Wow, ambitious plans. Yes, the U.S. is too large to be covered in a month. We've spent a lifetime sightseeing in the various state. My advice: concentrate on what is of special interest, i.e., natural scenery or history or museums or sports. So how about major league baseball games or caves in Kentucky, Missouri, or river rafting in Colorado. Perhaps you want to experience history in Williamsburg or Boston. And there is marvelous natural beauty such as Niagra Falls in the east and Grand Canyon in the west. Also should focus on careful travel planning with use of air and train.

Bill in Boston

For a couple of twenty somethings I cannot imagine anything more tedious than a group bus tour - with early morning starts every day, interminable hours siting on a bus and practically no chances for night life.

Went to europe for the first time at 19 - with my boyfriend - and in about 5 weeks we hit 9 cities in several countries (and that left us sorry about all of the places we missed almost everywhere. Ever since then I have gone for the less is more system - spending at lest 5 full days in larger cities and 3 days in smaller ones - but doing day trips into the countryside at time - almost always traveling by car except in the largest cities.

Based on my trips in europe - where things are so much closer together - you may be seriously underestimating the distances between places and the time t will take. If you want to rush from place to place barely stopping to see anything - go for it - but when you get home I think you will feel you have wsated a very significant sum of money.

First, agree with neo Patrick - I wouldn't drive 1 if u aren't used to driving abroad.

As much as I love California, I'd shorten your trip there. I like SF, wine country, some of the coast. I would delete San Diego and maybe even Los Angeles and try Yosemite instead. Drive to grand canyon and vegas. Might be worth it to fly from Vegas to New Orleans. Or continue driving to New Orleans and then fly to Chicago.

Chicago then drive to Niagra Falls, NYC, Boston then DC.

Very ambitious plans. Driving isn't that difficult. Would try to avoid it in major cities.

How about a tour? This way you could get the most bang for your buck. They have first class tours and economy. I think it makes the most sense for you. Maybe someone could suggest a tour company. The only one I would say is Tauck tours and they are first class and not cheap but worth every penny. I would look into this because it makes the most sense. You would have your pick from many, many tours or you could combine two smaller ones. Good luck.

Here are some links to help you better understand why I suggested you drive Highway 1 and to decide for yourself if you are up to making a drive that millions have made before you:

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/1...ul-drives4.htm

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/hawa...d-articles/788

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...alifornia.html

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...rip-in-america

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com...ast-road-trip/

HTTY

Here's your problem in a nutshell

http://www.trekamerica.com/tours/sl.html
"Southern Sun" leaves LA arrives NYC 20 nights later, via Las Vegas, various national parks, on through Texas to NO, up through Washington to NYC. The itinerary will be what I call a James Bond trip - enough time for a shoot-out or a car chase at each stop and not much more!

I know nothing about this tour company and this is not an endorsement. But, for a fast paced trip like the one you want to do, a tour is the way to go. You can't match this pace yourself. And as someone has noted, at 22, car rental will be pricey and logistically crazy for that big a trip.

As it is even the guerilla tour I linked above doesn't do San Diego, Chicago, Boston, or Niagara Falls.

The tour is 20 nights long: you will want to arrive at least 3 nights ahead for LA (you'll be tired from the long flight, plus you need to plan for the unexpected, e.g. flight delays) and leave at least 3 nights at the end for NYC. That's 26 nights in all, close enough to a 28 night 1 month trip. I suppose you could try squeezing in Boston OR Niagara on your own at the end, but frankly, I wouldn't.

At 22, you have more energy to do this kind of itinerary, but quite frankly my friend, I wouldn't do it. Pick the western states OR the eastern states, not both! It will be quite intense enough, I promise you.

As an alternative, consider two smaller tours:
"Freedom Trail" http://www.trekamerica.com/tours/ft.html
and "The Westerner" http://www.trekamerica.com/tours/w2.html
and connect the two by plane.

The Freedom Trail starts in NYC and gives you Boston, Niagara Falls, Washington, finishing in NYC.

The Westerner 2 starts LA, gives you San Francisco, las Vegas, GCanyon, San Diego, and back to LA.

In short, the two tours together are around 21 days total, if strung together and with time for the starter cities, would take about a month. Still VERY fast paced, but hits all the places on your list except Chicago.

I still don't recommend it - too fast, too little time in each place.

Why not do the West and then come back?

Start at LAX on the West Coast rent a car go north seeing the mid and Northern California, Oregon, Washington then go east into Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorada, Northern New Mexico and Arizona (Grand Canyon) Nevada (Las Vegas) then end in San Diego and home from LAX.

You would want to see for instance
Yellowstone National Park,

Geez, I'm not going to type all these.

Go to the website: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm

You can easily identify the state and find the parks.

After you've finished with some peliminary research, come back and we'll help you narrow your choices.

assuming a budget traveler have a look at
greentortoise.com easiest no brainer way to do this
roadtripusa.com other options with
a discoverypass.com for DIY
amtrak.com more limited route an ok way to go.
flights ok you will miss a lot southwest.com cheapest
Rental car cost prohibitive if under age 25.

Happy Planning!

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GREAT reviews on the boards have yet to see a bad one.

Try Cosmos tours also. I know two people who used this company for a trip throughout europe and they had no problems at all. It is budget travel and includes r/t flight, transfers,tour guide, taxes and fees and airport, nearly everything but no food and optional side trips you pay for if you choose to. And remember know matter how you cut it a tour is cheaper then doing it on your own!! Ok, Its called TransAmerica it would cost 2499 (Euros). It includes some of your picks like NY, Niagra,Grand canyon, yellowstone,and LA. Next one I found again in euros not american money of course. 2255 per person, splendours of east and west. NY,DC, Nfalls, LA, Grand canyon, Vegas, San fran, Arizona, mammoth lakes and Alcatraz is included. price for both includes r/t air this last trip listed is from uk-ny, coming home from la-uk. Your tour of course, portage, transfers, airport taxes/ service charges. Food I think is on your own which is a good thing. It may include breakfast but I am not sure. And you have a room with private bath in all hotels. If you want you can arrive a few days early or stay when your trip ends since it begins in ny and ends on the west coast so its perfect for extra days. Wow, Good luck.

All kinds of people do tours, young, old. You stop all the time, you never sit on the bus for hours on end and besides you are seeing the U.S.but some else is driving, you get to sit back and relax and let someone else worry about the details. You will have plenty of time to yourself. Maybe there is a tour company that caters to only a younger crowd? I do not know.

My DD has taken one or two "young people's" tours in Europe and it was great for a person who doesn't want to drive, was traveling alone, etc. I wouldn't recommend Tauck Tours to a couple of young - 20s, but I wouldn't dismiss the idea of a tour altogether (and I NEVER have taken a tour).

That said, I don't think it's all that difficult to do this on one's own either, with a fair amount of research and understanding of the distances and time involved between cities.

I agree that it's too short a time to see that much. Either double the time, or cut sites in half. What about Alaska or Hawaii? I suggest spending 1 week in just California alone. Then off to Vegas baby. Grand, Zion and Bryce canyons. Middle of the country isnt too interesting, except Chicago. Then fly to Key West, Miami, then 1 week in NYC, then Philly, DC, Boston, Niagara Falls.

thanks everyone that has replied!

I now realise I was not taking into account the amount of time it will take to travel between each place. I like the suggestion of sf7307:-

"You might consider 12 days in California (San Francisco, LA, San Diego and everything in between), 2 days in Las Vegas, 1 at the Grand Canyon, then fly from Vegas to NY, and spend the remaining 13 days in some combination of NY, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC"

I am not too fussed about Philidelphia or Carmel/Monterrey- they can be missed off.

The main places I would therefore like to see now is San Fran, LA, San Diego, Grand Canyon, Vegas, Washington, New york and boston.I would still love to fit in niagra falls if poss.
I.e. do the east and west cost seperatly with a flght between the two and leave more central places such as chicago, memphis and new orleans for another trip.

There is still the problem of how to travel within each place within the west and east coast, driving at our ago (22) sounds expensive from what you are all saying. I have looked into Trek America which somebody suggested, somebody I know has used them before and had a great time. However she was travelling on her own, us as a couple. I am also not too sure I want to camp and some of the Trek America itineries include a few places we do not wish to visit. However I have not ruled trek america out. I looked at Tauck tours they are too expensive. Am still looking through other links you have sent me.

Has anyone got any itinery ideas for doing the east and west coast seperatly taking into account what I have said.

Again thanks for all your advice its really helpful

The East Coast is easy because the inter-city Amtrak trains work there. You can fly, for eg, to DC (I prefer to change planes and end up at DCA (Reagan) because it's a metro ride into the city, instead of Dulles or Baltimore which are much farther away), spend 3-4 days, then take the train to NY, spend 4-5 days, then the train or bus to Boston, spend 3 days, fly out of Boston.

West is harder because trains aren't as good/reliable. You might want to fly into San Francisco, then fly to LA (you'll miss the coastline, which is spectacular, but impossible to see unless you drive), then bus or train to San Diego, fly to Las Vegas, tour out of Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon and back, and fly out of Vegas.

Yes, as said several times already, the east coast will be easy. You can link those three cities (DC, NY, BOS) by either Amtrak or Megabus/Bolt Bus. Then fly to Vegas and from there do a "tour" that includes Grand Canyon. Then to the West coast. The only thing I think you will really miss without a car is the Pacific Coast highway. I am currently researching a trip there and there is so much awesome scenery that I think you would be sorry to miss. I still remember it from when I was there last and that was a couple decades ago! So try to find some way - check the car rentals - they do rent to 22 year olds, but there is a surcharge. Even if you only rented the car for a few days to drive from LA to SF it might be worth it. Or perhaps there is a "tour" that you can do for just that portion. You do not need (or want) a tour for the cities themselves which you can do perfectly well, more enjoyably and cheaper on your own.

Well, like NeoPatrick, I can't in good conscience recommend that a couple of 21-22 year olds rent a car to drive the Pacific Coast Highway, especially if they're not used to driving on the right-hand side of the road!