Ohio to god only knows...???

[TheRyan3]

Hey guys,

My buddy and I (both 19) have about 8-10 days (starting the day after christmas) and want to take a roadtrip west starting in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Our goal is to basically have as much fun as possible. This means taking pictures w/funny signs, eating weird s***, and keeping the GPS in the back (in case of emergency) and just following road signs. Ultimately, Cali would be the ideal ending place, but i'm doubting we'll have enough time.

Also, we'd like to camp along the way if possible more than stop @ motels when the sun goes down (what can we say, we're college students!!).

Soooo basically, i'm in need of some advice. suggested routes, sights, activities, lodging, etc.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

It sounds like a real fun plan for a trip that you are building.

A word about camping, I'd expect that you'll be seeing some pretty cold temperatures in early January most everywhere you could go in the US. If you head west, you'll certainly need some camping gear built for extreme temperatures, and a pretty hardy mindset to go with it.

I would agree that shooting for California on your timeframe might be a bit much. You could probably cover the miles, but I don't think you'd have hardly any time for the exploration that you've also talked about.

Considering your timeframe and time of year, I might look into taking a mosying style trip into the South, perhaps ending up in Florida. I'd let the road take you where it takes you, to a large extent, staying off the interstates for the vast majority of your trip, and I think you'll end up finding exactly the sorts of unique things that you are looking for.

[Mass Tim]

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

One thing about this time of year is that it can be difficult to find camping facilities that are open. You should be able to find reasonably priced motels that won't burn up your budget too much. How much have you budgeted for the trip, besides?

What places did you have in mind to visit? You have a lot of the country West of you that you can visit in ten days time. If you were to go to California, figure it would be four days out and four days back, so cutting short of there is wise if you plan on doing more than just driving for most of the trip. I would figure that New Mexico and/or Arizona as a Western terminus would be ideal. Chances are the weather would be warmer - a nice change of pace from the storms that have been coming across to the Eastern states.

For activities - well, that depends on what things you like to do. Some people like to check out museums, others like to get outside, and still others try the pie at each diner they visit.

Are you looking for a meandering type of trip, or to get to a specific destination in as little time as possible?

While you're working on the answers to these questions, I suggest taking a look at our planning pages. These pages will give you more insight into more trip planning requirements.

[TheRyan3]

thanks a lot! both of us have the hardy mindsets and gear to brave the elements, though haha.
we thought about Florida, but i go to the University of Central Florida... so i wasn't too keen on heading back down til i had to. although, New Orleans wouldnt be a bad goal would it?

and i do love the no interstate idea! the biggest factor i kind of touched on is monetary. we definitely dont want to be spending a lot on lodging.

[TheRyan3]

we're certainly looking to reasonably meander i guess you would call it. as for a budget, we each have about $300. the less we spend, the happier we are lol.
and for what we enjoy - definitely getting outside and trying the pies :-)

[Midwest Michael]

$600 is a very small amount of money to embark on a trip like this, so you will have to watch your wallet very carefully.

If you made NOLA your goal, you'd need to plan on spending $200-300 dollars on gas alone, depending upon the mpgs of your car. Camping is usually $10-20 a night, so that would be another $200 or so, leaving you only another $20 or so a day to spend on food. That's all feasable if you are careful, but if you spend any time in a motel and you get a lot of your meals from a restaurant, you could really eat away your budget very very quickly.

Make sure to read up on this article about budget roadtrips. You should be able to have a great trip, even with your very limited funds, but money will be something you'll have to keep a very close eye on, and you may need to scale down your trip in terms of days and/or miles if your funds start to run low.

[RedCorral]

Hi,

As has been aluded to, wandering isn't cheap any more. Unless you are driving a hybrid gas will eat up your budget faster than you can by buying baloney.

The shortest route to warm camping looks like Panama City, Florida. I don't know about beach camping there, so you should do some looking on the Internet. This being the high season for them (all the snowbirds from the north also looking for warmth) you won't find much in the way of bargain camping.

That isn't to say that you shouldn't try it. Half the fun can be in finding a way to beat the system, but have access to some additional cash in case you run out.

One bit of advice. The more you look like a bunch of ruffians the greater the chance you'll get run out of some cool spot you try squat in. Be neat, respectful and not too rowdy and you may find that people will be sympathetic to your cause and leave you alone.

Good luck, and have fun,

Craig Sheumaker
co-author of the travel guide: America's Living History-The Early Years

[RoadDog]

You can drive west and pick up Route 66 in Springfield. Eat at the Cozy Dog and stay at the Route 66 Hotel. Check out Bill Shea's collection of gasoline themed stuff.

Then take 66 to St. Louis, it follows I-55. I don't know if Ted Drewe's ice cream place is open during the winter, but check it out, as well as the Chain of Rocks Bridge.

Go west to the Ozarks as 66 follows I-44. Stay at the Munger-Moss motel in Lebanon, Missouri or the Wagon Wheel in Cuba. Both are easy on the wallets and old Rt 66 mom and pop motels.

Just an idea. --RoadDog