hey, from the uk and thinkin of doin a road trip!

[Chrissie_81]

hey guys,
im from england and really want to travel through america and see all it had to offer. I just basically want to have fun and see what your country has to offer! Does anyone have any ideas for me or just basically feel like going on a road trip around the states?! If so let me know. Im a 21 year old student from the south east of england x

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

This web sites offers all kinds of tips on RoadTrip planning, as well as a wealth of ideas within the posts on these forums. There is simply no way you're going to see all that America has to offer, even if you were to spend the bulk of the rest of your life trying to. Believe me, people have tried. So my first suggestion is that you pick one aspect (history, nightlife, scenery, ...) or one region (New England, coast, Deep South, Mountain West.....) and concentrate on that. In my own case, for my first trip to the UK, I selected Belfast in 1972. Yeah, I know, not the wisest of choices, but I got to learn something, have some once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and I still earn free drinks on the basis of my "war stories". Once you get it narrowed down a bit, check back in for some detailed and helpful hints.

AZBuck

[RoadTripper Brad]

A personal favorite saying of mine is "if you've got the Dinero". I have taken some short road-trips (day or weekend trips) with essentially no particular destination in mind, just aim the car in a direction and follow the road. I've discovered some hidden gems about the areas that I've lived by doing this, and being that you're a visitor from 'across the pond', everything will be new. BUT... like Buck said, you do have to narrow it down a bit, or at least choose a starting point, your budget, etc.

I also noticed that you stated you were 21... normally, this doesn't pose a problem, except for visitors without their own transport. Only a few select companies in a few cities where it's required by law will rent a vehicle to someone our age (yes, I'm 20). I know, it doesn't seem fair, but they've got their reasons. Car companies ususally have an age limit of 25. The few that will rent to younger will tack on quite a surcharge.

If you are going to be visiting friends or relitives, or are having someone 25 or older accompany you that would be able to rent and drive the car, then doing a road trip will not be a problem.

If you're coming solo... you might have to stick with tours, Amtrak, or by foot, unless you're up to the challenge of going through all the legalities of buying a car (something discussed frequently here).

Just some food for thought!
-Brad