Hi there- I am planning a trip to upstate NY (syracuse area) and I live in Las Vegas. I am considering flying out and then renting a car (recommendations on this are also welcome!) to make the return roadtrip part of the vacation. I am rather used to 300-400 mile car trips (commuting home on college breaks, etc.) but have never planned a long excursion like this.

I have plotted a couple of rough ideas using google maps, and am trying to get a realistic timeline for this trip, which should be between 2,400 and 2,650 miles. (depending upon the route)
departing from camden to:
columbus, oh (510mi)
st louis, mo (420 mi)
oklahoma city, ok (500 mi)
albequerque, nm (540 mi)
grand canyon park, az (400 mi)
las vegas, nv (275 mi)
For a total of 2,645 miles over 6 days of travel

OR:
camden to:
cleveland, oh (375 mi)
chicago, il (345 mi)
omaha, ne (470 mi)
denver, co (535 mi)
green river, ut (345 mi)
las vegas, nv (410 mi)
for a total of 2,475 miles over 6 days of travel

I have read a few posts and recommendations seemed to point to 500-550 miles per day maximum and each of these stay under that maximum. Obviously, the first option is a couple hundred miles more, but it also boasts a visit to the grand canyon. I am not committed to these major cities per se, just used them as landmarks to pace out the trips.

I am looking for advice in the following areas most:
  1. which of these 2 routes seems best?
  2. both of these are pretty fast paced trips- are the legs of the trip short enough that we will have energy left to do more than sleep and get back up the next day to drive more, or will it be drive/sleep/repeat?
  3. are there recommendations for smaller places to stay over near these metro areas that keep the trip legs about the same?
  4. re. the car rental: there will be just 2 of us, so we dont need a ton of space, but dont want to be crammed in either. also- fuel economy would be a plus for financial reasons. any recommendations on low-cost, one-way rentals?


I have never made a cross-country (or semi-cross country) trip before, and I want to make the trek, finding a good balance in terms of pace, enjoyment and finances. thanks in advance for your input :)