female traveling alone, very limited budget

I will be taking my first big road trip in May. I will be leaving the middle of the month and plan to take 2 to 4 weeks on the road. I will be leaving TN heading out west. I would appreciate any suggestions from anyone about places to see, especially local festivals or happenings during the end of May through first of June. I would also greatly appreciate any advice from other females that travel alone. I will be on a very limited budget. I am considering staying at campgrounds along the way. Would this be unsafe? I could use any advice anyone could give me. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for me and I want to make the most of it. Thanks for your help.

I have traveled by myself throughout many parts of the US and have always felt safe. Camping in established campgrounds should be safe. You might feel safer in the more commercial parks like KOA as they tend to be a bit more crowded. While that can be bad if you want solitude, it does make you feel safer. A lot of the national, state, and county parks are also very safe but the tent sites tend to be a bit more secluded making someone alone feel a bit less safe. But they are more beautiful and peaceful. A trade-off. While there may be a few places where service cuts out, I would definitely have a fully-charged cell phone with me at all times. And I would avoid driving in secluded areas and stopping at rest stops after dark. With those precautions, you should have a safe and memorable trip!

I am also planning to take my first road trip in the beginning of june from ct to florida, then to the west coast. i have just started checking out the internet and realizing there are so many other people with similar plans. although i would ideally like to go alone with my camera and my journal and not much else, i am also having reservations about going solo simply for safety reasons. at the same time, it is very difficult to find others who can take the trip with me because most people i know work and can't schedule the time off. i also work, but i am losing my job in may and wanted to take full advantage of that situation. as of now i have very choppy plans to have one person drive to florida with me and my dad (yes... my dad) drive west with me. i'd rather go alone, or with someone with similar agenda. i too would appreciate any advice about helpful websites for female road-trippers etc., and i will be happy to share any that I find along the way. thanks. good luck.

I am also planning to take my first road trip in the beginning of june from ct to florida, then to the west coast. i have just started checking out the internet and realizing there are so many other people with similar plans. although i would ideally like to go alone with my camera and my journal and not much else, i am also having reservations about going solo simply for safety reasons. at the same time, it is very difficult to find others who can take the trip with me because most people i know work and can't schedule the time off. i also work, but i am losing my job in may and wanted to take full advantage of that situation. as of now i have very choppy plans to have one person drive to florida with me and my dad (yes... my dad) drive west with me. i'd rather go alone, or with someone with similar agenda. i too would appreciate any advice about helpful websites for female road-trippers etc., and i will be happy to share any that I find along the way. thanks. good luck.

Erica,

Although far from finished, we have started a solo tripper resource page at http://www.roadtripamerica.com/tips/solo.htm

Losing a job in May seems like the perfect time to hit the road, we started our odyssey on a similar footing (although in our case, the job burned in a wildfire...)

Mark

LISA I ROADTRIPPED WITH MY SON MANY TIMES, I ALWAYS BECAME THE KID WITH HIM AS OPPOSED TO HIS BEING MORE ADULT IT JUST KIND OF HAPPENED. HE TELLS ME THAT THOSE TRIPS GAVE HIM WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO HIS SOLO TRIP(S) GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR DAD I DO NOT THINK ONE IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER WE LOVED THEM ALL. KEEP US POSTED GEO.F.

the best advice ican give you is to never pick up anyone
on the road , this is very dangerous even if its a woman.
2- always lock your door
3- if you happen to be in the city ,dont seem to be lost .Try to look like you are one of them.
4- rest areas are good if you plan to take time off, but make sure its well lighted and safe.
5- whenever you stop for gas, always turn car off lock your door and take keys with you .
6- make sure you are familiar with your car, like check to make sure there is engine oil, water coolant, a extra tire so on.
7- join AAA if you have to .
8- cell phone in case of emergencies
9- always plan ahead so you know where you will be.
10- good luck to you

the best advice ican give you is to never pick up anyone
on the road , this is very dangerous even if its a woman.
2- always lock your door
3- if you happen to be in the city ,dont seem to be lost .Try to look like you are one of them.
4- rest areas are good if you plan to take time off, but make sure its well lighted and safe.
5- whenever you stop for gas, always turn car off lock your door and take keys with you .
6- make sure you are familiar with your car, like check to make sure there is engine oil, water coolant, a extra tire so on.
7- join AAA if you have to .
8- cell phone in case of emergencies
9- always plan ahead so you know where you will be.
10- good luck to you

All good advice, but personally I find a little danger is good for the soul. Conventional wisdom has its fans, but I still feel comfortable picking up hitch-hikers. It is possible to meet characters hitch-hiking that one will never meet in other places. A month rarely goes by that I haven't picked up someone thumbing along. Some of them have been dicey -- but what a slice of life!

As much as I agree with our editor most of the time, I have to respectfully diagree this time. One proven law enforcement technique is to stop, question, and make warrant checks on hitchhikers whenever possible and lawful. It has been my experience that about 25% have active, current warrants for their arrest, many for violent felonies. I have not seen any recent studies but one done several years ago in which every hitchiker seen was stopped and checked showed that over 60% of them had either current warrants or a criminal record. I'm sure you can meet characters hitchiking you might not otherwise meet. You can also meet people (and fates) you would never, in your darkest dreams, ever want to meet. Dicey is one thing - deadly is another.