Dream Drive - Northern VA to Phoenix, then San Diego and maybe back?

Hello road trippers,

I've been dreaming of driving across the states from the East to the West since I migrated here about 20 years ago but I have really not planned anything well enough to have the courage and the will to come to a fruition. With my 4th child coming out in a weeks time, and having realized that my 3 other kids are growing up, I told my wife that this trip must be done no later than next summer. This will at least give me some time research, plan, and save. Plus, by that time, our 4th child will be about a year old. I am a teacher by profession so I get summer off so basically I do have some time on hand.

With that being said, I wanted to know if there's a logical order on how to approach this big endeavor. What I know is that I need some proper guidance so I can get a better sense on how I can pull this off. To give you a vague idea on what I currently envision:

Goal: Round trip from Leesburg, VA to San Diego, CA
Timeline: Whole of Summer 2022 (give or take about 8/9 weeks)
Vehicle of Choice: Family Van (2012 Odyssey)
Wishlist:
1. Only drive during the day (or at least not past 8pm)
2. Stop at family friendly spots/cities/attractions
3. Safe route with ample stops when needed (gas, RR, food)
4. See/stay with relatives and friends along the way (Atlanta GA, Houston TX, Phoenix AZ)
5. See as much places we can without sacrificing too much time on the road/driving so we can spend as much time with relatives in San Diego.

List of questions/concerns:
1. How do I figure out a good stopping point for the day?
2. Should I book a hotel/motel room in advance and reference that place as my designated stop point for the day?
3. Is having 8/9 weeks realistic for this trip?
4. What is a good number of days to cover one way trip?
5. Will it be preferable to use a rental instead of my personal vehicle?
6. Budget; what is a realistic number for me to budget for this trip? 2adults, 3 kids under 12, and a barely 1yo.
7. Route? - I initially though I-10 all the way but obviously, it is not the best/preferred way.

Thank you!

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !!

You have a nice amount of time to do plenty of exploring. Technically you could drive straight across country in 5 or 6 days but that wouldn't be much fun !

So you have a start and end point and some places/people you want to visit along the way so thats a start. You should plan on travelling no more than 500 miles a day for a family road trip, but again it's not going to be a lot of fun, just mainly covering ground.

1) So what I would do is start studying the maps and see what appeals to you between each of the segments of the trip you already have, the more stops the longer it takes. That will give you some indication as to how many miles to cover and where a reasonable place to stop might be, but as you get intop the finer detail we can help more with that.

2) Thats a personal choice, I prefer not to have to worry where I will be sleeping and just enjoy my day. Others like the freedom to be able to stay longer in one place and shorter in another.

3) I would certainly say so. You could drive your route with those destinations in 6 days (one way)leaving plenty of time to enjoy.

4) Thats going to be where you need to start putting your trip into sections and decide how much time you want to stay at each of your destinations, then you can start to fill in the gaps and decide what amount of time would work for you. 2 weeks ? 5 weeks? Either could work.

5) Budget is something you would need to work out. What type of Motels, eating out a lot or packing a cooler and so on, plus fuel etc. No need to rent a car if you are planning on driving back and your vehicle is reliable.

6) I couldn't think of anything worse than following a generic route off a mapping program. You have plenty of time to research so give yourself time to create your own routes and get off the Interstates.

It probably looks a bit daunting at the moment but once you start picking away at it it will come together slowly. The trip will likely switch and change through the planning process but thats perfectly normal. So to start look at home to Atlanta, you could do it with one overnight stop, you could take 6 or 8 nights and venture into the Smokey mountains and lots more, or anywhere in between. Once you have that sorted start on step two. Again you could get from Atlanta to Houston in 2 days but do you want to ? How long will you stay in each place and at your destination ? This will help you to understand how much time you have for travelling. We are here to answer any questions you have as you move forward but you just need to research at the moment and it will start to take more shape and give a better understanding of how your time works for you. Involve the family and get them looking at maps etc so they have a vested interest in where you are going, it will make it more fun for all! You will find many links on the site packed with info and you can search the forums for inspiration.

Enjoy the planning ! (And look for a different route on the way back to experience new sights !)

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !!

You have a nice amount of time to do plenty of exploring. Technically you could drive straight across country in 5 or 6 days but that wouldn't be much fun !

So you have a start and end point and some places/people you want to visit along the way so thats a start. You should plan on travelling no more than 500 miles a day for a family road trip, but again it's not going to be a lot of fun, just mainly covering ground.

1) So what I would do is start studying the maps and see what appeals to you between each of the segments of the trip you already have, the more stops the longer it takes. That will give you some indication as to how many miles to cover and where a reasonable place to stop might be, but as you get intop the finer detail we can help more with that.

2) Thats a personal choice, I prefer not to have to worry where I will be sleeping and just enjoy my day. Others like the freedom to be able to stay longer in one place and shorter in another.

3) I would certainly say so. You could drive your route with those destinations in 6 days (one way)leaving plenty of time to enjoy.

4) Thats going to be where you need to start putting your trip into sections and decide how much time you want to stay at each of your destinations, then you can start to fill in the gaps and decide what amount of time would work for you. 2 weeks ? 5 weeks? Either could work.

5) Budget is something you would need to work out. What type of Motels, eating out a lot or packing a cooler and so on, plus fuel etc. No need to rent a car if you are planning on driving back and your vehicle is reliable.

6) I couldn't think of anything worse than following a generic route off a mapping program. You have plenty of time to research so give yourself time to create your own routes and get off the Interstates.

It probably looks a bit daunting at the moment but once you start picking away at it it will come together slowly. The trip will likely switch and change through the planning process but thats perfectly normal. So to start look at home to Atlanta, you could do it with one overnight stop, you could take 6 or 8 nights and venture into the Smokey mountains and lots more, or anywhere in between. Once you have that sorted start on step two. Again you could get from Atlanta to Houston in 2 days but do you want to ? How long will you stay in each place and at your destination ? This will help you to understand how much time you have for travelling. We are here to answer any questions you have as you move forward but you just need to research at the moment and it will start to take more shape and give a better understanding of how your time works for you. Involve the family and get them looking at maps etc so they have a vested interest in where you are going, it will make it more fun for all! You will find many links on the site packed with info and you can search the forums for inspiration.

Enjoy the planning ! (And look for a different route on the way back to experience new sights !)

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Thank you.
Would you recommend a booklet or map guide that is a good reference? Or a road atlas that contains POIs? I know there is a MapWizard on RTA's webpage but it would also be nice (maybe easier) to plot the routes on an actual map...

It's probably best if I start with an excel sheet as well...

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

This could literally be the trip of a lifetime for you and especially for your children. You're doing exactly the right thing by starting to plan very early and by having plenty of time to spend appreciating all the marvelous places you'll be driving by rather than just spending all day in the van to get 'there' wherever there might be. So at this point, and given the flexibility you have, I'd suggest that you just get the big picture more-or-less squared away, and then fill in the details later.

So my first suggestions on the big picture would be the following:

First: Using your own vehicle for this probably makes the most sense. Not only will it be cheaper, but the kids will be familiar with it. You'll also have the 'extra' time to load/unload at your convenience rather than wasting a day or so of rental time on that necessary activity. And perhaps just as importantly with 4 kids, you'll have time at the end to find everything that got 'lost' in the cushions or under the seats.

Second: Look at taking two completely different routes, one to San Diego and another one back to Virginia. Yes the basic route of dropping down to Atlanta first and then heading west through Houston and Phoenix is one way. Another good route would be using I-70 through Indianapolis, St. Louis, etc. to central Utah and then I-15 down to San Diego. Of course, either route could be driven in either direction, while using both of them lets you see far more of the country and means that you won't be covering the same ground twice. Every day will be a new adventure.

Third: Pick a few major stops along whichever route(s) you choose to start defining the course and timing of that route. e.g. on the 'southern' route outlined above, clearly the family stops will be anchors as will, perhaps, Great Smoky Mountain NP, some time on the Gulf Coast, maybe the Alamo and some time in the deserts of the southwest. On the 'northern' route you've got a chance for some history (don't tell the kids they'll be learning something) with possible stops in Dayton (Wright brothers), Springfield IL (Lincoln), Hannibal MO (Mark Twain), and even possibly a drive along the Platte River/Oregon Trail in Nebraska before dropping down through Colorado (Rocky Mountain NP) and the 'Mighty Five' NPs in Utah.

Fourth: With the basic plan in hand, start getting the kids involved. There are plenty of smaller national, state and local parks and historic sites all along whatever route(s) you choose, so maybe let each child that's old enough pick a site or two in each direction and have them be the 'tour guide' for that site. That will help get them invested in the trip and it won't be such a top down endeavor.

Finally, some general comments. You've got plenty of time; use it. 300 miles on a nominal driving day is plenty. That leaves loads of time for stops at which the kids get to run around and blow off steam. The parents can get out from behind the wheel and take care of any mundane details. (FYI I used to make semi-annual pilgrimages from the east coast to Wisconsin, six kids in an old woody station wagon, and the stops are what I remember most.)

At the beginning of your journey, when you hit your first national park, buy an annual pass. This will be good for entry to most (all?) national parks for everyone in the car. It will pay for itself around the third park you visit. And while we're on the topic of national (and other) parks, be sure to make maximum use of the info available at ranger stations, ranger-led talks and souvenirs (simple patches are a relatively cheap option). etc.

Since people are now starting to travel more and will be making up for 'lost' 2020, I'd highly recommend determining where you'll be stopping each night and making reservations beforehand. You don't have to do this right away, late next winter or early spring of 2022 will be fine, but with 6 people including tired children you simply don't want to arrive in a town to find no room at the inn.

Total time to spend on the trip is clearly up to you. Go through the above items once or twice (it's an iterative process) and the total time span will sort itself out. Three weeks would be sufficient. You have the luxury of much more time than that.

AZBuck

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Originally Posted by CP13

Thank you.
Would you recommend a booklet or map guide that is a good reference? Or a road atlas that contains POIs? I know there is a MapWizard on RTA's webpage but it would also be nice (maybe easier) to plot the routes on an actual map...

It's probably best if I start with an excel sheet as well...

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If you have somewhere to pin a wall map that would be a good way to get started using pins to plot and sticky notes to highlight facts. I use RTA maps, Google, paper maps and a jotter to take notes of places of interest. For a 2 week trip I can end up with over 100 possibilities and then its a case of breaking it down to fit into my timeline. I also look for overnight lodgings near a beauty spot, or a town with a riverside walk, some history so we can reelax and enjoy an evening stroll. Although I never stick hard and fast to a plan as you have to expect the unexpected surprise, you may really enjoy one place and stay longer and have to skip another to accomodate, or not 'feel' a certain place and move on quicker than expected to something else. As long as I reach my nights destination it's all good, you will never see it all and you don't want to be constantly clock watching to ensure you get to the next place. Basically I gain as much knowledge as I can but it doesn't mean I have to achieve everything at any cost. Have a plan and be flexible with it, and always allow for more time than you think it will take, it always takes longer!!

As noted above, one of the questions you'll need to ask yourself is what type of lodging (at what price point).

As you are traveling as a party of 6, including a 1-year-old, you may need two rooms in most places... unless you can snag a double queen with a pullout couch (a 'suites' hotel like Fairfield).

This may mean more pre-planning (and reserving) of where you're going to stop, or just go with an approach where you sleep with 2 kids in one double-double and your wife sleeps with the other two in another double-double.

Just something to consider as you weigh the take-it-as-it-comes to the book-rooms-ahead-of-time approach. You're likely going to need a junior suite, or two rooms, wherever you decide to check in.

Sounds like a great trip: I want to go!

P.S. When I travelled with a kid that young, one of the things that went into the car was a portable crib.

There might be a happy medium between booking everything ahead of time and keeping some flexibility. As Cal points out, there are major motel change that specialize in suites, and others that are at a price point where two rooms with two double beds each works out. If you were to pick two or three such chains and try to stick to them, there are a couple of benefits. First, you can sign up for any rewards program they might have, maybe even earning a free night's stay during your trip. Second, by limiting the number of chains you deal with, you can more easily get and organize info about those chains: locations, prices, contact numbers, etc. If you carry a few chain's national directories (typically pamphlet size) then you might only need to book a couple of nights ahead at a time and can adjust your stops a bit more easily. Remember, too, that most motels have policies that only require a 24 hour notice to cancel a reservation, perhaps even less to change the date by a day or two, assuming availability on the new dates.

AZBuck

One other thought on rooms is to see if any of the places you may look at offer rooms with interior connecting doors. That way, if that door is kept open you basically wind up with a 2 room (and 2 bathroom) suite, but in some cases it may be cheaper than the actual larger room would be.

You might want to check out Six Suitcase Travel, which talks about big family travels and accommodations to fit.

My husband and I have the Rand McNally atlases -- several of them, as we rarely throw one away when we buy a new one! One favorite is a laminated one for truckers, and the other favorite (now that we're getting older) is the large print. You can buy these locally or through an online vendor, including RTA.

The other thing we use is AAA. Not only do they have a good emergency road service plan, they also will give you the maps you need - state and Canadian province maps are included with the membership. Honestly, our travel vehicle is usually a 1999 pickup, so AAA is a nice peace-of-mind. This year, we're going in a 7-year-old sedan, but it's still a nice POM!

We also stop at the state visitor center, usually at the first exit on an interstate when you enter a new state or in one of the first towns if you are using US or state highways. These state visitor centers will give you loads of information, free, including state maps. (Oklahoma and Missouri's state maps are better than the AAA maps, IMHO.)

My husband and I prefer to make reservations for overnights, for the main reason that it makes us stop even if we "think we're not tired", and we can find one that has a room at the price we want to pay. Our mantra is to only take those that can be easily canceled or modified -- no "non-refundable" rooms for us! Though we prefer the type where you can cancel up to 4 pm the day of intended arrival, we will accept one that must be canceled 24 hours in advance. (Even those can be canceled if you explain the circumstances, such as the reservations we had to cancel after a family member died and we had to head in another direction.)

I totally agree with getting the kids involved. It's good for their map skills (I turned into a map fiend at age 9) and they can research a place online.

Routes between Phoenix and San Diego are one of my specialties. I used to have to travel between the two at least 6 times a year. My favorite route was I-10 "east" to AZ-347, to I-8 west. If you are staying in western Phoenix, the other "favorite" is I-10 west to AZ-85 south, to I-8 west in Gila (hee-lah) Bend. AZ-347 is mostly 4 lane, though there are about a dozen stop lights between I-10 and I-8. Still, it seems to be faster and shorter than just taking I-10 to I-8 at Casa Grande. AZ-85 is mostly 2-lane, but it's good road.

Warning: Phoenix is HOT in the summer....usually 105+. The desert along I-10 and I-8 will be the same until just west of El Centro, when the highway starts to climb into the mountains. Once you are up to about 4000 ft, it should cool off unless we are in the midst of a heat-wave.


Donna

Another option regarding lodgings. If you were thinking of staying in one spot for a few nights you could consider renting a home or cabin for the family with companies such as Airbnb.

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AZ-85 is mostly 2-lane, but it's good road.

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AZ-85 is 4 lane all the way between I-10 and I-8. Also, closer to downtown Phoenix, the Loop-202 freeway was recently completed around the southwest side of the city.

I love Dave's suggestion of looking for home rentals, especially with a large family. I wouldn't even limit it to days where you'll be in a place for a few nights. Even for a single overnight, such places can work quite well, although you do have to watch for things like cleaning fees which can really add a lot to the cost of such a stay, especially when those fees aren't spread out over a few days.

If you're are just looking to make time, hotels will still be easier since they are usually right off the highway, and you don't have limitations on things like check-in times, but in the trip that's being described, where there isn't a need to just focus on covering miles, it's a great option.

A couple of quick comments in addition to the ones above:

1) A spreadsheet helps to bring order to the chaos--usually it helps me to constrain overly ambitious trips. It does that even after all these years. On-line mapping is a great aide, however, the estimated travel time assumes non-stop driving at the speed limit and does not include restroom stops, scenic stops, gas stations, and run around time. I have 3 columns just for bringing realism to the daily driving plan: Google Miles, Google Hours and Adjusted Hours. Adjusted Hours is a formula calculated using my own adjusted speed limit that accounts for several of those items, plus I modify the formula for scenic stops that might last a few hours. Generally, try to limit a day's total drive time to 8 hours. That does not include breakfast and dinner, but add an hour for lunch to your standard formula.

2) Buy an upper tier AAA plan which provides greater allowances for towing distances and other assistance. AAA is great for something as basic as changing a flat tire (especially with all those kids!). Stop by a AAA office to pickup maps and order other on-line at the AAA website (the website will have more maps than the local office. Start with two copies of the USA map, one for planning and one for using. Then obtain the regional and state maps. You might want a few city and county maps. There is also a Four Corners Indian Country map (approximate name) which goes into great detail.

3) Plan to detail using your spreadsheet but also build in some "extra contingency time" so you can catch up with your itinerary in the event of a new tire buying emergency or wanting to spend an additional day at a national park.

4) Most of the national parks have Jr. Ranger Badge programs. The beauty of having the kids earn their badges is that it is fun and forces you to do a few things that might otherwise been passed up. So, allot a few days to many of the national parks. The kids will love the fresh air and exercise, too.

5) Camping would be a great option if you enjoy camping. No waits at the entrance gates when staying outside of the national park--I have seen some LONG lines at some of the parks. If you do camp, plan on making reservations 6 months in advance, so line-up your itinerary well in advance.

6) The Odyssey is a great road trip vehicle (I convert mine into a temporary van camper for road trips--only the curtains stay up, the platform bed is removed and stored in the shed). The three rows of seats will come in handy with 6 of you. The "trunk well" behind the rear seat is great for a cooler--being recessed lower down actually helps keep the cooler stay cooled down. Be sure to put some beach towels around the cooler to keep the sunshine off it. You consider windshield and back window covers to block out the sun when parked... the Odyssey has a ton of window space that sucks in the sun. Also a note: in my 2015, the spare tire is under the floor between the front seats and 2nd row seats. You might want to check on the spare tire inflation and condition before the trip.

Thank you all. I've started the conversation with my wife and asked her about some of the places she wanted to see. Hopefully we can include most,if not all in this trip.

As suggested, I am envisioning that this trip will be divided into a southern and northern route. We haven't told the kids exactly about any specifics except that I told them we will be planning a Westcoast road trip so they can spend time with their cousins.

I will surely update the thread as I move along the planning stages. I'd definitely appreciate all your suggestions and knowledge.

The 600lb gorilla in the room!

My greatest piece of advice? Leave the toddler with someone else if possible.

I came from a family of FIVE children. We went on two to four week long vacations every year, but Dad had a rule. If you haven’t finished Kindergarten, you’re too young to travel and you’re staying with your grandparents, aunt, whatever.

Your one year old won’t remember a thing from this trip, but he/she will affect what you can do and where you can go on your trip. Changing diapers while traveling is a great family activity.

So, unless it isn’t an option, seriously consider leaving the toddler at home for this trip, and next year’s, and the year after that.

I, too, use a spreadsheet when planning a trip. However, I leave Google time out of it completely! I put the mileage in (very helpful), and then estimated hours of my own -- usually taking the mileage and dividing it by 50 - i.e. 400 miles, 8 hours. By the time you add in those rest area, restaurant, gasoline, and leg stretching stops, 50 mph average is a good place to start. Remember that every stop is going to be lengthened by your slowest person. Maybe it's the stop to change a diaper, maybe it's the kid that doesn't mind Mom and Dad and runs off to chase a butterfly at the rest area.

Getting the higher end AAA is a great idea, if your local AAA allows you to do that. Here in our area, everyone starts at Basic and will get invited to join higher levels as you prove that you're not abusing the Emergency Road Service system. We tried to get Premiere right away -- nope. We finally made Premiere after 4 or 5 years.

Junior Rangers -- great for the kids, as it keeps them from getting the "oh this is a beautiful view can we go get ice cream now" attitude. They have things to look for, things to learn instead of being expected to look at gorgeous views all day and appreciate them.

Not sure I'd recommend leaving the toddler at home, but I'd sure remember that they aren't going to get much out of the trip until they're a bit older. We didn't travel with our kids early on -- but finances had a big part of that. We live in SoCal where people want to take their 1-year-old to Disneyland and we're asking, "why? They won't get anything from it, save your money." Just remember that young ones get a kick out of the local parks and playgrounds as you travel. They don't need natural beauty, junior ranger programs, or Disneyland.

One tip about traveling with young kids (and slightly older ones): as you start to go up in elevation, and YOUR ears start to pop, remember that the kids feel it worse. Older ones might do well with chewing gum or hard candy to suck. The toddler might need a bottle (if still being fed that way) or given something to constantly swallow.


Donna

The whole purpose of the trip is two-fold; to be with family and see the beauty of America. It would be a contradiction if I decide to leave the toddler behind. We always travel with kids since our first-born and most of those trips are overseas on a plane, but not on a road trip. I think the farthest I've traveled with my toddler before was from our place to Chicago, and then when 3rd child was about 2yo to Houston. I don't recall having much of an issue before so I am hoping that the longer drive won't be much of an issue as well so long as we have adequately planned for it.

The family and friends along the southern route who will want to meet the new addition!

AZBuck

As far as activities for the kids go, consider geocaching.

People have hidden millions of containers all over the world, including in the ISS. These containers range in size from small as a pill to Tupperware to ammo boxes and even suitcases. Your goal is to use a handheld GPS or your cell phone to find these containers, sign the log sheet and post a comment on the “cache page”. You leave the container where it is.

Some are easy to find and some are ridiculous! You decide which to hunt

Many of these are hidden in especially scenic areas that you likely would never have visited otherwise. Many of the State Parks have placed their own geocaches in interesting places, and some have small prizes for finding a certain number. Geocaching can add greatly to the vacation experience.

As an example, about 45 minutes outside Phoenix is the Lost Dutchman State Park. It has a pretty extensive geocaching program.

https://azstateparks.com/lost-dutchm...to-do/geocache