ok so i have started planning my dream road trip for summer 2007...my boyfriend and i are going to hit the open road and go from NJ to CA and back again. there was a million places i wanted to visit, but narrowed it down to this route:
Start from NJ
Stop at
Cleveland
Chicago
St. Louis
Rocky Mountain N.P.
Salt Lake City
Yosemite National Park
San Francisco
drive down Big Sur
LA/Hollywood, etc
Las Vegas
Grand Canyon NP
Santa Fe NM
Amarillo TX
Oklahoma City
Memphis
Chattanooga
Raleigh
Washington DC
back to NJ
Is doing this in 3 weeks feasible? I calculated the way there and came up with a week for driving, sleeping, and activities, but I didn't factor in meal and bathroom breaks. So I'm figuring it would also take a week to get back, and then the extra week would allow for a little extra time in CA, and a cushion for meals and whatever else i didnt figure in. We'd like to spend more time in Cali, Vegas, and maybe the NPs, but don't really want to spend more than a full day in the smaller cities. We'll be driving in shifts of course, and don't mind driving several hours at a time, though most of our stops are close enough together where we wont have to.
I know this is hard to come up with but can any experienced road trippers tell me the rough cost of a trip like this? Car gets somewhere between 25-30 mpg, we'd be camping a least 3 times in the NPs and possibly other places along the way,and also staying with friends/relatives at least once, possibly 2 or 3 times, depending on who's around. we'd be eating some meals at fast food places, some at casual restaurants (think diners) but we'd also bring a cooler and stock up at supermarkets to keep cost down. I'm figuring that the "fun stuff" will cost less than $300 each; we are mostly visiting free and cheap attractions, and in places like SF and LA we will probably just sightsee on our own and explore the Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood Walk of Fame, etc. I'm thinking $1500 each right now, does that sound right? (I'm pulling that number out of nowhere by the way, haha)
My last question is about hostelling. On the one hand it would be great to save some money, but on the other hand sharing a room with strangers seems a little sketchy. I've also heard that some are in bad neighborhoods. How safe are they, exactly? Are the majority of them seperated by sex?
And speaking of, my Let's Go Roadtripping guide says that some Universities will offer housing to traveling students in the summer. Has anyone heard of this and know where I can get a list of the ones that do?
sorry, i ramble on, any advice is appreciated.