Moving from Philly to California

[calibound13]

My girlfriend and I are moving from Philadelphia to Santa Barbara and are going to be leaving at the end of February. I am looking for some suggestions on the best route. Also does anyone have any suggestions on how to find cheap hotels alog the way. Neither one of us have driven across the country before so any other pointers are much appreciated. Thanks.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

You'll still be traveling at a time where you can see significant winter storms almost anywhere in the US, so you'll be best suited not picking your route until shortly before you travel, when you'll have accurate weather forecasts at your disposal. Taking I-70 all the way across to Utah or I-70 to St. Louis and then cutting down on I-44 to I-40 would be your shortest two options.

Motels are plentiful along the interstate, and you shouldn't have any problem finding them. The low end chains like Motel 6, Super8, and Days Inn usually are at the bottom of the list pricewise, although you usually get very little in return. Some Independent/mom and pop places are still out there will low prices too. You can also stop at rest areas and truck stops to pick up Interstate coupon books, which will often provide some pretty good discounts.