Has anyone gone on a great American roadtrip? I'm looking to go on one in the near future, hopefully for not that much money! I'll be starting in the Midwest. Does anyone have suggestions as far as fairly inexpensive but still nice hotels go? Any favorite locations? Thanks everyone! ~ Dude
I too would LOVE to go an American Road Trip! I feel like there is so much to see! I live in Canada, and I own my own Car so I think its something I really should hurry up and do. I was thinking of doing a mini road trip and driving from Niagara Falls to Detroit around the states. Kinda like a big circle around lake Eerie. I could easily do it in a weekend, which is why I wanted to do it. I stay so close to the border, probably a 2 hours from Niagara falls, and 2 hours from the Detroit border, so it seems ideal. I would love to drive down to Vegas or just anywhere to see some of the states. I feel like there is just so much to see!
Before you leave, join a hotel rewards program. There are several chains to choose from. You will get discounts and earn points toward free nights. Some of them, like the Marriott rewards program, offer a credit card. Use it on anything and earn points toward staying in their hotels. You can use the card on all of your purchases, even groceries. Gather as many points as you can before you leave on your big trip. One tip, however, is to pay off the balance on the credit card every month. Another suggestion is to use Priceline, Travelocity, Orbitz and other travel discount sites to get the best prices on hotels. I would love to plan a trip like this. Good luck and have a good time when you finally go.
Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely look into getting a rewards card...can I ask which one you would recommend? I will definitely use a travel discount site! Has anyone had much experience with Hotels.com? I have seen a lot of commercials for them, but I'm not sure if they're any good or not. Thanks again!
The first thing you should do is to opt out for motels and definitely not hotels, because they are far more cheaper. There are also fast foods you can eat at, check out the places most drivers eat at. And plan ahead for your trip. I know this kind of ruins the whole idea, but times have changed so plan ahead at least for the route you are going to take.
Don't forget campgrounds! They are much cheaper than hotels, and you're not as likely to sleep in and watch a little tv in the morning. In two summers, my kids and I are joining our friend's family on a tour of California's missions. It will take most of the summer, and we are going to stay in campgrounds whenever possible to keep to a budget.
Well if you are looking to save money, the best thing you can do is to plan out where you will be and where you will stay ahead, and stick with motels. There is nothing worse than getting lost in some unknown area and having to settle for some expensive hotel. Research goes a long way my friends.
I just cruised across the West and had a blast. I took a conversion van and went to Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, LA, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, Oakland, Arcata, Portland, Eugene, Seattle, Spokane, Missoula, and Rapid City. It was a great trip and I really liked driving up the 101 all the way up California. Portland was probably my favorite stop and had the most fun and good eats there. I mainly stayed in my van, so despite the huge fuel costs, I saved on hotels. I would stay in hostels from time to time and take showers in truck stops. If you are going on a cruise, the 101 up California/Redwood Highway is a must, sometime in your life.
Never been on a great American Road Trip. I personally love to fly and get to my destination the same day and start relaxing! There are so many sites out there now that offer Trip Plans, and direct you from your home to your destination and everywhere in between. I wish you fun and have a safe trip wherever you go!
I have driven across the Southwest to California and back in a van. If your budget allows it, you could rent a conversion van or small camper. You'll spend more in gas, but save on hotels and food. One possible route would be to follow the route of one of the old highways, like route 66 or highway 40.
For beautiful scenery and wide open roads, check out the Western United States.This is my recommend itinerary: Start in Seattle,It's a great city with lots of things to see and do.Take the undergorund tour of the city.Go to the top of the Space Needle.Visit the Science Fiction Museum.Take a boat tour of the Puget Sound.
I live in Kansas City - the Midwest is a great place to start road trips as there are so many options. Last year our family took a cruise out of Seattle to Alaska and we decided to drive to Seattle and back. We took different routes there and back and I highly recommend both. On the way out we drove across Kansas and eastern Colorado (not much fun to be honest) but from Denver up to Cheyanne and across to Salt Lake City was very scenic. We stayed in SLC for a night (also one night on the road across from KC) then Baker City in Oregon before heading up to Seattle. The scenary in the Pacific Northwest is breathtaking. On our return trip we actually hopped up to Vancouver (lovely city) before heading south again into Montana and through Yellowstone National Park (2 days there) then down through Wyoming and Nebraska and home. It took 3 weeks althogether (including a week on the ship) but you could certainly do it faster. It's hard going on the driving front but a wonderful trip. We mixed up motels and hotels - priceline was a really good way of finding relatively cheap hotels. We booked most of them beforehand to make sure we had somewhere to stay. Have fun wherever you go!
I have done many great american road trips. Let me suggest KOA campgrounds. Get a small pull behind trailer or pop tent. You can rent them really cheap. I had a travel trailer. Or you can even get a great tent and camp. Most campgrounds have great lakes or parks. Wonderful showers and know where all the fun things to do around the area.
I would save up and go to California. I've never been there but I hear its awesome. I'm so tired of Florida. I may consider moving states.
I would so love to do the Great American Road Trip also. I want to go back on the east coast and to all those states where I have never been and sight see in my car and just hang out for about a month. I want to see New York, Boston, Maine, New Hampshire, Philadelphia, etc. and all those places. I don't know why I never gone there before but I want to see them and just relax and have a great old time.
That surely does sound fun! I haven't experienced but upon checking online, whatever you do I won't suggest that you take the train because they're more expensive than riding a plane! If you're up for some bag-packing adventure and have a car with you, then I guess you could always settle in some inexpensive hotels or inns in your stops or better yet, stay in your car and just load it with food!!
A great trip would be to just hop on one of the backstreets which is a main road like US 50 and just drive. You can end up in cities, scenic areas and even high end parts of town. So you will be able to make your own trip without a care in the world!
In the summertime I would not mind adding to my bucket list and doing the "Colorado's Million Dollar Highway" trip -it stretches 25 miles from Silverton to Ouray Colorado. This trip includes very narrow lanes,steep cliffs and no guardrails and its a two- lane highway-I would take my good old time though to get to Ouray if I went on this trip- so check out the town of Ouray in the video below-which seems like a lot of fun!
