6 Month Road Trip Across The States From Uk - Help!!!!

[cherylnix]

Hi! I'm 22 years old and planning on taking the road trip of a lifetime across the US with my boyfriend who is 23 and will turn 24 in July. We're hoping to spend 6 Months in total travelling (we have no idea of the route as of yet) but hoping to go to as many states as possible. Planning on leaving the UK around July-ish.

Just wondering really if anyone can help with transportation ideas. We were thinking of buying a car as rental would work out pretty expensive for that long! Been looking at the adventures on wheels website where you have the option of having the car bought back at the end but is there anything else anyone recommends?

Also are there any regulations or rules about driving in certain areas? for example i heard you couldn't drive into New York City or something?!

Sorry if a similar thread has been posted already, i did search!

Thank you for reading and any suggestions you may have :o)

[UKCraig]

Welcome to RoadTrip America!

Have you had any dealings with the US embassy regarding your visas yet?

What are your interests? Have you been to the US previously? If so what did you enjoy the most? You could do a seriously good trip in that time and we would be happy to point out a few 'must see' locations along the way.

Are you planning on doing a complete loop of the country?

[greg in ak]

well you can drive into new york. you just really don't want to. very crowded, congested, difficult. great city to visit though. the public transportation is good.

driving regs are pretty simalar across the country.

[Brits in America]

Just wondering really if anyone can help with transportation ideas. We were thinking of buying a car as rental would work out pretty expensive for that long! Been looking at the adventures on wheels website where you have the option of having the car bought back at the end but is there anything else anyone recommends?

Hi Cheryl,
My boyfriend and I are from the UK and are planning a similar trip, but only four months in our case. We did consider buying a car, but, being a bit car-ignorant, decided to bite the bullet and fork out for the security of rental. According to the Adventures on Wheels website you need to have a US address and driving licence for their buy-back offer. But, also, being under 25 you may have problems hiring a car as well. (We're in our 40s, so one of the few advantages of age is that we avoid this problem!)


We're planning to do a loop of the USA starting and finishing in New York and basically driving round the edge, maybe popping into Canada (Vancouver) at Washington. To save money we'll be camping for about 2/3 of the time, probably sleeping in the car (but in a campsite) rather than bothering with a tent. We're hiring a minivan, but does anyone have any opinions on whether any particular model is more suitable for sleeping in than others?

Would also be interested in any thoughts on our route, or any hints and trips for the kind of trip we're planning. I've been lurking for a while now, and have picked up a lot of great information!

Apologies if it's against forum etiquette to hijack a thread with my own questions - I thought that as we're planning similar sort of trips it might be appropriate, but am more than happy to start my own thread.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum BIA!

I think renting a car will end up being a pretty smart decision in your case, and certainly a much easier decision to make when you are over 25.

Personally, I would recommend "bothering" with a tent. You can get a cheap one for about $50 and it will give you a place to go to be out of the car. While sleeping in a car or minivan would certainly be a decent option at times, just having a place to be that's not the same place where you've spent all day while driving is a bit of a stress reliever in its own right. Plus, as Judy often mentions, setting up a tent is also a great way to stretch and get moving after spending the day inside a car.

[Midwest Michael]

Also are there any regulations or rules about driving in certain areas? for example i heard you couldn't drive into New York City or something?!

Sometimes there are some strange rumors that get posted, and I've got to admit, I've never heard of someone saying you can't drive in NYC. If there is anything to back that one up, I'd like to hear it. The only thing even similar I can think of is sometimes you are only allowed to drive in the state you rent, although that's not usually a problem if you are a foreign visitor and its a requirement that typically can be waived.

As was mentioned, you might not choose to drive in NYC, because it is a bit of a challenge and there are plenty of good public transit options that can take you into the city without a car.

As far as buying vs. renting goes, considering your timetable of 6 months and your age being under 25, buying a car could make sense if you've got the money up front to buy a roadtrip worthy car. The process is not without some hurdles, however. This thread is one of the discussions on the forum that goes through some of the red tape.

[cherylnix]

Thank you for all of your replies, and no of course I dont mind anyone asking other questions on here. If it helps you then its all good! :o)

In regards to visa, I know it something i need to do but not really sure where to start!
I have been to Texas a few years ago and to Florida 3 times. September 2007 being the last time. I went with my boyfriend for 2 weeks and we hired a Dodge Avenger, which was so nice. We didn't realise that being under 25 we had to pay a surcharge of $28 a day extra. Which was quite annoying but still didn't ruin our fun! :o) Thats why we thought buying one would be less hassle.

I have family in a couple of states that i have never met, I'm hoping to get into contact with them soon so as maybe I could stay with them on my way through. Would this be easier in terms of buying a car? Would it be possible to use their address, obviously if they're fine with it!

It's so hard to look stuff up on the internet, so I find these forums so useful! So i really do appreciate anything you have to tell me! I'm just so excited to go, been wanting to do it for a long time now and my boyfriend was a little unsure at first but now he can't wait too, which make me want to go even more!! THANK YOU!!!

[UKCraig]

I suspect that the 'you can't drive into New York City' has come about from 'it's not worth driving in New York City' -- though I am desperately looking forward to the day that I drive through the centre of the city lol

The visa thing is a huge deal. I was planning my own 4.5 month trip from Florida to Alaska but, after taking advice, decided to can the idea. I'm now looking to fly to Canada first and spend more time there than planned. The application process for the visa was just too much hassle for me personally (I'm gonna apply under the Visa Waiver scheme on arrival) but don't let that put you off - you have a couple more months to get it sorted than I had. I would suggest that you get on the case as soon as possible - and certainly well before you actually book anything - as the process can take quite some time and there's no assurance that you will actually be granted a visa. Start reading this page on the website of the Embassy of the United States in London for an outline of what's involved.

[greg in ak]

driving in NY can actually be fun if you do it after midnight. i'm not joking. you just want to avoid the bad areas , which is not as hard as some people might think. crossing the george washington bridge, driving up broadway or the west side highway, etc. are all very cool late at night when there is no, or at least, much less traffic.

[Mark Sedenquist]

I have driven large vehicles in both Montreal and NYC and I love driving there! For the most part, only professional drivers ply their skills therein and both are fun, fun cities to drive in.

Mark