Road trip from Detroit to Las Vegas to LA - Any suggestions?

[DMF0311]

Just found this fantastic website and joined, so this is my first post! My 19-year old son and I will be driving from a suburb of Detroit to Las Vegas at the end of the month (August) to visit my daughter (who lives there) and then, after spending a few days in Vegas, will continue on to LA where my son will be living. Was wondering if anyone has any suggestions regarding packing, route(s), frugal eating/sleeping on the way as well as any sightseeing spots (again, frugal!) we could enjoy. We will be taking our time driving, since we don't have a set "date" that we need to be in Vegas, but would like to sightsee along the way since neither one of us have ever drove to the west coast. This will be a first for both of us. I will be flying back to Michigan from LA after I help him get settled in (that is why we need to be frugal...he'll need as much $$ as we can save to help him live there). We're extremely excited and would really appreciate any suggestions or comments regarding the trip. For anyone who replies...Thank you so much!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Just found this fantastic website and joined, so this is my first post!

Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum and thanks for the kudos.

Was wondering if anyone has any suggestions regarding packing, route(s), frugal eating/sleeping on the way as well as any sightseeing spots (again, frugal!) we could enjoy.

The most direct routes will be the least expensive. As a general rule, I prefer to stay in Holiday Inn Express hotels, because the breakfast is fine and you can eat sparingly the rest of the day. Cooler lunches and light dinners. As you pass state lines, look for the state-run Welcome Centers. They are hosted by local volunteers with both local information and discount coupons. Here are some more tips for frugal road tripping. The article is a few years old -- so the pricing is out of date, but the concepts work anytime.

You need to allow a full four days for the drive -- will that work for you? What sorts of attractions appeal to you?

Mark

[DMF0311]

Hi, Mark! Thank you for your response to my post. Your suggestions and links were very helpful and will definitely be used. Thanks also for the suggestion of a full four days for the drive. We are not on any time constraint, so four days would not be a problem. As for attractions that appeal to us, anything that involves national landmarks and parks are definitely things we'd be interested in. Truthfully, since you've traveled so much, I'm sure you have some great suggestions. Also, since I see you live in LV, any ideas on what to see there? Thanks again, Mark! Denise

[Midwest Michael]

For Vegas, you may want to check out RTA's sister-site: Living Las Vegas.

There are no shortage of National Parks and landmarks that could be along your way. If you follow the most direct path of I-80/I-76/I-70/I-15 you'd be going right past places like Rocky Mountain NP, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado NM, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion NPs. There's many more options you could also consider - including the grand canyon - if you divert more towards the 4 corners area. Keep in mind that 4 full days is the starting point, and you'd be looking to add more time to start exploring most of these places.