USA Roadtrip
For years I’ve wanted to do a roadtrip across the USA and catch a few dates of the Warped Tour along the way. The Warped Tour is a punk festival that travels across the USA during July and August each year and always features a lot of bands that I lover. The line up changes slightly from city to city which is why I’d like to catch a few dates.
I fly into Los Angeles and out of New York City 4 weeks later and apart from a rough idea of places I would like to visit (San Francisco, Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, New Orleans, Memphis, NYC, Washington DC, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone Park, Yosemite Park, Monument Valley, Hoover Dam, Everglades) I had very little idea of where anything actually was, until yesterday. I started plotting destinations on google maps and quickly realised that it was not going to be possible to include everything, to do that I would need to do a loop and it would require a lot longer than 4 weeks! I think I’ll be excluding the northern part this time and will be going from west to east from California through Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and finally New York. Its a lot to cover in 4 weeks but with a couple of days in each place that I want to visit and a few long bus journeys I think it is do able.
Renting a car was always how I envisioned doing this roadtrip, the freedom and flexibility that driving gives cannot be matched by public transport but after a bit of research into hiring a car it unfortunately looks like its going to be way over budget, double the cost of a month long Greyhound bus pass and thats before I start to think about fuel costs. The AAA Fuel Cost Calculator gives an indication of fuel costs between cities. Its a shame, but buses look like they’ll be the way forward. The greyhound network is vast but it obviously can’t take you everywhere and since its not a tourist bus it doesn’t stop at a lot of the places I would like to see. I’ll need to look into tours or local transport to national parks and other sights that aren’t near a designated greyhound stop.
Posibly related posts:
Have you thought about taking a couple of green tortoise trips?
they do some specific touring trips out of San Fran, if you’ve got 4 weeks, then you could say do the National Parks loop, and then a cross country from SF to NY. The Southern one would take in New Orleans, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, Nevada, Arizona and a whole host of other ones you wouldn’t neccessarily see.
website is greentortoise.com
Thanks Geoff. I had looked at the National Park Loop tour and liked the sound of it. It would however mean that I’ve only got 12 days left to get to NY so an internal flight may be in order somewhere. Since the USA is the last leg of my trip I won’t be planning it too much in advance, I’ll wait and see what funds I have nearer the time then make some decisions. I’ll also need to wait and see how much I like organised tours!
i’ve driven that stretch before, it’s a great trip.
Wonder if you can meet any Vans crew, tell them what you do, and see if there’s an empty van spot you can take?
Also, not a tourist route, but could be quite an experience. You might be able to do some of the legwork before hand..
Greyhound seems a good way. I’m looking forward to continue my travels domestically when I return to the States. I’m pretty sure Greyhound and I will be pretty well acquainted then.
I’d suggest renting a car, as most of the southwest isn’t really built for public transport and you’d spend more money getting from A to B, with short car rentals/tours/public transit in between than just going it with a car from the start.
I’d also suggest visiting Oregon (quite possibly the best state in the US, but I might be a little bias on this one).
Cheers!
I’m so excited for you. I just quit my job and plan on starting my RTW trip on July 14th. I’m planning on hitting a few Warped dates in the US before leaving.
When you decide what shows you’re hitting, drop me a line..I usually know ppl on the tour and might be able to score you a guestlist spot. (unless you already have a way in)
Thanks Carla. Its not until next year that I’ll be hitting the Warped tour though.
I did a road trip from Las Vegas to Florida about a year and a half ago. How have you left Florida off the itnerary?? Sooo much to do there, even if you don’t go to the Disney parks, you should consider adding at least part of Florida to your trip. The panhandle in north FL has some of the best beaches in the country and is not too far from New Orleans (my favorite stop on my road trip… amazing!). Of course I’m a little biased since I’m from there!
Have you considered doing a combination of bus trip and renting a car for some parts?I think the experience of driving through some of these areas would lose a little magic through a bus window. Might be worth it to drive from Vegas to New Orleans (I did it in 3 days driving only about 8 hours a day).
Hey Dan,
I just got back from a Road Trip from NYC to LA, the reverse of what you’re about to do. It took my trek group 3 weeks to complete. I traveled with Trek America. You should look at their itineraries for some fun activities along the well. There’s a lot so see in the South West. My best hot spots were Zion National Park, Grand Canyon, Paria Canyon, Monument Valley, oh and the Carlsbad Caverns, but the whole Southern loop is great. LMK if you have any questions.
Good Luck and Enjoy.