What's the best way to plan this road trip?

Question

What's the best way to plan this road trip?

Answer 1

Your question intrigued me and I do know my US Geography. I did some calculating using random destinations in your stated regions but organizing it into the most efficient route. I hope you have significant time! This just includes going into some areas, no touring or getting off the path. Naturally this is unrealistic and I suspect your total distance could be at least 30% more than the below.



Starting in Miami, proceeding to

Mobile, Alabama

Charleston, SC

Nashville, TN

Louisville, KY (on the border of southern Indiana)

Boston, Mass (New England)

Chicago, IL

Salt Lake City, Utah

Las Vegas

Los Angelos, California

Ending in and departing from Phoenix, AZ



Miles driven are 6500 or 10,460 kilometers. You will travel through many more states on the way.



Seeing the sites, spending some time, etc will add significantly to the miles and time. My guess is that this is a 6-8 week trip, maybe more.



Do yourself a favor and get a larger vehicle even if there are only 2 people. I recommend a mini van.



Have a great time if you do it, this will let you see plenty of the US that many citizens don't see.



One other thing, depending on your interests: As long as you are here, you should spend a day or so in Washington DC

Answer 2

Generally speaking a long trip in a car is better than the same distance in short runs. The engine is always up to temperature so less wear and the fuel economy will be better. Get the car to a reasonable cruising speed and ease the throttle off very slowly on level going till it just starts to loose road speed and hold it there; that is called throttle feathering and can save you heaps of fuel. Have a complete check over of the car for anything and everything that might go wrong for a distance of the trip. Ask for a prioritized list and if it seems a bit over the top get a second opinion. If you eliminate an item on both lists as needing to be fixed then there is no reason you could not do the trip much cheaper than using a rental. Take your lists with you in the glove box; if you have a problem in route get it fixed as soon as possible. Have a good trip and enjoy it, take your time and regular breaks Hope that helps

Answer 3

And why not Colorado?? Are you planning on staying here for a few months? You need at least a few weeks to do this trip if you plan on stopping and site seeing at all.

Answer 4

If you want to try and see all 49 states on the mainland. This route starts and ends in our capitol so flying in and out of Dulles (IAD) would be simple.



If anyone else is interested in doing this, make sure you have plenty of money in the bank and plenty of time. Here is a route that takes about 15 days worth of driving. That does not count the time spent at sights, sleeping, eating or pit stops along the way. You may want to try to use a rental company and every few weeks, swap out the car.



If you are from the U.S. find the closest city and go down the list. It can work as a loop. Some places would be good for a short stop along the way others you’d want to stay for a few days. Check out each city on the internet to decide what you’d want to do there. So, here are 85 cities that should give you more than a look at the U.S.A. in an order that makes the drive about as short as possible.



Check Google Maps and you can plan your route and move the locations around to make the most sense. You can only enter 25 destinations at a time though. Have fun.



Start: Washington, D.C.

Annapolis, MD

Baltimore, MD

Harrisburg, PA

Dover, DE

Philadelphia, PA‎

Trenton, NJ‎

Ellis Island

New York, NY

Mystic, CT

Hartford, CT

Providence, RI‎

Boston, MA

Manchester, NH

Portland, ME‎

Montpelier, VT‎

Buffalo, NY

Pittsburgh, PA

Cleveland, OH

Columbus, OH

Cincinnati, OH

Indianapolis, IN

Fort Wayne, IN

Toledo, OH

Detroit, MI

Lansing, MI

Chicago, IL

Milwaukee, WI

Madison, WI

Saint Paul, MN

Helena, Minnesota

Des Moines, IA

Springfield, IL‎

Saint Louis, MO

Kansas City, MO

Lincoln, NE

Pierre, SD

Bismarck, ND

Great Falls, MT

Salt Lake City, UT

Boise, ID

Olympia, WA

Vancouver, BC, Canada‎ (not USA I know)

Juneau, AK

Seattle, WA (another option would be Olympia to Seattle and take a cruise up to Alaska)

Salem, OR

Carson City, NV

Sacramento, CA

San Francisco, CA

San Jose, CA

Los Angeles, CA

San Diego, CA

Las Vegas, NV

Grand Canyon, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Albuquerque, NM

Santa Fe, NM

Denver, CO

Cheyenne, WY

Topeka, KS

Tulsa, OK

Oklahoma City, OK‎

Dallas, TX

Austin, TX

San Antonio, TX

Houston, TX

Little Rock, AR

Jackson, MS

Baton Rouge, LA

New Orleans, LA

Montgomery, AL

Tallahassee, FL

Orlando, FL

Tampa, FL

Key West, FL

Miami, FL

Savannah, GA

Myrtle Beach, SC

Columbia, SC

Atlanta, GA

Nashville, TN

Frankfort, KY

Charleston, WV‎

Raleigh, NC

Richmond, VA

Washington, DC

Next maybe hop a flight to Hawaii.

Answer 5

You realize that will take many weeks to complete, assuming you don't spend to much time in one spot.



That is a trip of similar proportions of driving to all the major cities of Europe - Oslo, Copenhagen, Munich, Berlin, Salzburg, Vienna, Zurich, Prague, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Athens, Istanbul (ok maybe that's Asia).



Knowing the Brits propensity to party, I reckon you will like New Orleans and Las Vegas a lot.



There is no best route. You need to start in one corner of the US and start. Highly suggest you use a GPS.

Answer 6

wait, i don't get it. why don't you guys get a map or something? and dude, miami is in florida. vegas and chicago are ciites, not states.

also, do you guys come from london? cuz it depends where you get off the plane. if you land on the east coast (new york, maryland, etc.) then do it this way:

new england, illinois (chicago), indiana, kentucky, tennessee, south carolina, florida (miami), alabama, texas, arizona, utah, nevada (las vegas), then california.

i think i got them all. but if you land on the west coast, go backwards! :) good luck and have fun. i'm in south bend, indiana, (on your way from chicago into indiana) so come say hi!

Answer 7

I would split the trip, unless you have 2-3 months to do it all.

Fly to the East Coast, tour New England down to Florida and hop a plane and fly to the West Coast.

Otherwise, you'd only see road, but I'm guessing if you spend that much time and money, you want to get a memorable vacation out of it...



How much of Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama and Carolina do you want to see? Driving through farmland can get somewhat boring after a few days...

For an unforgettable trip, take a look at mapquest and streamline your destinations. Arizona & Utah (the canyons) are easier to reach from the west coast, Vegas would then be a given.





Or, if you really do have the time:

start in Miami, drive down to the keys (that's the picture-book Florida) for a day or two and then make your way up the cost.

That would give you:

Atlanta Georgia, Washington DC, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, New York and Boston Massachusetts.

In Boston, hop on I-90 and go west:

Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo NY (including Niagara Falls), and Chicago Illinois.

Then all the central states: how much may depend on your patience, it does tend to get boring after a few days on the road out there. If you're flexible, decide while on the go.

Then aim for the canyons: Arizona and Utah, stop in Colorado too, it's worth it!

And on the way to San Francisco California, go through Vegas. Hotels and food are cheap there, so plan for a few days, before you continue to expensive California...



PS: If Americans do that kind of trip, they usually buy a car on one coast and sell it on the other. ;-)