where should we stop?

[shadow19]

My sister, brother, and i are planning on a road trip....we're hoping to drive to san diego, california and stop in some places in between, and then drive to las vegas, NV, and come home, stopping at some places in between...hoping for some recommendations on some neat towns, museums, whatever!! We're hopin to leave the first week of august, and will be on the road for a week. I'm 20, sisters is 17, brother is 15...so something that would include all of us would be appreciated. Thanks!!

[Mark Sedenquist]

My sister, brother, and i are planning on a road trip.

Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum! Where are you starting from? We know you want to go to San Diego, but it would helpful to know where the starting point is.

then drive to las vegas, NV, and come home, stopping at some places in between.

Although there are some really cool things to do in the Las Vegas area, since all of you are under 21, you will not be able to go into many, if any, of the casinos. It does sound like a fun family trip. Are your parents all OK with the idea? Here are some ideas that you might "reverse engineer" to enable them more comfortable with the concept. One thing you might consider would be to take our roadtrip compatibility quiz -- it provides some interesting insights into behavior that even close siblings might be unaware of.

Mark

[shadow19]

thought i forgot something, lol. we're starting in Albuquerque, nm. And our parents are fine with that, and we really don't want to go to the casinos in vegas, there's so many other things we can do there.

[Mark Sedenquist]

We're starting in Albuquerque, nm. And our parents are fine with that, and we really don't want to go to the casinos in vegas, there's so many other things we can do there.

Are you staying with Family in San Diego? Or what kind of lodging are you anticipating finding?. The shortest possible distance for such an excursion is 1717 miles. By the time, we add in shopping miles and exploration detours, the total will probably be closer to 2200 miles. As you are the only legal driver, does the notion of driving 8-10 hours per day seem OK with you? What kind of car/truck are you using for this adventure? What kind of budget have you created?

Oops -- I gotta git to a meeting -- but I would think about visiting Oatman and the Yuma Territorial prison.... And here are some ideas in the Las Vegas area.

Mark

[lhuff]

I did manage to get my then 18 year old sister into every casino in Vegas without anyone ever even approaching us for ID. We figured that since I look younger than her that I'd be the one to get carded and since I was of age it was ok. We didn't gamble (well - I put $.50 in a slot machine and lost). We got a list of free shows from the Excalibur Hotel (where we were staying) and spent all of our time walking from venue to venue.

I'm assuming that your 17 year old sister can do some of the driving. Although, when my sister was 17 (we drove to Southern Colorado from Louisiana) I only let her drive a little. Sadly it was at 20 that she hit a construction barrel and almost hit a semi in my car in the middle of nowhere in Ohio and is banned from driving my car ever ever again.

My sister and I embarked on our first road trip at 23 and 16 - so about the same ages as y'all. I say go far it. We went on a sightseeing tour of south Louisiana and stayed at a hotel in the French Quarter.

Now - what are y'all interested in seeing? National parks - tacky tourist attractions - what?

Laura

[shadow19]

My sister will be doing some of the driving, she's licensed, but either way, i don't mind driving. We'll be staying with family in san diego, our cousins are gonna take us sight seeing while we're there. We'll be getting a hotel in vegas, and we're driving my toyota camry. I haven't figured the whole budget as of now, right now we have about $700-$750 saved right now, and still have a lil' bit more time to save. I have a credit card if worse comes to worse. Also have roadside assistance, reliable communication...was thinking about seeing if i can rent a GPS thing somewhere....'cause...my sister isn't all that great with directions/maps, neither is my brother. Stuff i was thinking about visiting...national parks...tours of the cities, sights....shopping, of course, uhmmmm....still have to talk to my siblings about what we really want to see, maybe we'll go to a book store, find some books on some things and discuss like that....hmmm...well, i'm thinking i should probably go to bed now... Thanks ya'll!

V

[Syv]

Check out the national parks that fall along your route at www.nps.gov/parks.htmlYou will want to go through DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, CAHave you been to CANYON DE CHELLEY NATIONAL MONUMENT, AZ? A very beautiful area - You can take a jeep ride down into the canyon with a guide.There are so many national parks and monuments along the way. It will be hard to pick a few for the time you have. On your way to or from - if you haven't already been - of course, go to the GRAND CANYON !!This is a very popular area for tourism. If wanting to camp or stay in the national parks, be sure to reserve in advance for lodging, etc.