New England to ? Everywhere HELP?!?

Greetings!
Im brand new to this, and very interested in using this as a resource to plan the road trip my sister and I are planning for late this spring/fall. We plan to be on the road for a month, venturing from east to west coast and hitting some hidden gems on the way. we have been searching online, but i feel this would help us to branch out and plan our trip even more.

Were going from Vermont to the California coast and down through the south, arizona, new orleans, then shooting back up to good ol' vt.

o yeah and we were wondering if anyone had any hostel experiences/advice to share... as most young road trippers, or any road trippers really, we're on a tight budget and so camping, staying with friends, and hostels are what we plan on for overnights.
and... does anyone know if there are options for wireless internet cards that you can buy for just a month or so... is this possible? expensive i imagine?

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I've stayed in a handful of hostels in the US, and found they can be a good option, in the right situation.

First, they are a cheap option for sleeping, some times. You can expect to pay around $20 per night and they are generally located right in an urban area, where hotels would be much more expensive. However, they also charge per person, which means if you've got more than one person, you can often find a room cheaper at a low end motel on the edge of town. Parking can also be an issue, as in, many simply don't have parking lots, which means you have to hunt for a place to put your car.

The other big factor is the dorm style rooms. Simply put, not everyone enjoys sleeping in the same room with strangers and using community washrooms. There's also the security aspect, where when you are sharing a room, you do put your possessions at a bit of a risk. However, community rooms also give you a chance to meet other people that you simply don't get in a motel setting. There are also other community areas, like kitchens which can be advantagous.

Hostels aren't for everyone, but there are certainly good and bad things worth considering if you look into using them for some of your trip.

what is the best way to locate hostels. a good site online? ??

My sister and I are traversing from east to west coast and trying to decide on our route. Can anyone give any insight to which park may be more worth the trip?
Also, is tenting available at these parks? Is camping cross country through the northwest feasible in late may/early june??? hmmm ... i sure hope so

Hi,

I'm new here. Matter of fact this is my first post so...

Glacier is awesome! We were there in 2004, but in August, not May. Glacier is built around the Going To The Sun Road which bisects the park. You'd want to make sure that this road in open in May. If it were closed due to snow, your access to the park would be restricted. Other than that it's fantastic, especially if you're a hiker or backpacker.

I havent been to Yellowstone yet.


bob

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Originally Posted by brwneyedgrl

what is the best way to locate hostels. a good site online? ??

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Honestly, your best bet may be just to camp and stay with friends along the way. Camping is easy as long as the weather is nice and should be in the summer if you go then. I'm not sure about fall it may snow out west. In the spring its rainy. Also camping is easy to plan for or just find a stop its easy if your traveling and have a nice detailed map. It can range from 10-20$ a night camping. A motel worth staying at would run at least 40$.

Glacier may be a little more restrictive in late may, since "Going to the Sun" road often doesn't open until June. Its still a great park regardless, and I wouldn't dare try to pick one of Yellowstone or Glacier for another person. They are both incredible places. Before trying to pick one over the other, I'd see if you could fit both into your trip.

Camping will be possible this time of year, but you'll have to be prepared for cool to cold nights. Its not unusual for temps to drop down into the 30s or 40s at night, which can get really uncomfortable if you are just using summer camping gear.

Hostel Bookers has an excellent directory of hostels across the US.

Thanks for all the insight!
Does anybody know anything about wireless internet cards, that we could buy just for the trip. does such a thing exist for short term, like could I buy a wireless card for just a month??
We're also planning on going down the california coastline, napa valley, any scenic routes/suggestions/worth while stops??

You can usually find Internet access for free in most popular locations - such as Starbucks, etc. As long as you have a wi-fi card, you're all set. Keep in mind that the security in such situations wouldn't be as strong as a hard-wired connection.

We do have some more information here that gives an excellent overview of what is available.

In reference to hostels, if you're staying in San Francisco at all I highly recommend the USA Hostel. I had a great time and met quite a few interesting people. The rates were fare, the rooms were nice and they have a free pancake breakfast every morning. The staff was helpful and friendly and the lounge area is located in the basement away from all sleeping areas. The location was convenient too.

If you go to LA, I would not recommend the USA Hostel there. I didn't really like how it was set up and most of the staff was not very helpful. If you want to stay on the beach, I would recommend the Venice Beach Cotel. Good rooms and rates and it's right on the beach next and not too far from the Santa Monica Pier.

I guess i was basically wondering if it would be possible to access the internet as we traveled, on the road. So if there were no towns around to access free wireless cafe's or whatnot. on the road wireless? does this exist... affordable?

The easiest place to get free (or nearly free) access to the internet while traveling is at the local library in whatever town you happen to be in, And they provide the computer! If you have a wi-fi card, you can typically just sit out front and get access that way, or just go in, check at the desk and see what's available. Usually there will be some time limit, but if no one is waiting for access when your time is up, they'll just let you keep going. It sometimes helps if you have a library card from your own home library, and there may sometimes be a nominal fee, but libraries are an excellent option. They're quieter than Starbucks and there will be those green and white signs giving you directions once you get in town.

AZBuck

So, my sister and I are leaving from VT on this road trip cross country, we plan on leaving mid-may and adventuring for a month or better. So my question is if I'm off in thinking that If we're traversing from east to west coast, going through the northern states - dakotas then montana, then going down the entire west coast, washington state to 3/4 down Cali coast, then through az, texas, NEW ORLEANS, then shooting directly up back to vt, skipping the east coast, maybe detoring into Kansas, A MAJOR DETOUR, but one that my sister really wants to see... im thinking we'll put on between 12,000 and 15,000. Does this sound about right??

Our main sites of interest are: Montana, West coast, az, texas, colorado, kansas, louisianna, tenessee, real sprawled out obviously. Any suggestions for making the work using best scenic routes, and cutting on as much mileage as possible??

A really broad question I know, I was hoping some veterans or anyone might give us some advice. Thank you!!

Trying to cut as much mileage as possible doesn't seem like it would be in line with a trip where you are trying to see as much as possible. The fewer miles you travel, the fewer places you'll be able to see.

As far as a real basic route, I don't see why this would be so hard. If you pull out your map, drive through your northern tier of states on the way west and then come back through your southern/central tier on your way back east. That seems like it would make a whole lot more sense that going all the way out to NOLA and then doubling back hundreds of miles to Kansas or other western states.