Hawaiian boys go coast to coast

[hawaiian boy]

Three of my very good buddies and myself are all turning 21 by July and we have decided to make a road trip, coast to coast. Now mind you we are from Hawaii so driving far distances isn't natural for us, although we have implanted this trip to take place in our minds and we are determined to do it no matter what obsticles we might face, we are completely lost in what type of vehicle we need, or how much money it might take, or even a maped out plan. So some questions I have are what vehicle would be the best to make a trip from Seattle WA to New York down to Florida on to California and back up to Seattle WA? We want to visit all the party spots on the way(bars,clubs,etc.,you know). Now we do have a considerable amount of money for this trip but I would still desire a quote if you would. If you could help my friends and myself to make this one of our most memorable trips it would be greatly and I mean greatly appreciated. Mahalo nui aloa (thank you very much) and ALOHA

[PNW Judy]

I suggest you use the search function to check out the many other threads on this matter. When it comes to money, it would help to know how long you plan on travelling. I don't think most of us here are club-hoppers. It seems most of us are more into hiking, etc. The expenses associated with going to clubs will really increase the cost of your trip.

According to MS Streets & Trips, your proposed route is about 8000 miles straight through. I would think this could be very easily increased by at least 50% with just a few sidetrips, etc. So let's figure 12000 miles. In a car with average gas mileage, I think you could easily spend anywhere from $1000-1300 on gas alone.

Hotels in the cities are quite expensive and could easily run you $100/nite or more. Small town hotels are obviously usually less but it would be difficult to get a hotel for less than $50 for 4 people. I would figure high and since cities and nightlife are your thing, I think the higher figure might end up being the most common amount you'll spend. You can save some if you stay in hostels or fleabags.

Food costs are variable depending on whether you eat out of a cooler with food brought at grocery stores or eat out every meal, or something in-between. So this could go from a low of about $5 - $50 or more daily per person. Let's use an average of $25 per day per person for $100/day.

Add in what you anticipate spending on clubs and any other admissions fees for places you might want to visit (amusement parks, etc.).

I hope this gives you some idea on how to determine your budget.

As for time, 8000 miles would take 20 days to drive at 400 miles per day. 400 miles per day leaves you virtually no time for sightseeing or playing along the way.

So, let's figure 3 weeks traveling time for fun:
21 nights x $100/night for hotel = $2100.00 total
21 days x $100/day for food = $2100.00
15 nights spent clubbing at $100/night = $1500 (just a guess?)
Gas = $1300
Incidentals = $500?

This brings us to about $7500 to be divided 4 ways, right?

Of course, this doesn't include admission fees to fun places like amusement parks or souveniers, etc. And I have no idea how much it really costs to go clubbing for a night with entry fees, drinks, etc. so the costs could go much higher.

Contrast this with the way I'd probably take the same trip:
21 days in my car that gets a bit better MPG. Gas = $800
21 days camping, average $20/night = $420
Food for 4 (only about 1 meal every 2 days in a restaurant) would be about $10/day for the 11 days we are eating out of the cooler and cooking meals on our campstove for $110 total, plus maybe $50/day for food on the days 10 days we eat in lower-priced diners for a total of about $610
Souveniers are simple (digital photos, magnets) so I would only need about $100 total for this type of discretionary spending
Most activities would be checking out historical sites, hiking, etc. with just a few amusements parks or other higher-priced events thrown in so figure, maybe, $500 for that.
My total for 4 people for the same trip comes to about $2500 total.

So, you see, your expenses can vary greatly depending on how you travel.

If you are planning on traveling longer than 3 weeks, your expenses will go up, of course. You can do the trip in less than 3 weeks but that is the bare minimum I would recommend in order to explore a tad while you're here. However, at 400 miles per day travel on average, your time to explore will be somewhat limited unless you stay longer.

Hope this gives you some ideas on how to plan for time, money, etc. on your trip.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Judy

Well done on all of those calcs --

mark

[hawaiian boy]

Wow Judy you made my head spin with all those numbers, but it is geatly appreciated and I can understand how it can all add up. I think the only think you left out is beer money!

One more question if you will, what would be some good places to visit on our trip and what do you think about renting a RV

Thanks again for the info Judge Judy

[PNW Judy]

Well, I hope you mean Judge Judy in a good way...LOL

What I was trying to do wtih all the numbers is point out how variable it is. Other than gas, which will only vary a little based on MPG/price/miles driven, all the other price variables are individual based on your interests, what you will give up to get more of, etc. Good luck on working out your budget. I usually figure out a minimum per day I need to survive on a roadtrip and set aside that money somehow so that I have enough to, at the very least, get home on. I use a debit card but mentally set-aside these minimum funds to draw on so I know that I won't get stranded.

I don't really know that I can give you destination advice as I'm not into going to clubs and that seems to be your main goal. If I was your age, I would probably be doing that, too, but I'm more into historical sites, whacky-tacky tourist attractions, hiking, and other outdoor activities these days.

I would assume that you'll want to spend more of your times in the cities and just drive like heck in-between them to maximize your time clubbing. I can't imagine there's much clubbing going on in the smaller towns in-between. I know that Seattle has a great club scene. I would imagine that Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, would be other cities big enough to have great club scenes as well. Plus many more cities. I just can't help you there.

As for renting an RV. You might check out the CruiseAmerica site for their rental information. The prices are quite steep and your gas usage will sky-rocket so your cost will be much higher for gas than I've estimated for you. Also, since the clubbing occurs in cities yet cities usually have very limited RV campgrounds, this type of traveling will probably take you away from the heart of the action that you're seeking. Also, I believe most RV rentals have a cap on mileage and charge you extra for any miles over that.

If think RVs have a purpose but NOT for quick roadtrips, IMHO. They're not near as fun to drive, for example. But that's just me. You may get different opinions from others. I think if you want to camp a bit along the way, you can either bring with you (or buy cheap at Wal-Mart) sleeping bags, campstove, tent, etc. to use during your trip. This way you can camp but still have the ease of driving and cheaper operating costs of a car.

Have a great trip!

[hawaiian boy]

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