Tony Hughes

Hallo, I am Tony from Scotland. Having read so much about the USA and seen plenty of it on tv I decided to quit my job as an engineer in our capital, Edinburgh, sell my flat (apartment) , and use the proceeds to finance a trip to the USA, roughly for 3 months in which I intend to attempt to drive around every state in the USA (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) much like Bill Bryson did in 'The Lost Continent'. Obviously cost is at a premium so what would be the best way to go about it? Would I be best off hiring a car at somehwere like 'Rent-a-wreck' ? What would be the best/most economical places to stay. Bar the obvious, is there anything a 'foreigner' must see that they dont already know about? Would it be better to go in early spring or fall and not summer ? I will be attempting this trip alone, with the intention of writing a book about it . Any help would be most appreciated . Thanks.

BobbyB

Wow, 48 states in 3 months is approximately 4 states per week. You are going to be one busy person. Some states such as California would require at least a couple of weeks to do it justice. In any event, go for it. It will be hectic but probably a blast.

I would suggest traveling in the Fall. You will have less chance of bad weather and won't have to deal with the summer crowds. You can also get many travel discounts in the off season. I would plan it so that you do the cold weather states at the beginning. The Southwest ( California, Arizona, Nevada, etc. ) can be done in the late fall. Same for the Southeast.

You can probably negotiate a pretty reasonable deal on the rental car for a 3 month period. Even the biggies ( Hertz, Avis, etc. ) can give you a pretty decent monthly rental. Another low cost option is Enterprise. Good cars at reasonable rates. I would steer clear of "Rent a Wreck", etc. as you will only find them in certain areas which could be a problem in case of trouble. Try to plan it so that you return the car where you rented it. Drop off charges can be expensive.

Planning your accomodations will require some work on your part if you wish to realy economize. For example certain areas are much cheaper on the weekends and others are cheaper during the mid-week. Any area that attracts tourists will be more expensive on the weekend. Areas that receive a lot of business travelers will be cheaper on the weekends. Use the Internet extensively. You can find out just about anything you need from discount travel to you name it. Look at sites like "Travel Web" etc.

Good luck

Felix

Tony, I read your USA message. It will be a great trip. However, I agree with Bobby. Three months is not enough time. It would be somewhat like: if this is Sept. 10, this must be Colorado. That aside, I agree that starting in the fall would be the best time. The traditional summer travel season for families usually ends on Labor Day (around the beginning of Sept.) Begin in the northern states and work your way south. Begin the southern portion in the west and work your way east. West coast weather is great in the fall as it is in most of the northern states. Saving the southeast states for last would avoid the worst of the hurricane season and much of the hot muggy weather in that area.

hamlet

Be sure to thoroughly research the car rental idea. Can you pick up in one place and drop off in another. Are there any limits regarding mileage (like when you lease a car)? If so, find out for sure what all charges would be in advance. You may want to look into buying a reliable used car and then selling it at the end of your trip.

Tony Hughes

I intend to start and finish in the same place - Newport News in Virginia so that's got rid of one problem of drop-off charges.I realise i wont be able to see EVERYTHING in the USA but i would like to say i have been to every state, thus I know California may take a few days but i could probably do some of the smaller states in less than a day such as Conneticut,Rhode Island etc.One last thing : is there anywhere i shouldnt go ??

Donna

Tony, do you have a theme to your travels? Sure, you could do all the New England states in a day but is that the point? Sorry didn't read "The Lost Continent". Since I like scenic views I would drive the Skyline Drive in VA and drive straight thru the midwest but some people from Kansas swear there's nothing more beautiful than the wheat when it's about so high and they think New England is too humpty dumpty hilly. Have fun whatever you do.

Robin

Wow Tony, you ARE going to be busy. Are you sure you wouldn't rather make this a project of a couple of years? Come over for a week or two at a time and take a tour of differant parts of the country. New England in fall, southern states in winter, southeast in spring and mid-west and mountains in summer? Overall though, if you are going to do this, fall is the best time of year. Mid-September to Mid-November. Do the mountains early as they can get snowfall early and be treacherous if you aren't used to driving them. Save the southeastern states and coastline for last to avoid hurricanes. Are you arriving via New York and then travelling to Newport News? I think I would almost fly into Chicago, pick up a car there, head west towards Washington, Oregon, down thru California and weave your way back across to the east coast, around up thru New England and back across the mid-west to Chicago. Scotland is about the size of one of our smaller states so you are going to have a lot of ground to cover. There are lots of small and "budget" hotels across the country that will run you around $40 to $60 per night. A car would be your best bet to travel. But, it sounds like an adventure! E-mail me if I can help you.

Kat

Tony --

Oh, this sounds like fun! And, you've gotten good advice herein. I'll reinforce some points and add new ones.

As earlier responses have suggested, 48 states in three months is an aggressive schedule but if your goal is to set foot (or wheel) in each state it probably can be done. For example, there's a spot in the southwest known as 'Four Corners' where the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico converge. So, you could hit all four states in a single morning. However, you'd miss some of the most awesome scenery in the nation not to mention fascinating cities and towns, natural history and the lingering presence of ancient civilations. For example, you'd miss Sedona's spectacularly colorful geography, lovely Santa Fe, the Colorado Rockies and Utah's interesting Mormon culture.

As for places to skip -- yup, there probably are lots of those yet such choices are highly subjective. In any case, were I to suggest states worthy of the briefest toe-touch, I'd have at least as many irate mobs after me. Let me focus, therefore, on my favorite areas based on my travels around the country over the last umpteen decades:

Smokey Mountains
Charleston, SC
New Orleans, LA
Southwest Louisiana, around Lafayette -- Cajun Country
Big Bend area of Texas
Sedona
Santa Fe
Los Angeles
the coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco (Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Monterey)
San Francisco area (including Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin Country)
Portland, OR and the Columbia River Gorge
Seattle and the Puget Sound area
the Willamette Valley and Lake Chelan in north central Washington State
Grand Tetons in Wyoming (made memorable by Bryson)
Indianapolis, IN (the quintessential mid-western citylet)
Boston, MA
Upper New England in the fall (Vermont, Maine)
New York City
Brandywine River Valley between Wilmington, DE and Philadelphia, PA

Timing -- avoid summer and winter. Probably best periods are mid-March through mid-May or mid-September through mid-November. If spring, hit southern climes first, then northern areas; if fall, reverse it. This schedule affords comfortable weather throughout and misses the family vacation travel frenzy of summer.

Budget lodgings: Most cities have a YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) also known simply as the Y. Sometimes they're in rundown neighborhoods, sometimes not (e.g., there's a great Y near the United Nations in New York City). The Ys offer very inexpensive and usually safe lodging; many offer single rooms ensuite. You don't have to be young or male or christian to stay in a Y. Consider camping occasionally; there are many parks and campgrounds. Motels (in various stages of decline and incline) positively litter the landscape in the U.S. It's usually easy to figure out which ones will be less expensive.

If you plan to drive through the Bay Area (that's around San Francisco), send me an email.

Buena Suerte, amigo!

Marcia

A theme is always a good idea. I don't know what you like. Three items that always work for me are art/architecture and national parks.

Take the national park concept: almost every state has one. And if you just used that as a guide you would do a pretty good job. Toss in key cities -Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington,D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and link the national parks and you would really have done a job. Some of this is going to be fast-fast-fast. Remember when you're very far north - and in the middle (Like Glacier National Park or Yellowstone), they are likely to have snowfall by late September and the facilities will be closed.
I just read Bryson's book about traveling around the UK. I understand that the one on the USA is good too. Another one which is a classic of traveling around the USA is The Blue Line Highway by (I think - don't anyone flame on me here) William Least Heat Moon. It's old - 60's "drop out" style, but the concept of getting off the interstate highways is a good one. The trick is, sometimes you need the ability to whip down the interestate just to cover the distances. The amount of distance you are talking about covering is mind boggling, especially in the Western parts of the US. My guess is you'll go at least 10,000 miles, maybe 15,000 if you really do this.
Which brings us to the problem of the car. For sure negotiate a 3 month lease, and be certain you get generous mileage, or it'll kill your budget in the end. Also think about joining the American Auto Association - or getting reciprocal privileges through the British association. Critical for roadside help. And thru AAA you can get an emergency cell phone very cheaply. I wouldn't be without one. Never travel great distances in this country on the highways without a blanket, some water and some emergency food and an emergency road kit (flares, jumper cables, etc.). I hope you never ever need them - but if you ever do, you'll be really glad you had them.
Hpe you give it a shot.

Tony Hughes

Well, with regards to the theme - if i was to do that then surely i will only be seeing one part of a cross-section of American life whereas if i try to see something different in every state (or every state i manage to visit)then it will make for more interesting reading. There is at least one newspaper over here that has prelimanary agreed to follow my trip. I don't have the time nor money to split this trip up into 20 two-week portions or whatever,despite it probably being much easier. It's easier for me to start in Newport News,Virginia because i have a friend there who can help me get started. I know very few people in America which is unfortunate as I dont want to go crazy driving those plains in the Midwest and end up a gibbering wreck. My only American experience so far is the ubiquitious two weeks in Orlando doing all the first-time-in-the-UDA stuff Disney etc etc. Even when i was there in 1996 I realised that there was FAR more to the USA than this. Not that i didn't like Florida but I knew there was more to America. Unfortunately my girlfriend at the time didn't think so and this is why I will be travelling alone this time !!!
Some places i did want to see were
Gulf Breeze,Florida
Anaheim,California
Garrett,Indiana
Charleston,SC
Tallahassee,Florida
Devil's Tower,Wyoming
Mount Rushmore,South Dakota
Boston,Mass.
Des Moines(how do you pronounce it? - Day moyne? Dez Mwan ? i dont know),Iowa
Muncie,Indiana
Mackinaw/Mackinac,Michigan
San Francisco,California
Any comments ? Thanks

Steve

Tony, I commend you on this trip. As an amateur historian (and presidential wanna-be),I plan to do the same for all fifty states, spreading it out over a couple years, though.

My points deal generally with New England. You can do Conn and RI in a day though I think it'll be a very long and fast paced one. Driving from the NYC area, take the Merritt Parkway (Route 15) east. This stretch of highway appears to have been built for the Wall St. investment bankers. Greenwich, Conn., is the probably the wealthiest town in the US so some of the homes can be outrageous if not a little overdone. Still fun to cruise around and gawk, though. As you make your way east on Rt.15 from Greenwich, most of the little towns are very charming. If you plan to end this leg of the trip in one day, I'd finish in Newport, RI, the early playground for the rich. Tour some of the "cottages" on Bellvue Ave that the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers built. If you can do this in one day (which I think you can), you'll definitely save $$$.

When you go to Boston, be prepared for sticker shock on hotels. You see, in the 1980's, real estate developers overbuilt and then found themselves overextended when the 90-91 recession came. The whole economy was hit hard and as a result, the developers and the banking community, which also suffered badly, were a little gun shy about development in the 90's. As a result, there's now a severe shortage of hotel rooms in Boston and as the laws of supply and demand predict, prices are rising faster than wages. So you might want to check out some alternative type of accomodations like "hostels". The internet is a pretty good resource for checking them out.

Good luck, and feel free to e-mail me if you have any other questions.

cedar

Your plan and questions seem like they would fit into the Lonely Planet Message Board web page: lonelyplanet.com Click on North America and/or Your Choice....on the left side of page. I think that you will get the answer you want!

cedar

Also...go to "rec.travel.budget.backpack Check out the thread: Advoce for a Burtout Engineer.

Tony Hughes

Ok, thanks for all the info ,guys . I will certainly take it into consideration when i plan this trip. One last question : without being biased, who are the friendliest people? I mean will I get stared at if I drive through some small town in Georgia for example ?
thanks

Cheryl Z.

Tony - on your adventure, should you find yourself drving thru Norh Dakota (perhaps on the way to the Badlands, or maybe Mt. Rushmore or the Black Hills in SD) or in Red River Valley area between ND and Minnesota, South of Fargo, visit the museum in Fort Abercrombie. Many historical items there from the early settlers days.
Regarding getting stared at in Ga., or any where else; no, that won't be a problem, but as in any part of the world, be a cautious and careful traveller. Especially on the looooong highways (and back roads too). Our country is huge, and often MUCH space in between towns and cities and sites. Heed all the earlier advice on here about precautions for car trips. If you decide to visit Seattle on your fantastic journey, I'd be happy to give you other information.

lansel

Have you given thought to taking any portion of your trip by train? Under Special Offers at Amtrak's website, www.amtrak.com, check out the North American Rail Pass and the Fall Amtrak Explore America. I've never used either, but it may break up some of your driving. Good Luck.

Steve

Don't worry about Georgia too much. I lived in Douglas, Ga (pop 12,000) for four months. Now I'm not black and I'm not white so sometimes when I'd pull up next to a pickup truck, I did get stares like, "Where in tarnations is you from?" But for the most part, I found that people in GA are extremely friendly and comforting. It is not uncommon for total strangers to wave to you as you're passing by. I think many Southerners may not buy into the total political correctness movement but they regret much of the past history of racial violence and inequality. I had no problems with race or outsider mentality. Generally, Southerners welcome anyone and the same is true for everywhere except-

-my home state of New Jersey. Be prepared for bad attitudes, bad driving, bad service. Not all places in NJ are like this but if you're prepared for it, it won't shock when it happens.

Neal Sanders

Tony:

First, it's pronounced "Deh-moyne" and, like Tallahassee, it's vastly overrated as a stop on any tour of America. Also, don't believe what you see on TV. Most of those Chicago, New York, and Boston exteriors are filmed in Toronto and Vancouver.

Second, the book Marcia refers to is "Blue Highways" and it is worth reading. Taking the interstate highways across America will provide you an accurate count of the number of Wal-Marts in the United States, but I suspect that is not your goal. Those tertiary roads you'll find in a Rand McNally atlas, the eponymous "blue highways," represent the best of un-urban America. I would be pleased to plot you a course across Florida, Virginia, Maryland, or New York in which you would never encounter a single Home Depot.

Third, to Kathryn Lewark's excellent list of places to see, I would add the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York and the Florida Everglades; two decidedly un-Scottish locales. Your week in Orlando should not be mistaken for a trip to any part of Florida.

Fourth, there is a delicate matter of rest stops. In its zeal to get you from one side of the country to the other if five days, the U.D. Department of Transportation has encouraged states to build fully equipped rest stops at thirty- to fifty-mile intervals on all interstate highways. However, since you don't want to take those interstate highways, Private Enterprise has developed the next best thing... McDonalds. They are spaced roughly five miles apart across this great land, and they offer a uniform quality of clean, public rest room accommodation (and no, you don't have to buy anything).

Fifth, there's a rambling thread elsewhere on this site about best motels for the money. It has a sufficient number of responses to confuse anyone, because all assertions are contradicted by one or more respondents. My lone advice is to avoid Holiday Inns, which are consistently over-priced for anyone on a budget.

Sixth, in one of your responses, you make a disturbing comment that you might be able to see "some of the smaller state in a day." Please don't do this. First, it insults the smaller states but, more important, you'd miss an awful lot of what's good about America. Connecticut is a stunningly beautiful state with quaint towns (Litchfield, Stonington, Woodstock, Stoors) and wonderful vistas. It's like saying you "saw" Holyrood Castle by driving around its base.

Finally, check out an article titled "A Nation of Friends" in Sunday's Washington Post (washingtonpost.com) for a preview of what you might expect while visiting the United States.

Whether you do the trip in small bites, as a number of people have wisely suggested, or all in one fell swoop, enjoy. Talk to the natives. Eat local food. And keep us posted.

Tony Hughes

ok, ok . . . I don't want to be called Mr Pessimistic but from most of your replies reckon I can't make it OR if I do attempt it then I will be missing out on a lot. SO is there any part of the U.S.A I should look at in depth and keep other parts until later ?

Randy Malpaso

Holy moly, Tony You gonna stir up a bayou full of angry 'gators as we say here in Louisiana !!
The South has to be the best, we are the friendliest people in the Nation.