Rebecka

My friend and I are planning a roadtrip NYC-LA and want to remain flexible about were we stop along the way, and plan it to take about one month. We are only at the early stages of planning the trip and wonder how much (very roughly) gas and the cheapest hotels will cost us. Thank you!

mike

your question is far too broad
there are four factors:
1. condition of your car. If it is in great shape and you don't break down; move onto #2

2. travel cost is a simple mathematical calculation; Determine your average miles per gallon/determine average cost per gallon; determine the total miles..divide total miles/miles pergallon x price per gallon

3. motel cost depend upon how far you can travel in one day. My farthest was 900 miles in a day....makes for a long day. You will have to determine how many miles you want to travel per day. Divide the total miles to LA by miles travel per day..that gives you stops you will make..average motel is 50-60 per night

3. food ....highly variable but again multiply times numbers of days on the road which you already calculated above


4. that is if yo don't break down and then all bets are off

big

If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Tony Hughes

Rebecka

If you take a month then maybe 2000 dollars. I did a 3 month trip around USA (www.stellarossa.com for more details, FAQ's etc).

travellyn

My guess would be $600 to $800 for gas alone. Another $1200 at minimum for the motels. Then you have food, admission prices, souvenirs, sundries, film and developing (if you plan to take a camera), etc.

If you're trying to keep costs down, then camping is a good idea. Traveling with a tent also gives you more flexibility in where to stay. Camping is free in many national forests.

Consider buying a national park pass ($50 for a year for all occupants of your car) and joining the youth hostel association for nights you stay in cities.

My husband and I did a low-budget trip 19 years ago - 17 days and 5200 miles in a car that got 40mpg, camping much of the time, and cooking for ourselves. It was fantastic! It cost $650 for the two of us. That was incredibly cheap at the time. At 1983 prices, you'd still be looking at $1000 for a month. I would expect the $650 trip would cost $1500 minimum now. $2000 may be rock bottom for the two of you.

Rebecka

Thank you all so much for your answers. I am thrilled that so many people take their time to help out. Thanks!

Myrna

Just another thought. We've traveled cross country a few times in the last few years bring our daughter back and forth to college with her stuff. We average about 50 miles per hour.

Some places have speed limits @ 75 mph and others much less. At the end of the day after food, gasoline and misc breaks, it always seems like the day averages 50 mph. Of course, those are days that we just drove and didn't do any sightseeing. We drive between 10-14 hours a day-500-700 miles.

We've saved some money by taking a cooler in the car and buying cans or bottles of drinks instead of getting them at rest stops. Also we keep snacks in the car that we buy at the grocery rather than at the rest stops.

Fruit packs well and last awhile especially if you keep it in the cooler.

Also, we sometime share a meal. Some restaurant portions are very large. At home we just pack it and take it with us. Since you can't do that while traveling, we will order one or two salads, one appetizer and one main course and split everything. This way there are no leftovers.

Have a wonder time. We have a beautiful country.

Annika

Hi
I am the other traveller going on a roadtrip with Rebecka. Does anyone know a car rental service with resonable prices for long term rentals (unlimited mileage preferred), and possibly even how much it would cost to rent a medium size car for one month?

Jayne

OK did you know you can rent a motor home for about the same price of a car rental? This way you can cook, sleep and shower in the vehicle, and best of all once you've unpacked in the motor home, you don't repack until you get ready to drop it off. If you factor in the pros and cons, this is the cheapest way. try rent RV.com, we had a nice camper and travelled 5500 miles in three weeks, sleeping at a rest stop, if allowed costs you nothing and there are some interesting rest stops in this country. If you will travel thru the west you will find eateries and hotels far apart. Hope this helps.

Samantha

Rebecka,

My husband and I have done this kind of trip several times because of job transfers. We roughly estimate $100 a night for hotels, $50 a day for meals, and (with today's inflated gas prices) $1.50 per gallon. Of course everything's relative; you can get a dive place to sleep at for really cheap; exist on all you can eat salad bars; get by with a lower gas cost if you have a tiny car that gets great miles per gallon. Another factor is if you're going to push it with your driving (we like to keep it at 600 or less miles a day) or take your time. Regarding Annika's question, I'm sure (for a price - can't even give a rough estimate) you'll find a car company that does long term rentals. There are so many deals/ways to configure time alloted/mileage, that one of you will have to do some major comparison shopping to get the best deal. Enjoy your planning and seeing the country.