Comments please! 1st time road trip Deep South

Hi,

I'm planning a road trip for October 2016, just me and my sister.

We've been advised by TA to fly to Atlanta from UK, then fly onto Nashville.

2 nights stay in Nashville, then drive to Memphis.

2 Nights stay in Nashville then drive to Natchez.

1 night in Natchez then drive to New Orleans.

2 Nights in New Orleans, fly back to UK.

I am a confident driver in the UK, but have never driven on the other side of the road! Is this trip realistic? Can anyone see any potential pitfalls or suggest anything different?

Many thanks,

MM

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

You should have no problem in adapting to driving on the wrong, oops, I mean other side of the road, it's all very natural when you are in a car geared up that way around, unlike if we take our UK car into Europe and you are driving pavement side. Generally speaking driving in the USA is a whole lot simpler than on UK roads.

Now presumably your TA is acting on your instruction of places you want to see. Does the itinerary laid out above include all the days available to you ? I would actually be tempted to drive from Atlanta to Nashville but you would need to spend a night in Atlanta after an International flight. Secondly, by dropping off the car in a different city you will more than likely incur a one way drop fee on your rental which can be significant. So to try and save money and see more from the ground it would be worth considering driving a complete loop and flying back out of the same city, it could help flight costs as well. It would of course work better with an extra couple of nights but not impossible as it is.

I don't know anything about UK vs. US driving, but I do know that mileage-wise, that looks like a very reasonable trip. Looks like a lot of fun!

As Dave mentioned, driving in the US is easily adapted to, even on the 'wrong side' of the road. That is how it feels at first..... for maybe 15 mins. Excellent roads on the whole, with signage to match. If you have any hesitation, what I have seen, is British drivers with a flag in the rear window of the car - even a hand drawn one. Let others know you are not a local, and hopefully they will forgive any little indiscretion.

I always have a flag in my vehicle's rear window.

I would also endorse Dave suggestion of a loop trip. When booking a vehicle be aware of all the extras - under age driver fee, one way drop fee, etc.

Lifey

Your travel agent's suggestion of flying into Atlanta first seems a bit strange to me. I would think it would typically be much more cost effective to book your flight directly to Nashville. Most likely you'll have a layover, and there is a good chance it would be Atlanta, it could really be any hub on the east coast (Boston, NY, DC, Detroit, etc). If you limit yourself to only Atlanta, you'd have a lot fewer airlines to pick from. Perhaps your agent was talking about flying to Atlanta and then booking a second internal flight, but that's another potential problem. I don't think it would save you money, and you'd really have to plan to overnight in Atlanta, because your flights won't be guaranteed if you purchase them on separate tickets.

Now, noting the extra costs of one way flights and one way car rentals, it probably would make more sense to fly in and out of the same city. That would still be pretty workable with your plan. You could drive from New Orleans back to Nashville in one long day on the road. You could also do a look at flying to Atlanta and doing a loop too. Atlanta to Nashville is about a 4 hour drive, and New Orleans to Atlanta can be done in about 8 hours.

Hi,

Thank you for all the very helpful replies. They have given me lots to think about!

I will definitely ask TA about hidden extras with dropping the car off at a different city.

I was a bit worried about missing connecting flights from manchester -atlanta - nashville and on return new orleans - atlanta- manchester. I think TA suggested this plan to avoid a long drive after a long flight??

Our flights go on sale in the next few weeks so we have a while to look at other options.
I like the idea of the flag! like wearing L plates!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by missmental1965

I think TA suggested this plan to avoid a long drive after a long flight??

---

Because of the affects of long haul flights on the body (jetlag), it is recommended that you not hit the road till the day after your arrival. No matter how well you feel, it is the body clock which needs time to adjust.

Lifey

Hi!

I am starting to freak out about driving in USA!

I am an experienced driver in UK and don't normally freak out about driving !

My sister & I are planning the holiday of a lifetime!

We are collecting our hire car from Nashville airport and we are driving to Memphis, Natchez then dropping the car off at New Orleans airport!
I have never driven on the right before and my sister does not drive so I am the sole driver! I am worried about getting lost, but we do have a satnav.

I have done some research and we could do the journey by greyhound bus, it would cost us about $100 dollars each.

How difficult is it for Brits to drive in the USA? I'm tempted to cancel the hire car and opt for the bus.

Any thought or comments please?

Thanks,

Heather.

Moderator Note: Please keep all questions about the same trip in the same thread.

I've driven in plenty of other countries, but never on the other side of the road, so I can't tell you from experience how difficult it is to make the tradition, however, I can tell you there are plenty of visitors from the UK, Australia, and other left-hand drive countries on this forum and most of them end up saying they get used to driving in the US pretty quickly.

I will say driving is the only way you'll really get to go where you want to go. If you take the bus, you'll end up just taking the most direct route between the cities you plan to visit - scenic detours like Natchez Trace Parkway aren't going to be possible. You'll also have the challenge of getting around the cities you plan to visit using public transit, which can be challenging to get where you want to go in a timely fashion, or using taxis, which can be expensive.

I will say on the other hand, if Greyhound tickets will only cost you $100 each, that's likely quite a bit cheaper than what you'll pay for car rental - especially if you want to do a one-way trip, starting in one city and finishing in another - as that typically brings an drop fee that can add hundreds of dollars to a rental.

As a Brit who drives large RV's in the US all I can say is, "Relax". Honestly, as an experienced driver you will soon settle into driving on the wrong, Ooops, I should say, 'other side of the road'. It's not like going to Europe in a UK car where everything, including the driver is on the wrong side. Renting the car and having everything geared up so you are sitting where you should be and the passenger kerbside, makes it very easy to adjust to and in all honesty, it's a lot easier to drive in the US than it is the UK. In traffic you are guided by cars in front, if you are on your own just remember 'Long left' and 'short right' when turning at a junction.

As someone who has driven several times in the British Isles, I will tell you that it has never been driving on the 'other' side of the road that has bothered me. As Dave and Lifey (two other people with experience on both sides) have pointed out, the fact that you will be on the 'other' side of the car as the driver, and all the other cars will be on the 'other' side of the road as well will make the transition feel natural in very short order. There are also a couple of things working in your favor that haven't been mentioned yet.

First off is the state of the roads here. I spent a week last spring in southern England and was amazed at how narrow the inter-city roads were, especially the B roads. They, and the lorry drivers who insisted on going full speed (and then some) down these roads with no shoulders and no center line were what made driving uncomfortable, not being on the other side of the road. You will find no such roads in America. The vast majority of the roads between your stated stopping points will be motorway quality (Interstates or "I" roads). "US" roads, especially in the south also tend to be four-lane divided highways. State roads will more often than not be only two lanes. But even so those lanes are wide enough for American cars of the late '50s, huge behemoths that make even today's "full-sized" cars look like minis.

The other thing that will be working in your favor is the fact that almost without exception, rental cars in America come with automatic transmissions. So that is one less thing you will have to handle as the driver. Basically there will just be a 'go' button (the accelerator) and a 'stop' button (the brake) and that's it. If you take a few minutes before setting off from the lot with your new car to adjust the seat and mirrors, and familiarize yourself with the other major buttons (lights, wipers, audio, etc.) you should feel very comfortable in short order. By the way, the hire firm will always have somebody available to show you the controls. After all, they want the car (and you) back in one piece too.

Finally, on the one-way drop off fee for picking the car up in Atlanta/Nashville and leaving it in New Orleans, your travel agent probably knows this anyway but often if you make your reservation through a European consolidator such as Europcar or RentalCars.com, that fee is waived.

In short, you are in for a very enjoyable trip. Don't worry. Be happy.

AZBuck

Having being assured that it is no big deal to drive in the US, let me focus on the Greyhound.

On my first few trips I did half a dozen or so legs with Greyhound. I can't say that any of them were enjoyable. I am also sure that if you were to take the bus you would soon wish you were in a car. Besides not going the route you would like to go, most stop frequently to pick up and set down passengers, and stop for food at places like Maccas. If you happen to be scheduled on a bus which is an overnight journey, it is even worse, and you don't get to see anything.

Rent the car and head out with confidence. I felt just like you before my first trip. Fortunately the gent who gave me the car got me to drive round the block with him first. But then that was in the heart of LA.

Oh, and please do not rely totally on a satnav. Do you have good detailed maps to help you plan this trip?. If not, I would urge you to purchase a Rand McNally road atlas from the RTA store via the link at the bottom of this page. (Order it now and you will have it in a couple of weeks.) I am sure if you spend the next few months studying those maps, and seeing how many roads and routes there are and what there is to see along the way, you will feel much more confident heading out on to the open road. Your sister can be the navigator having studied the maps with you. Use the satnav to find addresses, but out on the open road, be sure to follow good maps.

Enjoy your trip.

Lifey

Thank you for taking the time to reply guys! You have made me feel much more reassured about driving in the US and your advice has been invaluable. We have given up with greyhound idea and i will drive!
I've been looking at you tube videos of driving and it doesn't seem to bad. I definitely order the road map and get oriented with the route!
Thanks for all you help, we can't wait for our adventure to begin.
Best wishes,
Heather.

Having made the decision to drive, I've been looking at routes. Firstly, Nashville to Memphis. I-40 looks pretty dull but fast.
I fancy the Natchez trace but can't work out how to include it in this journey or even how many miles it is & how long it would take. Or maybe we would be better fitting the Trace in the journey from Memphis to Natchez?
Any suggestions for a more scenic route that won't take all day?
Cheers,
Heather. :)