have done this and have personal experience. Thanks. Oh! and does it snow as early as Sept. in the Rockies? My car is not too fond of snow, should I get chains?

There have been numerous threads here about safety issues...especially for women. The general consensus is that it is just as safe for women to travel cross-country as it is for a woman to run to the grocery store or go shopping in her hometown. If you do a search on this matter, you will find lots of suggestions.

I have done a lot of solo camping over the years without any problem. I do tend to stay in commercial campgrounds because they are usually more open than campsites in national/state/county/BLM/etc. campgrounds. Since they are wide-open, you have lots of eyes out there watching what's going on so the chance of anything happening to you are slim.

If I do stay in one of the parks where campsites are more isolated, I do one of the following:
1. I find a campsite near the campground hosts and let them know I'm alone so that they might be more attuned to watching out for me.
2. I try to camp near a family group with children and strike up conversations with them, etc. Usually I find that they tend to take me "under their wing" so to speak. Frankly, quite often they almost seem to pity me as if there's something sad about a woman traveling alone. While that kinda bugs me, I don't let it bother me and, basically, appreciate their watchful eyes.

If you can't find anyone to build that type of a relationship with in a more secluded campground setting, that doesn't mean that you still won't be safe. Frankly, there are numerous national, state, county, city, etc. campgrounds near where I live and I have only heard of one assault happening in the last 20+ years. I don't think it's all that common and I believe you will be safe even without these other folks watching out for you.

Just use common sense and you should be fine.

Since you say you are going to Santa Cruz but don't mention where you are traveling from, I have no idea what to suggest regarding routes, stops, etc. You might check out the "road trip planning" section of this website for some ideas and some tools to help you plan.

Hello to all,
Is it possible to do a good cross-country trip without a car? I live in a city, don't have one, and don't want to pay the huge fee of a rental co for being under 25.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Amy

Rent, drive-away services, bus, rail, share the driving with someone else who has a car, etc.

Some would say hitch, but although some disagree, I think the dangers are too great to do that anymore, except in certain specific locations. It'd certainly be an adventure, but in my opinion it is too risky and you are too vulnerable to make it a reasonable choice.

Another possibility is to purchase a car and insurance for the trip, and sell it at the end. In some cases, you might even come out with a vehicle for next to nothing (for final, overall cost), depending on how many miles you add and how well the particular car holds its value. Bob

Interstate 80 is the quickest route, but with 15 days you have plenty of time to get off the fast lane and explore a little bit, if you want to. You could choose some interesting looking towns or places along your route and run an internet search on those -- also check out the state's Dept. of Tourism sites on the web and see what they suggest. As a westerner, I always recommend the mountains of Colorado, the red rock country of south Utah, and if you want to come this far south, the Grand Canyon, of course. But there are great places to see much closer to your direct route as well. Take a look at the map!

I can tell you that after 35 years of driving the highways of the US and Canada, I've never met a road that wasn't worth driving, so in my opinion, any route you choose will be exciting and interesting in some way.

You should be able to find state or federal campgrounds pretty much all along the way (they will be marked on maps) and also there are private campgrounds almost everywhere. I often choose them on my roadtrips as they tend to have more amenities than state-run campgrounds, although that is not always the case. They are, however, usually a bit more expensive. See Judy's comments about security, stay aware of what's going on around you (just as you do at home, hopefully) and you'll do fine. Bob