Bachelor Spring Break

[Toe Knee]

Hi there!

My name is Tony and I am 22. I am getting married in June, and this is my last Spring Break without a wife. While she is in Hawaii with her family, I decided to go on a massive road trip with my brothers. This is my first real road trip. We are pretty broke, especially after rent-a-car and gas, so we are looking for awesome cheap stuff in the Western US.

We are starting and ending in Dallas. We will roughly be headed north to Montana, go West to Washington, down through San Jose, and back East to Dallas.

I am looking basically for free, awesome things to see. (i.e. World's largest ball of twine, etc.)

Any suggestions for things to see would be appreciated. Also, I would welcome any advice. Pretty much anything you tell me would help, as I am road trip ignorant.

Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Although they are not free, your national parks are some of the most intriguing, beautiful, historic and just downright fascinating places you can visit. And some of the best of the best are on or near your proposed route, including Rocky Mountain, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Mount Ranier, Olympic, Crater Lake, Redwoods, Yosemite, Death Valley, Saguaro, and White Sands. And you and everyone in your car can visit every one of them for the grand total of $80 by purchasing an America the Beautiful Annual Pass at the first park entrance you come to. To me that's a deal that beats all the free balls of twine out there.

In addition, be sure to stop at state and local welcome/visitor centers and ask about local events and coupons for substantial discounts to attractions and motels. These centers, often viewed as little more than bathroom breaks by most travelers, are one of the most overlooked money saving opportunities on the road.

AZBuck

[Toe Knee]

Thanks! And that pass is good for the whole carload? Nice!

As this is my first road trip, are there any suggestions for the car ride itself? Best games for the road kind of thing?

[Lifemagician]

I can only echo what AZBuck has said. Make good use of that Annual Pass. And look out for the coupon booklets for discount budget accommodation. These booklets can be found in most (but not all) rest areas along the internstates, welcome centres and visitor information centres as well as some fuel stops. Can't see them.... ask!

There are several companies which put out these coupons which can also be found on the internet. So if you know where you are going, print out some coupons before you leave home. Several for each destination, as they are mostly only for walk-ins.

If at any time you feel a bit iffy about the accommodation, remember you can always ask to see and inspect the room before committing to it. These coupon books have certainly saved me a heap of money.

Lifey who travels on a tight budget

[Southwest Dave]

Hi Toe Knee and congratulations !

Thanks! And that pass is good for the whole carload?

Generally speaking, yes that is correct, the pass admits the pass holder/s and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at per vehicle fee areas and pass holder + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, at per person fee areas.

Although you are brothers and most likely used to each others habits the road trip compatibility quiz is a fun way to start discussions on how you all think of the trip such as how long you want to spend in the car against chilling out some place.

You don't say how much time you are planning to be on the road for but the longer it is and the more miles you rack up the bigger the budget you will need. The nps find a park map will locate every park in every State and give you all the info you could need on each one. Keep in mind that if you are travelling early some of the parks such as RMNP and Yellowstone won't be fully operational.

[Dominic Longo]

In November, 2008 me and a buddy did the same type of thing through the southeast. We were broke so as far as things to do on the road...

Get some great playlists together. Have each driver make their own and go from there.

We also had a small notebook and wrote down quotes we said throughout the entire trip. It's funny to look back on and it will bring the memories of your trip to life later on. No one else will think they're funny, but you'll know exactly what the inside jokes mean. I look at them all the time. We took nearly 600 pictures on a 4 day road trip through the southeast. Take a massive load of pictures. Stop at every state entrance and grab a state map. These are free souveniers that will be exactly what you are looking for. Talk to random people. We met a guy driving a pick up truck from Georgia to Maryland for his mother at a rest stop. He was a cool guy.

Random things come up, too. We kept track of all of the cracker barrells. We stopped at Pilot a lot and called the coffee "bean." Little wierd things come up. Don't worry about being bored if you guys get along.

[Toe Knee]

Sweet. Thanks a lot for the advice! I'm excited and will update next week how it goes!

[cearlie]

Hey if you get to Western Washington drop me a line and I'll take you up for a air tour of the area. I live to fly and ride.
Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto! Live well, love much, laugh often.
Congrats on the wedding.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Your avatar looks like some kind of "flying wing"? Looks very cool.

Mark