NY to California -- first timer, international, need tips :)

[Afonso Campos]

Hello everyone,

I have decided to go on a Roadtrip with a few friends. We have decided to do something around 4 weeks (more or less).

I live in Portugal and will be flying into NYC, renting a car with my American friend, and would like to finish the Roadtrip somewhere in California (maybe San Diego) and then fly back to Portugal from somewhere there.

Is 4 weeks give or take, enough to see many things on the way and enjoy the trip without having to rush? We would also like to do a few New England states before going South and West. Remember, once we get to the destination we are not driving back.. We're flying home from CA.

One of the places I REALLY! want to go is Savannah, GA. How much do you think we could get a decent car for, for the duration of the trip? What kind of car do you recommend? Budgetwise.. How much do you think each one of us will be spending? We are willing to stay with friends from time to time and sleep in not-so-great motels (isnt that one of the biggest roadtrip experiences?:))

Any suggestions of GREAT places to go? Any help would be truly truly helpful.

Thank you,
Afonso Campos
Porto, Portugal

Curious too... Any takes on this?

[Mark Sedenquist]

A four week road trip will enable you to see a lot of the country. Even with 4 weeks, you can't see everything. I have been roadtripping in a serious way for over a decade (several hundred thousand miles) and I have only seen about 20% of what there is too discover in America.

Prices of rental cars -- there is plenty of tips on this board for ways to get good rates (use the search function) but the companies provide no-obligation prices on their sites -- use them.

Again, use the search button (gray) and search for budget tips -- there are hundreds of suggestions here.

What kinds of things interest you?

[Syv]

A rental car could be quite expensive. Especially one-way. How many are in your group? You might want a bit larger car or what we call a VAN or S.U.V. if there are 3-4 or more in your group. Again, that is expensive though.

There are many rental car agencies to check prices with. Be sure you have "unlimited mileage".
www.enterprise.com , www.avis.com , www.hertz.com , www.nationalcar.com , www.thrifty.com , www.budget.com , www.alamo.com , www.dollar.com .

To cut costs for hotels - consider stays in HOSTELS:

www.usahostels.com , www.hostels.com


What are your interests? How long is your stay? What season of year is your trip?

We can better give you advice, route ideas, and approximate costs if we know this information.
Happy planning!!!