Hi Leanne, Welcome to the RTA forums ! [I hope you didn't get too battered by todays storms on the Emerald Isle !]

The planning and Day dreaming part of a trip can be as exciting as the trip itself, so enjoy ! However at this early stage in your planning you should get a good map of the USA and start looking at places that appeal and then start your researching to get a good feel of what you want to do. The beauty of the road trip is that you get to plan where you want to go and out of the Millions of miles of the 'Blackstuff' to choose from, there is no one specific route.

To visit by any other means then the tourist Visa [90 days] you would need to apply for an extended stay and work permits and until they are sorted, travelling a year and working won't be an option. With the economy as it is work is hard to come by as well. I don't know if there are any teacher 'swap' schemes or the like that might help, that's something you would have to look into. Honestly, I think you are up against it, but who knows ?

If you do travel for a full year, there really would be no need to start out at a specific time, but perhaps a specific area depending on what time of year you start. You should look into the climate zones etc and work from there. Cold mountain areas can be treacherous in the winter and hot desert areas in the summer, scorching hot. Plan accordingly.

Keep researching and consider your options. Perhaps a shorter visit as a tourist might give you a better feel for things before embarking on the BIG adventure, is something worth considering.

Let us know as and when new questions crop up and enjoy RTA !