First Time FL..to Oregon stops along the way

[Lunchboxfsu]

Hey it's my first time going on a road trip and over the summer I have 8 weeks of nothing so I figured I'd pack up some things and just go since I've never been out of FL and NY. I will be doing this alone most likely.

My general trip will be like this.

FL
Through AL or GA (Wanna stop at Savannah but may bypass all this and go straight to)

TN then
Ohio
Chicago
Minn
SD (wanna spend the 4th at Rushmore)
Kansas
CO
NV
Oregon
Washington
Cali
South then through
AZ NM TX (wanna stop)
then stay a day or two in New Orleans

Head home...


I plan to stay in these places for a few days most likely to get the feel for the place and see things you normally couldn't just passing through.

Any suggestions places to stay things to look for camp sites along the way.
I want to do it all....from nature, relaxation to night life and meeting people.

I plan to bring my pup tent and such so I can camp most of the time instead of spending for a hotel. Gas is expensive enough and a hotel just tops it with maintence for car care since this will require a few oil changes along the way. Not to mention any breakdowns that may or may not occur (hoping may not)

Any suggestions??? I'm open for anything. I need help....and I still have a few months to prepare.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Hey it's my first time going on a road trip and over the summer I have 8 weeks of nothing so I figured I'd pack up some things and just go

How much money are planning to start this adventure with? Eight weeks for a first-time roadtripper is very adventurous! Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum. Speaking of $$ -- you might find this thread helpful (you will need to update the $$ with the increased costs of fuel, etc.) This sounds like a solo trip? If so here are some solo camping ideas.
Here are some Savannah ideas.
Here are some Nebraska suggestions
Here are some more Nebraska ideas
Here are some tips for inexpensive lodging options

Mark

[Lunchboxfsu]

Thanks...I plan on having at least 10,000 at my disposal...money is not the issue here, but I'm not rockafeller.


Thanks for those sites...

[PNW Judy]

You should enjoy Peter's excellent report on South Dakota and report on the Redwoods/North Cal Coast up through the Oregon Coast. And this one about the trip from LA to Seattle (with a focus on Washington state).

My main suggestion for a trip of this amount of time is to be flexible. Allow yourself to settle in a place for awhile longer if you find many things there to intrigue you. If you don't see everything on your "to-see" list, no biggie. They'll be there for another trip.

However, if you are determined to see all of them, you will want to have some idea of where you need to be when to keep on schedule and not have to drive like a bat outta you-know-where to see everything at the end. I wouldn't do a daily itinerary though. Maybe having a weekly goal of about where you want to be at the end of each week might suffice.

You might consider joining AAA or some other emergency road service plan. It can easily pay for itself in one "rescue". AAA also has free maps, guidebooks, and campground/lodging guides. You can easily pay for your membership just by using their free guides instead of purchasing the same.

If you decide not to go with AAA and their free campground guides, you might pick up a campground guide. Here are our recommendations. The ones that only list tent sites might be your best bet.

In order to eat healthy and keep food costs down, you might want to get some tips for eating out of your cooler.