Roadtrip Across The US

[vintage.bliss]

Me and my boyfriend (age 18 and 19) are planning on taking a summer roadtrip across America, starting in Palm Beach, Florida. We don't really know what path to take, yet our main destination points will be California, New York, and Ohio, but we want to experience a lot of the other exciting places America has to offer. We also are planning on staying at his family's house in Portland, Oregon. Our time limit is the summer, so we have about 3 months for this trip.
My main questions are:

• How much money should we set aside for food? Accommodations?
• Which car(s) would be most cost and safety efficient for this trip?
• What other places would you reccommend us to visit?
• Overall, how much money do you think would be necessary for this trip?

Also, should we rent/buy and electric car? My father said it would be a lot more cost efficient for our roadtrip.

Thank you, and all other advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

There are a few things we can help you with, although a lot of the details will still be in your court.

Where to go on a trip that covers the entire country with 3 months available is just an impossible question, and your budget is too dependent on how you are traveling - how often you'll go from place to place, where you'll be staying, what you'll be eating, etc.

The car question isn't an exact answer, but there are some things you can think about. First a "electric" car like the Volt or Leaf would generally not be a good choice. They are designed for short distance commuting, not long haul driving, and they are far too expensive anyway for any sort of "economy." Similarly, Hybrids are also not cost-effective as a one trip purchase. You'll cover 10-20,000 miles on your trip, but you need to be well over the 100,000 mile mark before you "break even" on the extra costs to purchase.

Since you can't rent a car because of your age, you will need to buy. But that's going to mean thinking long term - something that will still be useful after your trip is done. Buying any car, just for 3 months is very expensive. Otherwise, you really just need to think about comfort. Pretty much any car is going to be big enough for 2 people and gear (except maybe some sports cars), so really just think about what kind of car will be comfortable for sitting over long distances, that you'll enjoy driving, and hopefully gets a reasonable gas mileage.