Orlando, FL to Fairview, OR

[jcastaneda]

My husband and I are looking for some feedback on our trip from Orlando, FL to Fairview, OR. We have 11 days (April 26th to May 6th) and looking for trip advice; anything we need to avoid, must see items, different routes. We've never taken a trip like this and there is so much to do and see, we don't even know where to start. We don't mind extreme heat or bad weather and we enjoy empty fields just as much as amusement parks. What are some things we just have to see? What are some things we should avoid? What are out different route options?
Thank you in advance for your help and guidance!
-Jen

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

We've never taken a trip like this and there is so much to do and see, we don't even know where to start.

The first thing to do is a get a good paper map of the US and do plenty of research. You will find lots of info searching around the RTA site that will give you ideas. Once you have some personal 'must sees' and mark them on the map you will then be able to start joining the dots. With the basics sorted we will be able to offer some meaningful advice but at this point in your planning there are just to many route and attraction options for us to throw out there. So as with any trip, it's down to you to decide what your must sees and must avoids are and there are so many different route options. What you need to consider is this is a full 6 days of driving so you will have to pick and choose wisely as your time will be limited. It's a bit early in the year to be visiting places like Yellowstone as most of it will still be snowed in, if you like the great outdoors though you could look at going through the Southwest corner of Colorado into Utah and up through Twin Falls and Boise. But like I say, there are many great options !

[jcastaneda]

That's a great starting place. Is Yellowstone still snowy end of April-beginning of May? That is definitely a bucket list item. Thank you so much for your input, it really helps!

[Midwest Michael]

Yellowstone is certainly still snowy at that time of year, but you could potentially still visit. You would be at the very beginning of the season, so some roads and areas as well as many visitor services will still be closed. I'd take a look at some of the road opening dates and decide if that's something you want to do with this trip, or perhaps save that for the future when you could see more of the park.

But either way, this is a good start for how you should start planning this trip. Figure out a handful of places that would be on your bucket list. Once you've got a handful of places, use them as a tentpole to build your plans around. That will help you narrow down which places are feasible to visit together, and help you build a framework for an overall plan. Once you have a basic outline of your top spots, then it's a lot easier to fill in the gaps with other, smaller, places you might enjoy.

[jcastaneda]

Thanks, Michael! That is a great way of looking at it. It's funny how the obvious isn't so obvious when you're overwhelmed. I appreciate your feedback!