Road Tripping Alone

Hi,

I'm planning a 19/20 day road trip alone for early Sept. My route will be from Southern CA, through Flagstaff, Northern NM, Oklahoma City, Shreveport, New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, Southern Minnesota, Mt. Rushmore, Southern Montana, Yellowstone, Idaho Falls, Reno, San Francisco, and back to southern CA.

I have a few questions-- I'm planning to stay at hostels about 1/3 of the time, and budget motels 2/3 of the time. Is it possible to just sleep in my car at Rest Stops? Or can i sleep a night in my car anywhere else? I'm not big on the idea of camping. Also, most days I'll be travelling around 350 miles. Does anyone think that's too much?

Any other advice is welcome. For the record, I'm a 22 year old male, I have AAA, and want to see as much as possible without getting thousands of dollars in debt. Thanks!


Pat

[Mark Sedenquist]

Pat,

In most states, sleeping in a car in a roadside rest stop is illegal, beyond that it is the surest way to attract problems. On those nights where you are not staying at a motel or hostel -- consider the (auto) parking lot at Truck stops. Much safer.

You have a great route mapped out. Should be fun. However, 350 miles per day does not allow for much time to get out -- smell the roses and take walks to the areas you will be driving through. In the national parks, you will find it darn hard to travel 350 miles in a single day unless you plan to be on the road 9-10 hrs/day. Speed limits are lower and there are so many places to stop and ogle at that you should figure that an average speed of 35 MPH will be the fastest you can go.

[c]

fancy any company? i was hoping to do a similar route at the same time but had prob's w/ getting a car, etc since i'm australian! i am an adventurous soul and would love to join you. but understand if you want to do it alone....
please reply asap pat-
claire

[c]

fancy any company? i was hoping to do a similar route at the same time but had prob's w/ getting a car, etc since i'm australian! i am an adventurous soul and would love to join you. but understand if you want to do it alone....
please reply asap pat-
claire

[Richard woods]

I have done that and recommend you check out Koa camping.You can get a tent site(and sleep in your car).The site runs $19-$21 and includes showers,etc.Mark is right about rest stops.Rest stops are the worst choice. With budget motels going at around $35-$40,you can save some money camping out of your car.I have done it in Volkswagons and Corvettes,but in a tent.(Real difficult to sleep sitting up in the car!)19-20 days is pushing it.You might consider reducing the distance and focus on a 4-6 state area.My tent is a Predator by Slumberjack.One man tent that is bullet proof.Add a good sleeping bag (0 degree) and you are in business.Have a great trip.Rich

i drove across the country by myself and spent a good number of nights sleeping in my car. i found that in remote areas, lots of people sleep in cars but as you near cities, only truckers do. hotels were very expensive for me so i only stayed in one once when i had no other choice. but keep your eyes open for signs on the road advertising cheap hotels. sometimes you can get one for 20-25. but the best solution i found was to find campgrounds or rv parks and pay to spend the night. sometimes i slept in my car there, other times i put up the tent. the cost is much cheaper than a hotel - usually about $10 to $20. they have toilets and usually showers and sometimes a laundry. i felt much more at ease when in one of those spots than in a rest stop.
a couple of times, i slept at truck stops but trucks run their generators all night and often pull in and out all night long-very noisy. once i slept behind a macdonalds that advertised it was ok. also, rvs are welcome at Walmarts to spend the night but i don't know how they feel about it if you are just in a car. i never did it.