NY to San Francisco in two weeks?? Crazy idea?

[Phoenix Chan]

Dear all:

me and my two friends are planning our first road trip from NY to SF and we seriously need some suggestions!
1) We are planning to go from NY to Atlanta, New Orleans,
Austin, Phoenix, Las Vegas, LA, and San Francisco, are
we covering too many cities in 17 days?
2) for the gas part...how much should we be expecting?
3) I just got a quote of $1200 from Avis, do you think that's reasonable price during the Christmas season?
4) Since we are trying to minimize our expense, do you think Motel 6 will be an okay option?

Thanks a lot for all your help! Greatly Appreciated!

[kristy]

depends on how much you want to see in each city. if you spent one whole day in each of the 7 cities you listed, that leaves 10 days driving time. as for gas i just went cross country and i would say gas prices averaged at 1.50 gl. figure out what highway mileage the car your renting gets, the approx amount of miles you are going and add about an extra $50 just in case.i would say 400 would be good for there and back. as for motel 6's they are affordable and safe but not always the cleanest. i always stay in them but have a blanket and pillow in my car with me and sleep on top of thier beds. have a great time

[imported_Angus Bangus]

You have plenty of time to do your trip as planned, but you won't be able to spend too long in each place.

Rent a car that gets good gas mileage and then figure on an average of $1.60/gal for your trip, which should register at just under 4000 miles.

I personally dislike Motel 6 with a passion. I wouldn't recommend them to groups of more than two people because their rooms are generally small. I've also notices that their walls are generally pretty thin. Let's just say I still have nightmares about a conversation/encounter that I overheard. Upgrade to a Super 8, or even a Days Inn or Comfort Inn, especially where rooms are cheap.


ab

[Mark Sedenquist]

Motel 6 has a great marketing concept -- good ads and they have positioned themselves as being inexpensive. However, we agree with other posters and would go further to say that they are often the least value motel in any given city. The furnishings are often sub-par and the actual cost per night is usually only $5-10 less than more acceptable lodging elsewhere in the city.

With rare exception you can find very decent and comfortable lodging in most American towns and cities for about $35 to $45 per night. On the other hand, you can stay at a Motel 6 -- with cheap hard beds, barely adequate bathrooms, no HBO, no internet access and no bathtubs, for about $37.50 per night.

Your choice.

As far as covering ground -- Angus (previous poster) is an accomplished roadtripper, so he knows of what he speaks -- however, if was me I would halve the number of cities to be explored in the 17 days and spend some more time enjoying the trip -- you are going to spend 95% of your time driving...

[Phoenix Chan]

Dear all:

Thanks a lot for your suggestion!!
It looks like Motel 6 is definitely not my choice anymore. Do you guys think that Days Inn or Super 8 are better? I think Days Inn is a bit cheaper than Super 8. Do you think Days Inn is an option??

Thanks a lot!!

Sincerely,
Phoenix

[imported_Angus Bangus]

Days Inn have better beds and better privacy than Super 8's.

Do you belong to AAA? Shame if you don't. Their Tourbooks are fantastic for interstate motel selection.


ab

[Brandy]

Often Red Roof Inns are the same price range as Motel 6, cheaper than Travellodge, EconoLodge, etc. Also, I just found a website called freetrip.com (I think, I will double check and let you know if thats not right) that will let ou put in your start/destination, and will give you driving directions, times, and hotels along the way (at which ever price range you choose). You can check out price/availability, directions, ammenities, phone numbers, etc. for those hotels (also campgrounds) as well. It may help you have a better idea of what you need, plus you wont be stuck driving around in strange cities looking for a cheap hotel as often. I also recommend saving a little money for Vegas (thats where I am from), checking the deals online, and getting into one of the bigger hotels on the Strip. Its a fun place, and you can generally get really cheap room rates if you look around. Also, Thanksgiving week is the world's largest convention in Vegas, and the NFR comes in for a week December, so dont expect to be able to get a room anywhere, at least without paying about three times the usual rate. San Fran is a very expensive place to stay, so research B&B's and smaller hotels, stay away from great deals in the Tenderloin (you will never leave your hotel after it gets dark if you dont), or stay a little farther outside the actual SF area. The cost will go down significantly.

I echo the advice about staying out of town. One of my favorites is the Jack London Inn in Oakland. It's right on Jack London Square which is a neat place to walk around, shop, eat, etc., and it's only a couple of blocks walk to the Oakland-San Francisco Ferry dock. The boat ride across the bay is short, fast, cheap, and will give you a superb view of the San Francisco skyline. Once you are in San Francisco, you can easily get around using the cable cars or buses. Jack London Inn is a nice hotel and will cost less than half of what a comparable hotel in San Francisco will cost. Have a great trip.

[kristy]

as far as the cities you want to visit i tend to have differing views from most others on this forum. when i travel cross country i prefer to spend a day in each spot seeing my top 3(at least 3 depending on spot)places of interest in that city. then if i love it i can stay an extra day or plan a trip to just that spot later. this way i get to experience a small piece of a bigger variety of places. most others on here seem to choose less destinations and spend more time exploring each one. guess you have to pick your style. as far as motel 6 goes if you plan on staying in the city to explore i would go for a slighty higher and nicer motel others have listed. however if you are just crashing for the night do you really need a bathtub, hbo,and a lot of room? i prefer harder mattresses (although i dont find motel 6's as hard as mine at home) and drive an average of 14 hours a day so i crash pretty hard and have never had a problem with neighbors. if money is a big issue 5-10$ a night makes a difference of a tank gas for most. anyway enjoy your trip whatever you decide to do.

As far as cities are concerned- it will take you non stop about 6-8 hours to get from ATL to New Orleans. In Atlanta make plans to go to the World of Coke- Downtown. Also stone mountain is an intersting place to go, and Kennesaw Mountain. Very intersting civil war history there. Also there is a musuem, i believe in Kennesaw (suburb of Atlanta) with a muesuem of the great train chase. Small, yet informative. If you are traveling with kids, MAKE SURE to go to the Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake, Texas. It is right outside of houston. I45 south. GREAT PLACE TO TAKE KIDS AND ADULTS ALIKE! Austin is a fun place to go as well. Make sure you hit up the Capital building, if it is open. Also, you might want to go to San Antonio (right on I10) and go downtown to the river walk. Very nice and historic place. Nothing beats San Antonio.

good luck on your trip and I hope i have helped out a bit.

CJ