Is Road Trip through East US doable?

[adventurer]

Hi... I'm hoping to do a road trip through the East US and have not been having a lot of luck figureing out if it's really doable. First off, I am a single woman who wants to travel by myself for a month or so and can leave any time I choose between now thru to Nov and was hoping to spend the nights in my van with the occasional weekly stay at an inexpensive motel or campground for a welcome shower. I'm also taking my bicycle with me and the idea is to find beautiful country to see, and bike ride through, and in general to fully embrace and experience all the beauty that our country has to offer.

A really neat thing I would love to do would be find B&B's maybe in the Amish areas where I could exchange a night of room and board for helping them with a few chores. Does anyone know if this ever happens or am I just dreaming of a Norman Rockwell life?

Has anyone else done a road trip like this by themselves? and if so, did they run into any problems sleeping in the vehicles, etc?

Any advise would be welcomed...
The Adventurer

[Mark Sedenquist]

Hi... I'm hoping to do a road trip through the East US

Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum! Solo roadtrippers explore the eastern half of the United States every single day. No reason, you can't do it too. In fact, solo roadtripping is the style of choice for several of the Moderators on this Forum. Here is a thread with some helpful tips from another solo woman traveler.[

A really neat thing I would love to do would be find B&B's maybe in the Amish areas where I could exchange a night of room and board for helping them with a few chores. Does anyone know if this ever happens or am I just dreaming of a Norman Rockwell life?

The Amish people, although welcoming in their fashion, are not known for inviting outsiders into their lives. Such a B&B might exist but I don't know of any.

Also look at our solo page and look at the treads on the bottom of this page.

Mark

[Quebec Gen]

Hi Adventurer and welcome aboard the RTA Forum!

First off, I am a single woman who wants to travel by myself for a month or so and can leave any time I choose between now thru to Nov and was hoping to spend the nights in my van with the occasional weekly stay at an inexpensive motel or campground for a welcome shower. I'm also taking my bicycle with me and the idea is to find beautiful country to see, and bike ride through, and in general to fully embrace and experience all the beauty that our country has to offer.

Here's an article about cheap road trips. If you do a search on this forum, you will see that sleeping in the car is a common topic among our members. For example, in this post you will find ideas on how to outfit your vehicle and find cheap lodging. Personally, sleeping in a car and inexpensive motels always worked best for me.

I rarely pay more than 40$ for a clean and decent motel room on a long road trip. East coast is a little bit more tricky, but you can still go camping, find a cheaper YWCA room, university campus lodging or go to youth hostels if it's your thing.

Has anyone else done a road trip like this by themselves? and if so, did they run into any problems sleeping in the vehicles, etc?

One advice I can give you about sleeping in your vehicle is to avoid overnight parking on private property as much as possible unless of course you are duly authorized to do so. Big busy 24/7 truck stops are usually great spots because they are relatively safe but they don't offer the peace and quietness of BLM campgrounds that's for sure. Bring ear plugs.

Use common sense, if you don't feel safe, don't take any chances, find another spot (at a campground or elsewhere) or sleep in a motel. I'm sure you'd rather spend 35 bucks and have a great night of sleep than stay awake all night long and jump each time you hear a bug bumping into your windshield! By the way, most truck stops have showers that you can use for a small fee. I've only showered in bigger chains (Flying J, TA) and while I was a little concerned about cleanliness the first time, I found out they were exceptionally immaculate!

A really neat thing I would love to do would be find B&B's maybe in the Amish areas where I could exchange a night of room and board for helping them with a few chores. Does anyone know if this ever happens or am I just dreaming of a Norman Rockwell life?

lol:o) Here's a link to an Amish Country B&B directory. I don't know about the exchange thing --I like the idea--, but I found these 3 lists of B&B's where some of the owners let the guests help with the chores. : 1 2 3.

Happy planning!
Gen

[Mark Sedenquist]

Any advise would be welcomed...
The Adventurer

I doubt you are still a teenager, but this article includes some tips that work well for travelers (especially solo adventurers) of all ages.

Mark

[adventurer]

Thank you so much for all the replies. They have been of great help! Any other forum posts you think would be useful or any other advise that you think of would be great. Thanks again.