East - West

As above I'll like to do East - West by road, probably next year. I've got a few questions on the subject and would appreciate any tips and suggestions. For example. At what time of the year is best? I've got five weeks in which to do it, is it enough time? Would anybody recommend East - West or the other way round. What type of car would be the ideal for this trip? I plan to visit all nearby interesting sites. I'm planning to leave from somewhere in Florida and my destination would be San Francisco. What's the forums' view on this?

Regards.

Eddie Reply to this

Roosta has already provided you with some excellent advice. East to West or West to East it makes little difference.

I'll comment more on the vehicle, as we've done similar trips in both the most economy of economy cars (with no AC, incidentally) as well as a state-of-the-art 4WD SUV. While we absolutely loved our experience in the smaller car (as it was what we had, and was budget friendly), we have to admit that a larger vehicle is much more comfortable/convenient.

The smaller the vehicle the cheaper it will be, although many will be slow going over the mountain passes. If you want to get into more remote areas of National Parks, you will frequently need high clearance. Another factor will be luggage capacity. If you're camping or bringing lots of gear, you'll need more storage space. If at all possible, get a vehicle with a sunroof as some drives have breathtaking views.

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Having literally travelled all over the US in different vehicles at different times I would suggest an intermediate SUV as the vehicle you would rent. They give a comfortable ride and provide space enough for a reasonable amount of luggage. Rather than bring a lot of stuff you can buy it cheaply at a SuperWalmart (and sleep overnight in the SuperWalmart parking lot for free if you are trying to hold down cost). Just park with the rest of the "overnighters" and away from the 14 wheelers, lock the doors, let the seat back and sack out. Many SuperWalmarts have a MacDonalds as well (or nearby) for budget coffee with unlimited refills and free WiFi.
You can buy things you need from a thrift store as you go along also and discard them at the end of your trip or re-donate them to another thrift store.
I strongly suggest buying a Rand McNalley LARGE SCALE Road Atlas. They are extremely useful.
I believe that September - thru November is the best time to travel across the US. Fall to me is the best time of year to see the US, especially as it is cooler and the "family" vacations are usually over and the students are back in school and out of the way.
I like the #1 route that MJ suggested although I strongly suggest a detour north out of New Mexico (after visiting Albuquerque and Santa Fe) into Colorado and across then back down along Western Utah into Northern Arizona.
Also since the weather has cooled down a bit camping to save money is also an option in most places except in Colorado where many campgrounds close down and in any case it gets a bit "brisk" at night. However except in resort areas motels are cheaper.
On the Texas portion of the trip San Antonio is by far the best place to visit (and late November through December the best time as there are continuous events going on and the weather has finally cooled down a bit). Intown Suites provide budget weekly rental with each room having a small kitchen with a full size Fridge. Also they are almost always on a bus line and you could take a bus to just about anywhere you wish to go. Of course if you have your own vehicle your could take your own vehicle and pay for parking downtown.

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I would like to suggest you to hire a car before leaving as you can also get good offers from service providers, during my trip to Arizona i hired a car online from Phoenix Airport and got good discounts <snip>
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