First time road trip from New York to Las Vegas.

[hma11]

Hi everyone
I am planning a trip to the U.S. and I don't know much as to how I will accomplish this but I want to do a road trip from New York to Las Vegas. I would really like it if you guys could help me with planning my trip because it will be my first visit to the U.S. Please help me in deciding which route to take and which cities should I stop in between if I have 20-30 days.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Here's the thing, you haven't told us anything about you and what you're interested in, all we know is that you've got between 20 and 30 days (a huge range) to drive nearly the entire way across the country.

So really, there is no way anyone else could possibly narrow down the hundreds of possible routes you could take or tell you which of the thousands of possible cities you should stop at. There is no "one size fits all" "best" roadtrip. RoadTrips are about having the ability to go exactly where you want to go, and see exactly what you want to see.

Now, once you have a basic idea of what things are the "must sees" for you, then others can help you put it all together and come up with other suggestions and ideas of places that would fit well with your ideas. I would also remind you that there is far more to the US than just cities - there are numerous natural wonders and rural areas that are also very worth your time and consideration - so keep that in mind as well as you sketch out some ideas for yourself. Once you've done that, we'll be a much better position to provide additional assistance.

[DonnaR57]

Welcome to RTA!

Do you have a road atlas, or a good set of maps? You can pick up a road atlas through the RTA store (just scroll down), or wherever you might find a US road atlas where you live. Once you start perusing the real maps, you'll find all sorts of things that might interest you. All of our National Park service sites are on those maps, plus plenty of renowned museums, many theme parks, and places of historical interest as well.

It takes 5-7 days of driving to get from NY to Las Vegas -- and that's just driving, no sightseeing. You will find no end to the possibilities for places to visit in your other 14-23 days.

As was stated above, if you have some ideas of what you want to see, let us know, and we can help you put it all together.

Donna

[hma11]

Thank you so much for replying this quickly, I'm impressed. The thing is I don't know much about routes and which cities may I be able to visit on which route, I just want to have a road trip in the US. I am a fan of sightseeing and exploring nature on my way plus I want to enjoy the city life too so basically I want a route on which there are some major cities that I can stay in for 3-4 days and then get on the road again.

Another question that I have is that some people have said on this forum that flying from NY to Vegas and then doing a shorter road trip from Vegas would be a better idea but I guess that will not be as much fun driving all the way from NY to Vegas.

Plus if you guys could please give me some information as to how much a rented car would cost for this trip including gas? And what do I need to get a rented car, as in what documents and stuff.
Thank you :)

[Midwest Michael]

Again, until you have a basic idea of where it is you want to go and what you want to do, there is no one on any forum that is going to be able to provide much help. It's like asking for help running a marathon when you don't know how to walk, or asking for help with algebra, if you don't know how to add or subtract. If you don't have any idea about the millions of things you could do between NY and Las Vegas, then start figuring that out first. As Donna indicated, start just by looking at maps and getting ideas, and then branch out into some more reading be it the many articles and field reports on this sites or some of the thousands of books about traveling across the US. The key thing again is that a roadtrip is about you and what you want to see and do, and if you don't know that, then no one else is in a position to help.

Another question that I have is that some people have said on this forum that flying from NY to Vegas and then doing a shorter road trip from Vegas would be a better idea but I guess that will not be as much fun driving all the way from NY to Vegas.

Flying to Vegas is a better option sometimes and for some people - but it goes back again to you. If you want to explore the amazing natural wonders of the southwest, then flying to Vegas probably would be the better option, but if you've got your heart set on driving across the US, then it would not.

I will say that loop trips are generally less expensive, especially in regards to car rental - if you drive from NY to Vegas you are likely looking at a significant one way fee.

Plus if you guys could please give me some information as to how much a rented car would cost for this trip including gas? And what do I need to get a rented car, as in what documents and stuff.

Once again, you're putting the cart before the horse.

To rent a car, all you should need is a drivers license and a credit card - assuming you are at least 21 years old. Beyond that, there again are far too many variables to answer your questions. Your car rental costs will depend upon exactly when you are traveling, where you end up going as a starting and ending point, how old you are (under 25 expect a significant extra fee), and until you have a general idea of where you want to go, again, we can't possibly guess how much gas you'll need. Certainly, you can use the RTA's Reservation Tool to give yourself a very general idea of what the rental car will cost, but again, you need to get farther down your planning process and have a better basic idea of what you hope to do, before you can get any specific information.