Help: First time solo adventure!

[cbjellqu]

Hi Everyone!

I'm hoping to do my very first cross country road trip this summer... solo no less. I'll be driving out to a job internship in California from Vermont and then back again. It looks like I'll have about 3 weeks for the drive out and another 3 for the drive back.

I'm wondering if anyone has some suggestions on must-sees, routes to consider, general information? Right now I'm hoping to drive South and then West during late May/early June, and then North and East in August.

I've grown up in the North East, so I've already explored Boston, NYC, and Philadelphia. Some of the places I have on my tentative list include (in no paticular order): grand canyon, yosemite, mt.rushmore, graceland, new orleans, san fransisco, seattle, las vegas, red wood forest, crater lake, and nappa valley.

I'm incredibly busy for the next few month but don't want to fudge planning this incredible journey. Thank you in advance for your help!

[Lifemagician]

Travelling solo has some great advantages, and some disadvantages.

Advantages are you can go where you want, when you want, stop when you want. As for the safety aspects, so long as you use the same common sense safety precautions as you do in your everyday life, you'll be just fine. There are some helpful articles in the roadtrip planning section you may like to check out.

The disadvantages are mainly that accommodation is usually charged for two, and hence can get expensive when travelling solo. Alternative accommodation such as hostels and camping are more affordable if budget is an issue.

With three weeks each way you have time to see just about all there is, each way. Best way to start is to get a large map of the US and mark the places you have mentioned as well as others which may interest you. When you have a sample route laid out, the experts here will help you fine tune it.

Happy planning

Lifey

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

I agree with Lifey, at this stage you would be better off getting a good map of the US and putting the dots you already have on it and then start to fill in the gaps in between by finding places that look to be of interest and use the search function on RTA to gain more information on said places.

You certainly have enough time to choose from all there is to see but you wouldn't get to see all there is to see in a lifetime. There are many more fantastic National parks to see throughout so you might find the National parks find a park map a useful tool to locate and get all the info on them. Some of the parks in Utah such as Arches, Bryce canyon and Zion I would recommend along with the likes of Yellowstone.

Do some more research and when you have outlined your routes in a bit more detail we can make a few more suggestions perhaps to get the most from your trip.

Enjoy the planning !