Tips on New York to LA Roadtrip

[amandapanda]

My friend and I are driving from New York to LA in a few days. I've never been on road trip before and I'm looking for advice on what to bring and suggestions on cool places to stop.
As of now our route is from NY to Nashville, TN to Kansas City to Colorado to Santa Fe, NM to the Grand Canyon to LA, but if we find any cool places to stop we're willing to make changes.

Thanks for your help!

[DonnaR57]

We'll be going in the opposite direction sometime this summer, and I've done loads of roadtrips before. If you want "cool places to stop", though, we'll have to know how long you intend to be gone, if this is a one-way trip, and if you're on a tight budget. Also, what kinds of things you like (scenic, historical, etc) that would appeal to either you or your friend (both too). Are you camping, or hotel/motel-ing it?

As for what to pack - everything you would use on a day-to-day basis: clothing, toiletries, electronic gear (iPod/iPad, phone,cameras, AND THEIR CHARGERS), laptop and its accessories if you have one. If you want to try to save money on food, bring a cooler with snacks, drinks, and the makings for sandwiches, and a small sack with paper plates, cups and the silverware for making sandwiches. Remember, however, that most of America has stores where you can buy something you forgot. (We just try to make sure that it's not something expensive, so we make a list and then check it twice.)

Donna

[amandapanda]

We're going one way from NY to LA. We're trying to spend as little money as possible and have a maximum of 8 days to get there. We were planning on staying in motels as much as possible but are considering camping a few nights to save money. We prefer scenic spots but if there are any must see historical spots, we're open to any suggestions. We want to experience as much of the country as possible while we can.

[Lifemagician]

Hi and Welcome to the RTA Forums.

Since you have only a few days to do your research to find those places - out of the millions - you may want to visit, here is probably a good place to start. But don't overlook speaking to the locals, wherever you happen to be.

Lifey