Need Help Planning Trip from AZ to VA

[negretejb]

My family and I want to visit family in Virigina this coming summer. We have NEVER traveled cross country before. We are hoping to be traveling in an RV, but if things don't work out we will be towing a travel trailer beind our family vehicle. Since the children range in age from 12 to 4, we need fun/educational stops on the way. Can anyone recommend a quick, but fun route? Also, any cost saving tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Mass Tim]

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

The first place to stop is right here on this forum, in our Road Trip Planning & Advice page. Digging through there, you'll find some good tips on saving money while on the road.

What area of Virginia will you be traveling to?

[AZBuck]

Without knowing the specific start and end of your journey, I can only make a fairly broad guess at the best routing but, in general, the backbone of such a trip would be I-40 to Knoxville, TN and then I-81 up into Virginia. That is as straight a shot as there is, and it is fairly flat the entire way, so it will be the quickest and easiest, especially if you're not used to driving a large rig. It also covers some interesting terrain. The main thing to remember about the kids is to also allow for time and activities to just blow off steam as you travel. I'd suggest that you plan on stopping for short (say half an hour or so) breaks every 2-3 hours. Some of these can be meal breaks. Some can even kill several birds with the same stone such as stopping at a state historic park for a picnic lunch.

Major stops along that route would include Petrified Forest National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Fort Smith National Historic Site, Mud Island River Park in Memphis, and Monticello. Besides these fun/educational stops, be sure to look into the state park systems along the way to see what they have to offer near the highways. Often these smaller parks can be just as rewarding as their bigger cousins, but without the crowds. And, as always, if you plan to stop at more than a couple of National Parks, be sure to get a National Parks Pass.

We also offer a number of money saving and generally helpful RVing tips here.

AZBuck