Green here asking for road trip from Kansas City to Los angles for in 14 days

[Dreams000]

Sorry but it is my first time and need your help guys planing a road trip for 14 days from Kansas City to Los Angeles and interested on nature and historical places and night life and appreciate your help :)

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

What kind of help are you looking for? Who is going on this trip and when will it take place? How much time are you hoping to spend in LA?

Starting from Kansas City, an easy loop would involve taking I-70 one direction, and then I-40 the other way. I-70 goes near numerous National Parks in Colorado and Utah, places like Rocky Mountain NP, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, and Zion NPs, to name a few. I-40 also goes near several National Parks - including the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest. I-40 also follows the path of old route 66, so there are many historical attractions in that regard as well.

Before factoring in any stops or detours, you're looking at 3 days of driving each way, so about half of your trip is already taken up for covering the miles.

[Southwest Dave]

Is this a round trip as you don't mention heading back to Kansas ?

[Dreams000]

Yea it is , I am going back to Kansas City but hope from different way to see more

[Dreams000]

Well I appreciate your help and we r 4 friends but only two who will drive and we will start it on 24 feb , I would love to know if we should type economic car for gas consumption , how many days should we stop in each state on the road if we have 14 days to go and back and what's must be seen or be done and when should I book the hotel/motel in advance or same day while driving ?!

[Midwest Michael]

There is no one-size fits all answer for how much time you should spend in each state. As previously mentioned, you need at least 3 days to drive each way, but how much more you spend in each place depends completely on what things you want to do in each state.

Are you planning to rent a car? If that's the case, I certainly wouldn't rent an economy car if you are traveling with 4 people. For the kind of trip you are talking about, a full sized car isn't going to cost that much more in gas, but will provide a lot more comfort, especially for those in the back.

[DonnaR57]

As far as whether to book a motel or not, everyone's comfort level is different. At the end of February, you shouldn't have a lot of competition for hotel rooms. To save money, you could use coupons from the coupon books for motels that you find in rest areas, travel centers (truck stops), and state information centers. Generally, to use those, it's best to get in before the dinner hour. Bear in mind that the coupons are often not good for Friday and Saturday evenings. If you prefer to stop for dinner and then continue to travel on, then you might want to pre-book your motel. I would highly advise not to prepay in advance, so that you can cancel (usually by 4 pm on the date of arrival) if you need to do so.

I concur with the advice to go for a "full-size car" over a compact. Hopefully you and the other driver are over the age of 25. Be prepared for an extra-driver fee if the two of you aren't related, often around $25/day.

Going out 70 and back on 40/35 is do-able. I have traveled many times between San Diego and the mid-MO area of Columbia, usually on the 70. It's gorgeous, especially through Utah and west of Denver in Colorado. Keep an eye on the weather there, though, as the area west of Denver is at high elevations -- in places, it's at 10,000 ft+. Taking I-40 is a hair longer, but doable in 3 days as long as you aren't planning detours to Grand Canyon, the 2-hour drive through Petrified Forest NP, or a long stop at OKC to see the Memorial.


Donna

[Southwest Dave]

The first thing you need to do is get a good map then all of you need to do a little of your own research to see what appeals to you and then sit down together and compare notes. Once you have worked out how long you wish to spend in LA, and taken into consideration the 6 days of driving, you can then think about stopping along the way at the most appealing attractions to the group in each direction. Once you have figured out the basics we can then help you to 'fine tune' your itinerary and offer suggestions. If you took a long shot on day 1 and got to Denver, you could then stop in Moab UT and check out Arches and Canyonlands NP's and then Bryce canyon, Zion and through Vegas to LA. You may want to pick and choose as that's a weeks worth right there and with 3 days in LA it would leave just 4 days to get home, time for a Grand canyon detour and a couple of short breaks along the way.

I agree about the economy car, some things are a false economy and that would be one for four people.

[Dreams000]

I appreciate your help Midwest Michael and Donna and southwest Dave thanks , I will do more search taking care of your notes , be more organized and if I need more helps I am sure u will guide me , thanks again