planning summer road trips

[rosie mc art]

we are an irish family who will be travelling to denver from new york this august.I wondered would it be better to do a two- way scenic route that is perhaps going north or west for 5days and then another route back to denver. we would like to visit new mexico if time allows and have 9days to do all. any information or ideas would be most welcome thanking you rosie

[Lynzy]

I live in Lincoln, NE.. My fiancee and I want to take a road trip before we settle down and get married...
I want to go from here to the west coast to the south to the east coast and back here... I dont know exactly where I want to go yet, but does anyone know approx. how much it would cost?
I really want to do this by next summer and that means I need to save money now... please if anyone could help me please do so! Thank you so much..

~Lindsey Steele

[PNW Judy]

Yes, it's doable. However, you won't have much time for sightseeing along the way with only 9 days. Why Denver? There are other places to go from New York that are closer and will allow you more time to have fun while exploring. The Eastern Seaboard and general vicinity have so many fantastic historical sites that I could probably spend 9 days just in Philadelphia and Gettysburg (as just one example).

What do you want to see along the way? What is your goal? Maybe that information can give us better ideas to help you out.

[PNW Judy]

&gt; I live in Lincoln, NE.. My fiancee and I want to <BR>
&gt; take a road trip before we settle down and get <BR>
&gt; married... I want to go from here to the west <BR>
&gt; coast to the south to the east coast and back <BR>
&gt; here... I dont know exactly where I want to go <BR>
&gt; yet, but does anyone know approx. how much it <BR>
&gt; would cost? I really want to do this by next <BR>
&gt; summer and that means I need to save money now... <BR>
&gt; please if anyone could help me please do so! <BR>
&gt; Thank you so much..<BR>
&gt; <BR>
&gt; ~Lindsey Steele <BR>
<BR>

[PNW Judy]

Your question is too vague to answer.

First, it's hard to know how much gas you'll use. Figure out the average cost per mile to operate your vehicle and that will help you get a handle on your potential fuel costs. If you drove north to Fargo, west to Seattle, south to San Diego, east to Miami, north to Portland, Maine, and then east back to Lincoln, you would drive roughly 9000 miles (this doesn't allow any extra miles for sightseeing, etc.). In my car, I would be paying about $650 for gas at an average price of $2.20/gallon and averaging 30mph.

Second, camping is cheaper but (usually) still costs some money. It can vary from $10-35/night based on location and amenities. Hotels can range from $30-100/night depending on location, etc.

Third, eating meals out of a cooler doesn't cost much more than eating at home but restaurant meals really add up.

Fourth, the types of activities you plan on doing will have a big impact on costs. Simple pleasures like camping and hiking are far cheaper than clubbing and amusement parks, for example.

Fifth, the length of your trip will greatly impact the total cost. If you drove 12 hours/day without breaks, you could do this trip in roughly 11 days. But what fun would that be with no sightseeing? Obviously, you will need much more time than that to enjoy the trip and nor wear yourselves out. Total driving time for this trip is roughly 142 hours.

Hope this gives you some ideas on how to budget and plan ahead. When you figure out more specifics, come back and we can all give you more help.

[Bids]

a friend and i (both males) are planning to drive from los angeles to grand teton and yellowstone national park and back to los angeles in early august for a total of only 4 days. i wonder if this is possible at all. we are planning to just sleep in our sleeping bags with the sky above our heads when we need to along the way. i wonder if this is safe and advisable.