Cross country road trip
 

I am a twenty year old female on the lower East coast of the US and in about a month I want to make my way to the lower West coast. My plan is to drive the way there and make stops to sight see in several cities on the way. Do you guys have any tips or suggestions for a young female to travel on her own across the country? I do not want to spend much money and keep the trip as eye opening as I can therefore not spending much money on hotels, food, tourist attractions, etc. I'm stuck on how I will sleep when travelling if I am avoiding hotels. Safety is a big concern but making the trip eventful is also another concern. Any tips you guys have from experience would be excellent. Thanks.

Well if you're not going to be staying in budget motels - where will you stay. I really hope you are not planning on sleeping in your car - which is not only very dangerous but illegal in most places. You can look for hostels but they are usually in downtown locations - meaning finding a place for your car - which can cost a lot.

Also are you prepared for bad weather in Dec? You may be lucky and not get any - but are likely to run into winter weather in the mountains wherever you cross them.

Whatever you do be sure your car is in top condition, never let you gas get below half a tank and be sure you have food, water and all winter necessities in the car.

Ad do be aware that there are many places in the west - esp in and around national parks - where there is limited or no cell phone service. Keep a good eye on the weather every day - and be prepared to pull into a motel and hole up for a couple of days if it turns bad. Oh - and do have a set of good paper maps.

In my younger years, I drove cross country solo. However, it was in summer when campgrounds were open, and I had a tent and other necessary equipment. And even in summer, I had clothing with me for all conditions, from down jacket (in beginning of August, I encountered snow in the mountains) to bathing suit. I kept food iced in a cooler and had a camping cook stove. Don't know how practical the camping scenario becomes in winter, even across a southern route. Even locally, my car is equipped with food and water and blankets and extra clothing in case of stranding in bad weather. The car always got a thorough checkup before starting the trip. Get an auto club membership (although waits for service could be long in remote places), particularly if you can't diagnose or do minor car repairs yourself, even to changing a tire (note: lug nuts should be able to be removed with hand tool, not air gun). Furthermore, you should be prepared for and comfortable with a certain level of isolation that comes with traveling alone, and is exacerbated by being enclosed in a private box for hours, particularly on 'anonymous' interstates.
Finding interesting sights to see along the way is the easy part.

Are you returning or going to settle on the weat coast.

What do you want to see--Texas? New Orleans? How long do you have to make this trip?
I don't really "get" this--without more information.

Unless you couch surf (I personally wouldn't) you'll have to stay in either motels or hostels.

And in December you are likely to find snow even in some normally warm areas.

I'm not getting the warnings about snow and mountains. Lower east coast to lower west coast should not take the OP through mountains or any real snow threat. Take I-10 or I-20 through Texas, stay on I-10 all the way to Phoenix and pick your route to the west coast from there.

The mountains extend all the way south into Mexico and there is no way to avoid them. Granted the altitude isn;t that high - but even on I 10 it gets up to 4.5 or 5K feet - and there are places where bad winter weather is possible.

I dunno -- I got stuck in Dallas for two days once in essentially a blizzard.

Are you driving your own car or a rental? A rental you would have to pay an underage drivers fee.
I-10 will get you there but it has to be the most boring road I have ever driven on (and where I discovered I did NOT like road trips), and that was just driving Austin to LA.

>>I dunno -- I got stuck in Dallas for two days once in essentially a blizzard.<<

So based on that you say the OP is "likely to find snow"? OK

>>and there are places where bad winter weather is possible<< Yes, but you say that about absolutely every route in the U.S. from November through April. Literally every single route. You gotta be reasonable and realistic, there is very little chance of significant winter weather in the far southern U.S. in December.

Precisely - there can be bad weather anywhere. So the OP has to be prepared for it.

Also suggest she look at the other road trip thread in the last couple of days - it has a lot of good info on car conditions/preparation, etc.

I'm not going to argue with the nervous nellies about weather except to say that I agree with WhereAreWe.

As for where to stay, I don't know if you were thinking of sleeping in your car, but you can't do that, and if you want to avoid motels, that leaves hostels or couch surfing. I have a friend who loves couch surfing and has had only good experiences. Do your research...
https://www.couchsurfing.com/

I said SOME areas -- I didn't say she would find snow anywhere specifically. I used Dallas as an example because you said she wouldn't face any snow threat. She has to be prepared for winter weather anywhere she travels on that route in December.

She sounds totally unprepared - so winter weather is just one thing she has take into account.

I know I said I wouldn't argue about weather, but the chances of serious snow and ice along *that* route in *December* are very close to nil.

There are some posters here who just love to tell people "no".

There is a big difference between saying "this is a problem you may encounter - be prepared" and "no - don't go". It seems to me that the former is only sensible, esp since the OP seems to be young and without much travel experience.

IMHO a big part of life is making sure you are prepared for potential problems - and then forgetting about them since you know you're covered.

Well, its hard to be too specific in offering suggestions since we don't know your start and end points- lower East Coast to lower West Coast is a pretty broad range, offering several route possibilities! And if you're moving, and therefore have a trailer that makes a difference in where you can stay....
You haven't mentioned how long you want to take for this adventure; are you planning a few days or a few weeks?

You can save a lot of money by using picnic tables at "Rest Stops" and parks along your route; a good cooler with ice will handle most anything you want to eat, and a bag of ice isn't that expensive to replace. But, you may not want to eat out of a cooler more than a day or two- everyone wants a hot meal occasionally! ;)

Joining AAA or a similar auto club is a good investment, beyond your trip experience. And AAA has a trip planning tool on their website which I have found it helpful in the past, and it's not restricted to members only . You might want to play with that a little and get some ideas for where to stop and some convenient tourist stops along the way.
There is a book about roadside tourist attractions which might provide some options- Roadside America is the title, I believe. You can find it in most libraries.

Though it seems illogical, winter weather can hit even the lower states at this time of year, so the previous statements about having winter gear at hand are good advice; be prepared for anything because you will cross through significant elevation changes, regardless of what route you choose, and snow/ice/slides are all possibilities in the mountainous areas. Also, someone mentioned to keep a half-tank of gas in the car...I think that is a little excessive, a quarter tank should be enough, but when you get to the desert regions, put gas in the car at any station you encounter as those desert stretches are very long and desolate. Which reminds me, keep a gallon of water in the car.
Also, be sure that you arrange to check in with someone daily along your trip, and let someone know your route so that if you miss a check in they can figure out where to send help...hopefully that won't be necessary, but things happen.
TA has a road trip forum that is well used and offers some exceptional and current advice on cross country travelling, so after you check out that forum here, hop over there for additional information

>>Though it seems illogical, winter weather can hit even the lower states at this time of year<<

Careful there ;)

Hello Kate, are you out there? Forums tend to work better with two way communication.

<And in December you are likely to find snow even in some normally warm areas.>

Just wrong, frankly. You are NOT likely to find snow anywhere on this route. More bad advice from a legend in her own mind.

<She sounds totally unprepared>
Why would she come back when the lemon suckers have scolded her and poo-poo'ed her entire plan?

No one has scolded her and o one has poopooed her entire plan. She asked for tips and people provided them.

Unless the only responses you think are think are acceptable are congratulations on taking a trip and on the wonderfulness of the plan - and ignoring her request for tips.

NewBe, you seem hung up on saying it NEVER snows in the Atlanta-Dallas swath--and honest injun, it can and does and ties things up. Maybe it won't when this young lady goes--but it pays to stay tuned to the weather no matter what it may be.

And people are trying to be helpful, I think. I do think we need some more info--is she returning? What kind of budget does she have? Internet access (Ipad or smart phone) on route for making reservations, etc.

<NewBe, you seem hung up on saying it NEVER snows in the Atlanta-Dallas swath>

Not at all. I am saying that this statement:
<<And in December you are likely to find snow even in some normally warm areas.>>
is flat wrong.

Snow is not likely on this route in December. What's so hard to undestand about that?

Other statements on this thread were harsh and condescending. Were they meant to be? Only you know. But surely adults realize that tone matters, so if you're trying to be helpful, as you say you are, maybe watch that?

I'd be surprised if the OP returns, but I hope she does.

Snow is not likely on this route in December. What's so hard to undestand about that?

Not a thing, except it is YOU that are dead wrong. Take a look at the google page I posted. Goodness!! It can happen. Everyone is saying be aware of it.

As for the OP, I hope she returns also and gives more info.

But I am not dead wrong. Saying it could happen is not the same as saying it's "likely". It's not "likely".

Therefore, this statement:
<<And in December you are likely to find snow even in some normally warm areas.>>
is, to borrow a phrase, dead wrong.

Kate,
I neglected to offer one lodging option that may help you. Look at YMCA's along the way. Its not as common nowadays, but some offer overnight lodging. Also, many state parks offer cabins or campsites- so look at what's available along your route. Some allow car camping, some don't, but campsite rentals are usually very inexpensive and you should have a little more security at a state park than some other potential choices.
And even if you aren't a AAA member, you can find great ideas from the guidebooks. Some libraries have them, and it may be possible to get a "limited edition" version to look at on their website.
You can find lots of great trivia about different towns and little known sites to visit that are free, or nearly free.
When you get further West, you may want to pick up Route 66 for a bit, and there are many resources for travelling that road, or what's left of it, most of which include roadside attractions that are related to the heyday of travelling that road.
Safe travels to you....!

And there are hostels in some cities. Tom Fuller has mentioned them from time to time.

Thanks for the mention of hostels. The hostels of Hosteling International are generally better than the others.
Do you need your car in California or could you rent one there if you took the train?
My plan would be to take the Lake Shore Limited from NYP to Chicago in coach. Spend a night at the HI hostel (on Congress) and then spend some time in Chicago.
Take the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Albuquerque.
Spend a night in the Route 66 hostel (not HI).
Take the next Southwest Chief to Los Angeles (overnight).
Rent a car in Los Angeles to see what you want to see.
When you consider the cost of gas, vehicle costs and hotels the train is more attractive to me.
If you can tolerate sleeping in coach seats, you would have a night between New York and Chicago, a night between Chicago and Albuquerque and a night between ABQ and LAX arriving by 9AM.
The HI hostel in Chicago is the largest in the US.

How do you get from lower east coast to New York?

But the OP says they want a road trip - and are starting from somewhere in the south - not NY.

In any case I assume she's not coming back. Either doesn't like info or waiting for a notice she has responses.

OP has started a new thread but hasn't indicated that she has read any of the responses here.

Well, why would she?

This topic degenerated into a cat fight topped by a completely irrelevant railroad trip.

Fodor's at its absolute worst!

Wait a second--why is it a "catfight"?

Because women are the ones disagreeing?

Having reread the posts, my own included, I see vehemence but nothing that could be described as a "catfight". "Fodor's at its absolute worst"?

Hardly.