Seattle to San Francisco

[hay1985]

Just wondering if anyone has done this trip before?

I wanna do it sometime in the future maybe drive from Seattle to San Francisco and do it in two or three weeks, is that a long enough time do you think?

Do you have to be a certain age to drive in America ( I am 25) ? Also wondering if it would be better to get a camper van and just stay in that or book into cheap motels along the way?

Any tips would be appreciated!

[glc]

Welcome!

You can drive from Seattle to San Francisco in 2 days on the Interstate highways, so 2 weeks would be plenty of time to do a lot of sightseeing.

Anyone can drive in America as long as they have a valid driver's license from their home country, but if it's not in English you will also need an International Driver's Permit - this is simply a translation of your license into about 10 languages and needs to be obtained in your home country before you leave.

What you call a "campervan" is very difficult to find here, especially for a rental. What you will mostly find is larger "RV's". If this is a solo trip I would rent a standard automobile and perhaps buy some basic camping gear when you get here - tent camp when the weather is good and stay in motels and hostels otherwise.

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

Yes, it is a popular trip and 3 weeks would be a nice amount of time to explore along the way, but would also offer a million and one things to do. A coastal route, an inland route or taking a wide arc out to Yellowstone and Utah [as an example ] would be possible.

You do have to be of a certain age to drive in America, but at 25 you are OK and past the dreaded 'Young driver surcharge' on rental costs.

European type 'Camper vans' are rare in the US and come at a premium. The RV is more the norm in the US, but are designed more for family's and are costly for a solo, or a Couple's road trip, and both would be more expensive than a car and cheap Motels. If you started a loop trip from SF you could check out a Company called 'Lost campers' for a good value 'go between'. Starting and ending in the same location will avoid having to pay 'One way drop off fee's' as well.

Search the forums and road trip planning pages for ideas and inspiration with a good map to hand and start putting some dots on it. When you have the basics down we can help to fill in the blanks, and as new questions crop up, just ask !

Hint; Scroll to the bottom of this page and you will find 'Similar threads', and repeat as many times as you care too, enjoy the planning !