cross country trip.. new plan

[puff5655]

We finally have a budget for our cross-America in 30 days road trip this summer. $6,000.

This was our original route:

Day 1: Buffalo, NY to St. Louis: 12 hours (driving), stay in a hotel
Day 2: to Amarillo: 12 hours, stay in a hotel, see the Cadillac Ranch on the morning of Day 3
Day 3-4: to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, AZ: 8 hours, camp 2 nights
Day 5-6: to Winslow, AZ: 1 hour, and then to the Grand Canyon: 2.5 hours, camp 2 nights
Day 7: to Las Vegas: 4.5 hours, stay the night- hotel
Day 8-9: to Death Valley National Park: 3.5 hours, camp 2 nights
Day 10-12: to Yosemite: 5 hours, camp 3 nights
Day 13-14: to San Francisco: 4 hours, stay 2 nights in hotel (or with relatives)
Day 15-16: to Patrick's Point State Park: 5 hours, camp 2 nights
Day 17-19: to Colombia Gorge: 8 hours (maybe stopping a night halfway in between) -staying in hotel 3 nights
Day 20-23: to Yellowstone: 12 hours (maybe stopping a night halfway in between) -hotel 1 night, camping other 3
Day 24-27: to Grand Teton: 2 hours, camping 4 nights
Day 28: to Mount Rushmore: 8 hours, hotel 1 night
Day 29: back home to Buffalo (after seeing Rushmore in the morning): 21 hours (obviously stopping 1-2 nights on our way) -hotels for these 1-2 stops

Forum users estimated a cost of $10,000.

So I need to cheapen it up!

Any suggestions on what to cut out/where to spend less time? I imagine gas will be less than my predicted $5/gallon, so that should cut some of the cost right there.

It also may end up being 3 people, instead of 4.

The Cadillac Ranch, Yosemite, Grand Tetons, the Redwoods, and the Grand Canyon are the only 4 that absolutely need to stay in there.

We aren't looking for touristy things to do. The main point is finding good camping with beautiful scenery. We're big photography buffs so beautiful and interesting locations are important. Great hikes would be a big bonus.

Route 66 can be cut out, if there's a faster route. Vegas can be cut out. Death Valley can be cut out.

[Midwest Michael]

The obvious and simple way to trim your costs is to get rid of so many of your motel stops, especially on days where you are going to be staying in the same location for 2 to 3 days at a time. That alone could save you hundreds of dollars on this trip.

I would also suggest rethinking some of your marathon driving days. While google might tell you that you can drive 750 miles in 12 hours, reality says it ends up being a pretty brutal 13-14 hours, and those kind of drives can really wear you down. If you drive a more reasonable 500-600 miles, you can not only have a more enjoyable time on the road, you'd have time to set up camp at the end of the day.

The other thing that could be done simply is to cut down the time you spend at place, and thus the overall length of your trip. Almost every place you've listed you're planning to spend 2-3 days. Instead of spending 2-3 days, spend a day or two. For example, between Death Valley and Yosemite, you're planning to spend 5 days here. Trim that down to 3 days, and you'll save 2 days of lodging, food, and other expenses. Same with Yellowstone and the Tetons, you're planning to spend a full week here, which is great, but if you need to make cuts, it seems like a pretty obvious choice.

There is a lot of fat that you can trim from this trip, you just need to decide where your priorities are.

[puff5655]

I'll look it all over tonight and see what we can change.

Thanks for the tips.

I feel like we'll need some motel/hotel stops along the way, when we're too exhausted to set up camp and need a good night of sleep.

I just don't want to feel like we're rushing through and not seeing anything.

[puff5655]

3 Girls. 14 Days. 5000 Miles.

June 19: Buffalo, NY to st louis, 12 hours driving, hotel

June 20: to Amarillo: 10 hours, hotel

June 21: see cadillac ranch in the morning, drive to Painted Desert AZ, 8 hours, hotel

June 22: camp (Painted Desert), 0 hours

June 23: drive to Winslow AZ, 1 hour, then Grand Canyon, 2.5 hours, camp

June 24: to Zion National Park, 5 hours, camp

June 25: to Salt Lake City, UT, 5 hours, hotel

June 26: to Grand Tetons: 7 hours, hotel

June 27: Camp (grand tetons) 0 hours

June 28: to Yellowstone: 1.5 hours, camp

June 29: to Mount Rushmore, 9.5 hours hotel

June 30: Omaha, Nebraska, 8 hours driving, hotel

July 1: stop fort wayne indiana, 10 hours driving, hotel

July 2: back home, 8 hours

Gas: $2000
Misc (car repairs): $300
Food: $1100
Entrtnmt/Admissions: $1300
Hotels and camping: $1300

Total: $6000

Budget sound right?

Besides those last 4 days that will be pretty painful, everything else looks good to me now. We cut out California in order to add 3 more days of staying put. I'll have to start exploring each area now more in depth. man this is a lot of planning.

[Midwest Michael]

If your goal is to drastically cut the cost of your trip, then I think you've succeeded.

However, I will say, I find it a little strange you've been planning this trip since last summer, but in the space of one day you've gone from a month long trip where you are spending several days to nearly a week at each location to a two week trip where you aren't even spending a full day at places like the Grand Canyon, Zion, or the Black Hills. Instead of finding ways to trim your trip to fit your budget, you've just hacked off huge chunks.

Its your trip, and if you feel this is better for you, that's great, but when such a drastic change is made so quickly, I wonder if you've really thought through your changes.

[puff5655]

Well this weekend we finally got down to talking about when to take the trip, realistically. It had been on the backburner for awhile. We discovered that we only had a 2 week window. I wish we had longer, but unless I want to miss my sister's wedding, or my friend wants to lose her job, this is all the time we have.

Sounds like you're saying this trip and the budget are doable, though.

[MrsPete]

It also may end up being 3 people, instead of 4.

The quickest way to shore up your budget is to recruit a 4th "for sure" person.

Four people on a road trip is a picture of efficiency. The car takes the same amount of gas regardless of whether 3 or 4 people ride in it. The hotel costs the same regardless of whether 3 or 4 people share it. The fourth driver cuts down your share of the driving. Assuming, of course, that everyone's paying an equal share of the trip, a fourth person will slash your per-person cost.


Personally, I'd reconsider the Cadillac Ranch. Figure your mileage, and see how many miles you're putting in to see this place. It's more miles than I would be willing to "spend" on this attraction.

Also, you said you could cut Vegas. You might reconsider that. Since it's such a big town, you can get hotels there CHEAP -- competition, you know! For example, we're staying at the Plaza Hotel (nothing fancy, rather dated, but in a good location) on the night we fly into Vegas. The cost (via Priceline) is $35/night. Consider keeping Vegas, and using it as a "hub". From there you can do a number of day trips: the Grand Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, Vallley of Fire. And there's more -- give it a consideration! STAYING in Vegas is cheap; it's gambling, eating well, and seeing shows that costs a fortune!

[MrsPete]

Well this weekend we finally got down to talking about when to take the trip, realistically. It had been on the backburner for awhile. We discovered that we only had a 2 week window. I wish we had longer, but unless I want to miss my sister's wedding, or my friend wants to lose her job, this is all the time we have.

Sounds like you're saying this trip and the budget are doable, though.

Sounds like real life interferred. The same thing happened to us: We had a wonderful five-week trip planned, and we had the money saved . . . but now with the economy's downturn, a number of people have been laid off at my husband's office, and he's afraid that if he's gone for five weeks, they may decide they can do without him forever. He HAS months and months of vacation coming to him, but in the real world he'd better not take advantage of it (at least not all at once).

[puff5655]

I looked at cutting out the Cadillac Ranch, but it really only adds 50 miles to the trip.

From home-Grand Canyon 2150 miles
From home-Cadillac Ranch-Grand Canyon 2200 miles

So that can stay.

We will reconsider Vegas. I was thinking the opposite- that it would be very expensive to stay there. Good tip.

and yes, real life can stink sometimes.

[MrsPete]

I looked at cutting out the Cadillac Ranch, but it really only adds 50 miles to the trip.

Ah, I would've thought more. Pretty much any site is worth 50 miles -- that is, when you're already putting in 2000.

We will reconsider Vegas. I was thinking the opposite- that it would be very expensive to stay there. Good tip.

Big cities are like raising children: Within reason, they can be done as expensively or as inexpensively as you choose; and the majority of the experience won't vary a tremendous amount regardless of which you choose. Small towns, on the other hand, can charge you whatever they like because there's no competition! For example, I could not manage to find a hotel in Keystone, SD for a reasonable price -- not with Priceline, not the state park. Nothing. Denver, CO -- $25/night in a good area too! Piddly little Cortez, CO -- closer to $150. (Of course, I have enough free nights everywhere to not pay in the expensive areas, but that's not the point.)

and yes, real life can stink sometimes.

Well, there is a silver lining to my story. He feels badly about making me pare down our road trip from the original five weeks -- especially since I've been saving money like a madwoman (well, saving is my natural tendency anyway, but I've really stepped it up for this trip). So he says I can book a cruise for our 20th wedding anniversary NEXT summer. Road trip in 2009, cruise in 2010. Things COULD be worse. The benefit, of course, to a cruise is that IF he should be laid off (a possibility), it's 100% refundable up 'til 60 days before the trip.