future 48 stater

[williamA]

I am new to this forum so I'll start by explaining my plan. I am currently in the process of planning an extensive 48 state possibly 49 state roadtrip that will last 6 to 12 months. I obviously plan on taking it easy and experencing all the the U.S. has to offer. I live in Kansas and plan on driving to Seattle through yellowstone. From Seattle I will head south down the coast hitting everything along the way to San Diego. From San Diego I will be zig zagging up and down to hit Las Vegas, Colrado, and anything in between until I hit El Paso, Tx. From there I am heading east until Miami, then North until maine. From maine I will again zig zag back west and making loop around the great lakes until I make it back to Kansas. This is going to be a long process and would like some guidance in the planning phase so that I miss absolutely nothing. It is going to be a chore to get this off the ground, but I am currently working four jobs to make haste of the situation. I am highly motivated and will be using this site to help get my feet off the ground.

-I guess my first question should be given that I have no time frame and given the general route I am going to take, what month would be the best month to start? (and an impromptu cruise to Alaska from seattle is not out of the question so that needs to be considered as well)

[shirohniichan]

This is going to be a long process and would like some guidance in the planning phase so that I miss absolutely nothing.

I don't think there's any way to avoid missing some things.

That's a very ambitious plan! The main thing for now is to get prepared by 1. saving, 2. planning using maps and Internet tools (e.g. Google maps), 3. reading up on things you may want to see (that could be anything from a guidebook on National Parks to Roadside America), 4. getting in good physical shape, and 5. reading others experiences here so you can get a realistic picture of what you can hope to accomplish.

MapQuest may tell you it will take X amount of hours to get from point A to point B, but you have to calculate in time to rest besides gas and food stops. Play it safe so you're not nodding off while trying to adhere to an aggressive schedule.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

This is going to be a long process and would like some guidance in the planning phase so that I miss absolutely nothing.

One thing I'll advise you is that even with a grand trip like this for 6-12 months, you will miss things. Even with 6-12 years, you would still miss things. Take your trip for what its worth, a chance to see things you wouldn't otherwise see, and a chance to really enjoy yourself and the experience. If you try to stress about finding every little detail, you can miss the big picture.

As far as a month to start, the difference between a 6 month trip and a year long trip is way too much of a difference to really say. If you've got certain areas you want to hit at a certain time of year, then plan accordingly, but I'm not sure what else we could recommend in that regard.