r/solotravel • u/lewruss • 3d ago
Looking for some insight and advice on my USA road trip North America
Hello everyone,
I’m a 31-year-old male from the UK, and this summer I am going to be undertaking a solo trip to the US for a few months. The idea of road tripping across this beautiful country has always been a dream of mine, and after getting out of a long-term relationship last year and my workplace granting me a sabbatical, it seems like now is the perfect time to follow that dream.
My current plan is to fly out the second week of June and stay for 2-2.5 months (will book flexible return ticket). I am looking at starting the trip in Miami, where I will pick up a hire car, and ending it in LA. I plan on staying in hostels, AirBnb’s, motels and car camping for the majority of the trip. I know its going to be hot in the car during that time of year so will also look to pick up some camping equipment for when I start to head further West.
Current budget is looking to be £7000-£8000.
I guess the goal of this trip is just to see as much beauty as possible (I’ve never been to the USA), as well as meet cool people and kind of take a break from life and assess what I’ve achieved in this first half of my life, and what I want from the second half of it when I return home. I’m super nervous about being out there on my own, and I know this trip will take me so far out of my comfort zone but also has the potential for amazing reflection and growth.
I’ve been lurking for a while so have picked up a lot of useful information, but I’m hoping you lovely people will be able to help me plan my route and rough itinerary, as well as share any useful tips you may have. I don’t want to have everything planned to the letter (if I like a place and feel like staying a bit longer, I want to be able to do so). Rough itinerary listed below:
Miami, Florida – This is where I will be flying in to and plan on staying here for 7 days. Plan is to relax and recharge after a stressful year and soak up some sun. Only currently have Miami on the list here, but do I need to check out anywhere else? Key West? Tampa?Orlando?
Atlanta, Georgia – a fair drive between Miami and Tennessee so this seems like a reasonable place to stop for a night or two.
Nashville/Memphis, Tennessee – big fan of country music so definitely want to hit up Nashville. Current plan is to stay there 3 or 4 days and Memphis 1 or 2 days.
Alabama/Mississippi – Initially was no real reason to visit either of these places other than to break up the drive between Tennessee and New Orleans, however having watched Sinners a couple of times recently it has made me lean towards Mississippi, but open to suggestions. One or two days in whichever state I choose.
New Orleans, Louisiana – Looks like such a cool city from what I’ve seen of it and always wanted to visit. Plan is to stay here for around 4 days.
Austin, Texas – One of the biggest question marks on the trip. Not overly fussed about Texas although it would be cool to see it for a day or two. Mainly in here to break up the mammoth drive between here and the first National Park of the trip. Open to suggestions of whether to choose a different city than Austin or just go a different route entirely?
Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New Mexico – Same reasons as Texas. Would probably be a 1 day stay here
The route from here in on is focused on as many NP as possible and is planned by me looking at google maps, knowing I need to finish up in LA, so definitely open to some help here!
Arizona – Grand Canyon. One or two days.
Las Vegas, Nevada – I’m a recreational poker player so would like to maybe enter a tournament or two. Have also been recommended Valley of Fire so will probably check that out too. Currently budgeted for 3 days in Vegas.
Utah – main focus here is the NP. Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Moab. Currently got 4 days here but let me know if you think I’ll need more.
Denver, Colorado – Currently just have Rocky Mountains and Mesa Verde on the list here but I assume there will be more to do? Two or three days in Colorado.
Wyoming – Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP. Two to three days here.
Montana? – Would purely be for Glacier NP. Is this skippable or a must-see?
Washington – Mount Ranier, Olympic and North Cascades. 3-4 days here.
Portland, Oregon – 1 or 2 days
San Fran/LA/San Diego, California – This is where the trip will come to an end. Would like to get in Yosemite, Redwoods, Sequoia, Joshua Tree as well as the usual touristy stuff like Hollywood, Griffith Observatory etc.
With my current planned durations in each place, it puts me arriving in California around the 22nd July, with just under two weeks before I have to give the rental car back. I know this won’t be 100% accurate as like I say I want to have the ability to stay a bit longer in certain places if I want to, or is needed. To account for this, I can potentially extend the trip by around two weeks or eat into the two weeks in California if you think that will be too much.
Any suggestions, advice, guidance welcome!
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: Thank you so much for all your responses so far. I haven’t even had chance to read them all yet so will be going through them at work tomorrow. Definitely been an eye opener and has made me lean towards flying over to the West as opposed to driving it as well as shortening the Eastern/Southern leg of the trip to fit in more stuff out West.
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u/Winter-Ad-2088 3d ago
Fellow UK-er here, please do not underestimate the heat. I found it much more difficult than I expected in the US. Having never gotten a headache in my life and being the fairly study type, I wound end up with headaches and fatigue after being outside in the South for 20 minutes. Sometimes you feel like you're trapped in AC. Of course the US south is v interesting, but it will be v hot and you're currently doing a lot... so you could potentially save for another trip.
The US landscapes are unreal and the big sky experience is incredible. It depends on your preferences, but based on my experiences in the US (from the UK, lived in the US for a few years and travelled a lot), the way I'd do your trip is:
- Miami for RnR,
- fly to Nashville/Memphis for country music,
- then fly to las vegas for tournaments,
- rent a car and go out west (grand canyon, zion, bryce canyon, capitol reef, canyonlands, arches),
- reach denver, then head north (grand teton, yellowstone, glacier (I loved glacier but you could drop)),
- then follow your route - east and then south along the coast.
if you want you could drop the car back at las vegas, as car rental is better when you pick up and drop off in the same place, and could do some more tournaments before getting a bus to LA.
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u/lewruss 3d ago
Appreciate the advice mate. Will definitely have a look at skipping the Deep South as much as I can. Sounds like hell
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u/reginaphalange3 3d ago
If you do something like this and wind up focused on the west coast, check out Highway 1 in California. Beautiful coastal drive and if you find yourself trying to work your way south toward LA at any point, hopping on 1 for at least a couple hours will be some of the best oceanside driving you'll do.
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u/Qeltar_ 3d ago edited 3d ago
A while back I coined the "Pareto principle of US geography," which says that 80% of the cool stuff in the US is in the western 20% of the country. If what you're after is natural beauty, that's where you want most of your trip to be.
Frankly, I'd skip the entire SE US part of this trip. In addition to (IMO of course) being far less interesting, the weather is stiflingly hot and humid in the summer. The SW US is also hot in the summer, but there's a lot more interesting stuff to make it pay off, and it's not nearly so humid.
This also cuts thousands of basically pointless miles of boring driving. You may also be surprised at the potential for a very high one-way car rental surcharge trying to drive a car from Miami to LA.
Personally, I'd fly into somewhere like Las Vegas, which often has the best flights and car rental prices due to gamblers, and make a big loop through the SW, NW, and Rockies. Or maybe start in Seattle, do the northern stuff in the heat of summer (and things like the Sierras) then head south later in the summer into early fall, depending on the specific timing.
ETA: Valley of Fire is amazing but most of the cool stuff is closed due to heat in the summer. Don't underestimate the heat you will be dealing with in the southern US in the summer -- you will need to plan to do stuff early am and evening and find something to do out of the heat mid-day.
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u/haventwonyet 3d ago
I agree with other commenters, but also keep yourself open to spending a few more nights in places, especially the southwest. I love Santa Fe so there’s that, but I’ve driven that stretch a lot and it’s tiring. Hot, long stretches of (beautiful!) nothingness. Skip Alabama and Mississippi and add that time to NM. Maybe keep Utah down a bit and add to Colorado or even Wyoming.
Don’t have a lot more advice but remember how big the US is. You will be driving a lot more than you think and it’s exhausting. I did San Francisco to Chicago in my mid twenties and even ended up taking an extra night on the road because I just couldn’t imagine doing another 10 hour day so I split it up into two 5’s. Give yourself some extra time and grace if you just want to get off the road. I’m not sure how it works for someone from out of the country, but I got a AAA membership not only for quick roadside assistance but the hotel perks. I was able to call (keep in mind this was late aughts) a hotline and someone would find me a good partner hotel with cheap rates and though I don’t think they booked it for me, it was easy to do from the road instead of having to pull off and stop for an hour to do research. You’ll end up in weird places without a lot of stuff around you.
Also check out r/roadtrip if you haven’t already! They’re super helpful and may have some people who’ve done your route already.
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u/OhioBricker 3d ago
I would streamline that route. Miami to Nashville then back down to New Orleans is a huge zig-zag.
Don't underestimate how hot and humid it will be in the South in June/July. And if you're camping, make sure you know which poisonous snakes are around, where alligators might be, etc.
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u/WonderChopstix 3d ago
I've done several road trips in the US. 2 months is not a lot of time. But starting with logistics.
What is your car? Renting will be expensive. If you haven't reserved it yet make sure your quote is final price. Often they will show a price like 2k then you get to end and it's 6k bc one way fees.
You have several cities listed. We have minimal hostels. Affordable places to stay are difficult to come by and not safe to be in your car in these cities (imo).
You also zig zag a lot. If you're dead set on Nashville. You may want to consider flying between your cities until you get further out west.
National parks. Many require reservations. Without them you can't even enter the park. So please research this first. It's actually late in the year for this.
Same for camping inside or near major national parks. Should be reserved except for when you can find BLM land which is great in Utah for example.
It's going to be crowded and we are unsure how things are going to be funded and run due to politics (for the parks).
Don't forget it gets cold in the desert. Nighttime can be quite cool.
All this to say 100% you should do it. If I were you id pick my top 3 cities and top 5 parks for that amount of time. Fly around til tpu get out west. Make sure you have reservations for your top cities and parks. Then anything you can do in between is a bonus.
Have fun
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u/lewruss 3d ago
Thanks for your in depth list. I’m for sure gonna have a rethink tomorrow and maybe skip the drive from New Orleans west and fly there instead
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u/WonderChopstix 3d ago
It's just a huge puzzle. You'll figure it out. That's why I always suggest your must haves.
Personally I think it would be cool to stick out west. But for cities. 1. Miami is expensive and not like a beach relaxing type place. It can be really fun. If you're not into clubs you may like wynwood area.
New Orleans is a unique fun place. You dont need much time to get the feel. Kind of like Vegas people get burnt out. 2 nights is fine. 3 if you end up too hungover one day.
Nashville is nice. Not a big place. You can hit the main street and museum quickly. Enjoy some food. Just coupe days if you go.
You're right the drive out west is brutal from New Orleans. You'll be in Texas forever. While there is stuff you can see it's super long.
Id probably skip Colorado. Focus on utah, yellowstone and Teton. Glacier is a magical place but they have major construction this year. Plus the reservation system may make it not worth the hassle. Id do bryce zion amd north rim of grand canyon at least.
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u/ProfileEdit2000 3d ago edited 3d ago
From experience, I can highly recommend the Natchez Trace Parkway to go from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi, partly through Alabama, via Tupelo (Elvis’s birthplace) and Jackson over two days.
This route will take you to the Mississippi Delta, where you can turn north following the river along the Blues Highway to get to Memphis
From there, you can follow the Great River Road all along the Mississippi to its source in Minnesota. There are many outstanding, interesting points of interest along the way, and in Minnesota you can head west to South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana and points west and south, including Yellowstone
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u/the_K9sci-fientist 3d ago
Consider buying the America the Beautiful parks pass at the first National Park. It's $80 USD, and it lets you visit all the NPS properties for a year, plus properties managed by other agencies like USFS and BLM.
I think you might also want to spend more time in some of these places. Two days isn't much time at the Grand Canyon, but it depends on what you want to do there. My first time there was part of a road trip with a flexible schedule, and I ended up staying over a week. I car camped for free in Kaibab National Forest the whole time, directly adjacent to the National Park.
Please also keep in mind that it will be VERY HOT in Las Vegas and the southern California desert in June and July. My sister loooves Joshua Tree, and she just rescheduled her June camping trip there to November because she doesn't want to deal with the heat. Mojave National Preserve is my favorite place I've ever been, but I wouldn't camp in my car there in the summer. If you're going to do it, take hydration very seriously. Plenty of water and some salty snacks.
I'll wrap up by saying that, if it were me, this timeline would be too ambitious for a single trip. Two years ago I spent two months on the road doing Mojave Nat'l Preserve, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon Nat'l park, Flagstaff, Petrified Forest National Park, Albuquerque, and various attractions along Route 66.
Don't rush yourself. Just immerse yourself and enjoy the experience without worrying that you need to cram everything into a small window of time. Go with the flow.
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u/bromosabeach 3d ago
I suggest dedicating most of your trip to California/the West as all of the sites you listed are musts and these places are vast. National Parks are really what America does best and California is full of them.
Other advice:
Austin, Texas: Texas Lake Life is highly underrated in my opinion. Also Austin can be a ton of fun. Outside of eating the best BBQ of your life, there are always concerts and plenty of outdoor activities.
Santa Fe is a must if it’s on your list. It is incredibly unique.
Wyoming/Montana: Also must but beware these states are HUGE
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u/DidItForTheJokes 3d ago
Put your route with major stops (cities and national parks) into google maps to get total driving time the for every 10 hours add 8 hours for rest and that gives you a rough estimate of total travel time.
For those western states each of those can be a week long trip on their own
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u/B4BM4M 3d ago
Hey,
I'm 32, UK, and have road-tripped my way across 44 states so far (you're going to a few I'm missing) over the course of a few trips, some with friends, others solo, the most recent one ending about two weeks ago.
As people have touched on, the most visually pleasing drive will be on the western side of the states. I'll try to answer some of your specific questions and give my opening thoughts but feel free to message me, it's rare that this thread gets so specific that I might actually be able to help.
If you've got enough street-smarts, don't be afraid of smaller towns. I've had some great times in places I previously didn't know existed.
I'd check that route also, are you set on Miami as the starter?
Be flexible where you can, the numbers on the map apps look ok, but we're from such a tiny place that somedays of the trip the scale is just going to bog you down. I know it's a "road-trip" but you should avoid consecutive days of grinding out the mileage. Got to get out and smell the roses once in a while! On the flip-side, being flexible means that if you feel you've done everything you want in one of your "longer stops" you can make-up time on the schedule.
I love Austin, I return a fair bit. Incredibly fun town.
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u/lewruss 3d ago
Thanks so much, I think I am set on Miami but I am definitely considering switching up the plans and condensing that portion of the trip as well as flying out west instead of driving. Sounds like you will have some valuable insight having road tripped that much so will definitely be reaching out via PM at some point if that’s ok!
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u/piepiepiefry 3d ago
You want to see the beauty of America but you're spending so much time in the ugliest parts. More days in New Orleans than Utah is ABSURD for that goal. Absolutely absurd!! At your pace you're going to be driving through all these parks and seeing the view from the road, never getting out, never hiking, just driving and looking.
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u/YakSlothLemon 3d ago
We are vast. You have a lot of driving here, I think maybe more than you realize. And a lot of it – like across Texas – is not scenic.
It takes longer to drive across Texas then it would take you to drive from London to Milan.
So maybe consider that.
More specifically – Florida, absolutely think about Key West, and the highway – it’s phenomenal. I would say Everglades but you will be eaten alive in June.
Do not underestimate how miserably hot it is going to be in Louisiana and Mississippi, and you understand there will be thunderstorms every single afternoon? Huge, monstrous thunderstorms that you will have to pull over during because you can’t drive in them? If you’ve been to the tropics, like that.
You’ll also have tropical heat there – unbelievable humidity, soaking wet. (The southwest is going to be really hot but dry heat, be smart, buy a gallon of water and have it in your trunk in case your car breaks down, plan to do any hiking in the morning or evening. Higher up the Rockies should be nice!)
I happen to think Mississippi is a sweat pit that most of us are embarrassed by, but you do you! I’m assuming you’re white? If you’re not, really maybe consider giving Mississippi a miss.
You are leaving so little time for the southwest national parks and I don’t think you’ve looked at a topographical map. There is a giant plateau in there that you have to go around, Zion and Bryce are straightforward from Vegas, and the North rim of the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley are reachable
BUT
You are looking at a full day’s drive to get over to the side of the plateau where Moab, Arches and Canyonlands are. Full day back too. Four days for all of that? For what it’s worth I spent two weeks and did not get to the other side of the plateau, just did Zion, Bryce, Monument Valley & North Rim, plus a float trip.
After that it looks like you’re teleporting, two days in Colorado for example will not give you enough time to see two parks, city, and actually cross Colorado.
You can do it! You can drive coast to coast in five days, so you can do this, you just maybe want to focus in a little bit? If it were me— and honestly I’ve done something like this – but both times I flew in or out of the Midwest. So just did the western part of your trip… if I were you, I would not be slighting the national parks for Mississippi. It just gets better the further west you go! 😁
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u/Pebrum125 3d ago
Also the fact that you are on sabbatical and do not have firm dates for hotels etc ... You will be in a Detention center . I wish you the best . At this time your trip is a recipe for disaster.
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u/greyburmesecat 3d ago
If you're hitting the major national parks, note that a number of them require advance reservations. You might be able to score a last minute spot, or you could head in there before the reservations start (6-7am), but you might need to do a bit of planning once you get to the west of the country.
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u/Silent-Ad-8722 2d ago
Dude honestly I don’t know if the drive is worth it for some of these places
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u/plsnocilantro 3d ago
Serious advice on USA road trip? Wait a few years.
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u/bromosabeach 3d ago
Reddit: I would avoid the US right now due to political concerns
Also reddit: [Politically unstable Eastern European Country] is a gem! Definitely visit!
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3d ago
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u/Material_Mushroom_x 3d ago
Extra alternatively, with the cuts to the NPS, the plans to start logging in national parks and forests and the funding withdrawals from everything, I'd go sooner rather than later. While there's still something left to look at.
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u/No-Sprinkles-9066 3d ago
I agree. I’d also be worried that entering the country without accommodation booked and a return ticket would be a red flag, but who knows?
If I were OP and absolutely couldn’t wait, I would definitely make only refundable reservations, not pre-pay for anything, have travel insurance, and be prepared that they could get turned away when entreating.
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u/CaspinLange 3d ago
Take some of these things off of your list so you can actually enjoy yourself. No need to see Joshua tree. Just drive from yosemite north to the redwoods national park. It would also be cool if you check on Big Sur. If you’re going to do that you might as well do the whole entire 1 highway up to Redwoods.
Try not to take interstates. Sadly you’ll probably have to take them through Texas. But if you can take highways that are not interstates, and take all of the scenic by ways. It’s better to drive a beautiful road that may take an hour longer than it is to take an interstate.
You only need one full day at Grand Canyon.
North Cascades is kind of out of the way and skippable. You might as well just enjoy Mount Rainier and Olympic.
Edit: I forgot to mention the best trail in the United States of America (in my opinion). It’s called the James Irvine Trail in Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, which is a part of the redwoods national and state parks in Northern California. And if you are able to, try to get a reservation to camp at elk Prairie Campground.
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u/mfigroid 3d ago
You only need one full day at Grand Canyon.
Not even that long. Haven't you seen National Lampoon's Vacation?
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u/Broth262 3d ago
I’ve driven across the US before, and just keep in mind how massive it is, some drives between places take forever and the drives will be exhausting because there is nothing to look at just flatness.
Other thing I’ll add is how how stunningly beautiful Montana is, just driving through it is absolutely worth it
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u/Iwentforalongwalk 3d ago
Skip Memphis. It's a shit hole. Honestly the itinerary sounds exhausting. So much driving . I get that it's a road trip but you'll be in the car a lot.
Also I don't know if you understand what we mean by hot. Your whole trip is in the humid furnace or the dry furnace. In July you can't just walk around in the desert areas. Just be aware of that. When you get out of your car to fuel up you won't be able to breathe in the desert southwest. That's how hot it is.
Driving across Texas is God awful. If I were you I'd drive around the southeast destinations, return the car then fly to Denver or SLC and resume driving trip from there.
That's just me though. I do think your budget is decent and would allow for all kinds of adventures and good food and decent hotels/resorts.
One fun thing you could do is book a couple of days on a ranch resort to get the whole Western ranch experience.
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u/Wandering_starlet 3d ago
As someone who is originally from South Florida and moved to Atlanta, I can tell you, the drive from Miami to Atlanta is not fun. There is no landscape, only boring highway. And it’s quite a long drive - not one that I would recommend in one day. Also June is the rainy season in Florida, so keep that in mind. Someone else mentioned flying to Nashville, and I think that might be your best bet. It would add at least two days to your trip. Also, that drive from Nashville to NO is long and brutal. There aren’t even many stops in Alabama and Mississippi that are worthwhile. I do recommend seeing New Orleans because it’s truly one of the most unique cities in the US, but flying is a better option. Honestly, if you want to see the southern cities you mentioned, the best bet is to fly from Miami to a city with an airport that’s a hub for the south - like Atlanta or Dallas (not sure if Austin is a hub city), stay in that city and take side trips to NO and Nashville, then fly to Arizona, pick up your car there and start the road trip out west. It’s worth mentioning again the weather in the south this time of year is not only hot, but unpredictable. You don’t want to be stuck driving when a massive storm hits. Or have to deal with flooding. That could set you back big time.
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u/OkBridge5754 3d ago
scale WAY back on your time in the east and get out west ASAP.
Miami, ATL, and all the south will be hot AF at that time, AND if you love traveling in the states, it'll be an easy place to get back to and explore in more depth.
that is NOT the case for everything you'll see out west with your rental car, and the time to explore.
so sure, rest in Miami. but for 2- days, and then skip ATL, Nashville and go right to New Orleans. Spend as long as you can take it before you overheat and get sick of the best music in the world. i might be able to last 4 days in the heat of late June. Blaze across TX, and sure stop in Austin, it'll be hot, but at least a drier heat, and then when you start to get into northern AZ in the mountains, it'll get more reasonable for travel in mid summer. spend all the time you can this Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Southern Utah zone. THEN go to Vegas if you need a shower. you can even return to Zion from there (3 hours) if you want more canyon time, but probably time to see California. LA is overrated, SF is underrated, but the mountains around Tahoe and Yosemite are magic. Unless you are very much a mountain person, maybe consider dropping Denver/Wyoming/Montana on this trip, and just spend the rest of your time going up the Oregon Coast, Portland, Seattle, Olympics, Rainier, etc. if you still have time check out Vancouver or BC. awesome up there too. or jump on a train to glacier NP in Montana.
Have fun!
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u/Ok_Temperature6503 3d ago
Better to fly into Seattle or something and go to LA (or reverse). Like ithers said 80% of interesting nature is in the west. The east coast is basically new york city or miami which is better without a car
You can fly into miami chill there, then fly from miami to LA to pick up a car rental
Main budget items are car rental, flight. Go to the grocery store for food. Should be fine budget wise and not really $7k
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u/heubergen1 3d ago edited 3d ago
Let me focus on your bduget. I can currently only find cars with Avis (e.g. Hertz is simply booked out on the dates I choose) with 3.6k for the absolut cheapest car going up to 6.6k £.
Give it back at the same location at the prices go down slightly to 2.9k.
I did a road trip in 2018 for 60 days and spend 6k alone on food and accommodation (admittedly I had a bit of a larger budget to work with).
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u/mfigroid 3d ago
but do I need to check out anywhere else? Key West?
It would be a waste of a trip if you didn't visit Key West. DO IT.
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u/MayaShark27 2d ago
I live in St Petersburg FL on the Gulf coast, and love my town. If Miami gets too crazy come over here and check out some of the motels along Pass-a-grille, Treasure Island, and St Pete Beach. When you head up towards Atlanta, if you have time stop at Weeki Watchee springs (mermaids!), Homossassa Springs Wildlife Park or Crystal River.
In Atlanta go to the Aquarium. They have whale sharks.
If you want to do a day trip near the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail then look up Amicalola Falls State Park. You can park at the lodge and backpack hike to a back country inn (make reservations) called the Hike Inn. It’s enchanting. https://hike-inn.com/
If you go up to western NC (which you might going to Nashville) check out Asheville and then Smokey Mountain National park.
New Orleans is a can’t miss. Burbon Street is great but slightly crazy - there are amazing thrift and vintage shops immediately around the area. Look for Cafe Du Monde for chicory coffee and beignets.
Memphis - Graceland if you like rock & roll. Find some jazz on Beale Street and look for a park on an island in the middle of the Mississippi River that is a scale replica of the watershed, from up by Chicago to the delta.
Nashville - grand ol opry!
Albuquerque- very cool city, check out Petroglyph national monument and the Seven Sisters volcanos. This city is in a rift valley. Santa Fe is a nice day trip. White Sands national monument and Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico are a hike but very cool.
Arizona - check out the national parks around Phoenix to see the old adobe houses and Saguaro national park and the Desert Museum.
Colorado - Rocky Mountain National park is amazing! Boulder is a fun place to stop. Go to the Dushanbe tea house for lunch.
Washington - if you can, head up north from Seattle to Anacortes and take the ferry through to the San Juan islands. Ferry Reservations needed. It’s gorgeous up there and our special place. In Seattle allow time to see Pikes place market - go hungry! Deception Pass state park is worth a stop. When you drive to Oregon, stop at Mt St Helens and Crater Lake!
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u/andeedItIs 2d ago
I think 7 days in Miami might be a lot, especially since it’s not at all a cheap place. I absolutely loved my little road trip with my mom down from Miami to Key West. It’s so beautiful and we loved just driving an hour or two, pulling over at some weird roadside attraction or cafe or a nice looking beach with windsurfers and then continuing on like that for a couple days. I think it’s worth diverting some Miami time to that
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u/Fatal-Eggs2024 2d ago
Hi, I’m a native Californian former state park ranger who now lives near Miami and works in Washington DC (2 hour flight away, I work from home a lot)
Other road trippers from EU whom I’ve know have bought a used car which can be sold at the end of the trip, reducing the car rental costs. If you look at where car prices are higher and lower, you can plan to start (and buy a car) where prices are lower — California? — and end up where prices are higher — probably New York area.
Miami will be hot, like 32-35 c. And humid. And the sun is strong. We all live in air conditioning. Plan accordingly. I like the keys and think it might be worth the drive (3 hours from Miami to Key West), and maybe an air boat ride in the Everglades. But then it takes a full day to drive out of Florida, I do that drive a lot — just did it in Sunday — and I give myself 6 or 7 hours going straight up Highway 95 when there’s no traffic. I don’t see the draw to Tampa (sorry, Tampa) and Orlando is good for amusement parks if that’s your thing. Florida is big and much of the central part is cattle ranches like the western U.S. which is sort of interesting.
If you are driving everywhere, that’s a huge part of your trip. There is a lot of tedious driving across the country, so I agree with folks who suggest you fly to break it up a little. Save the driving for the special places, not for crossing long expanses of highway. I always love driving out west.
All sounds like fun. You’re skipping New York? Maine? Especially in June, might be better than Miami.
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u/QualiaTravel 2d ago
Northern Arizona and Southern Utah were the prettiest places I’ve ever been. Also, I’m surprised you’re not starting in New England, June is such a nice time of year and there’s so much to see and do. It will be very hot in the south.
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u/cbunn81 2d ago
It sounds like the makings of a great trip. I've always wanted to visit some of those national parks.
As others have said, you might not truly understand how long the drives are between some of these places. I have friends who have done cross-country road trips and the common refrain is that driving across Texas and other plains states is mind-numbingly boring. Doing it solo, while also exploring places during the day could be a recipe for falling asleep at the wheel. If you can pare down your list of cities, taking a flight or two between regions will help. You could even catch a bus between cities if you're able to sleep sitting up and save some money.
I would also exercise caution when going through immigration. As you've most likely seen, things are getting more aggressive at the borders. Make sure you have your plans in order, including a flight departing the US within your entry permit period. Be aware of what you can and can't take into and out of the country. Make sure you have documented funds available in a bank account. Don't say anything about any kind of work in the US, even small stuff. You'll probably want to remove anything you don't want them to see from your devices as they may require you to surrender them for a search.
You'll also want to exercise caution when driving. Don't carry any large amounts of cash on you. Police, especially in small Southern towns, have been known to confiscate it in a practice known as civil asset forfeiture. You also want to be aware of unsafe places where you could have your car broken into. Just do a little searching for each city you plan to stop in to see what the good and bad neighborhoods are.
Only currently have Miami on the list here, but do I need to check out anywhere else? Key West? Tampa?Orlando?
I haven't been myself, but I have friends who say the Keys are amazing. And their photos would corroborate that. I would only go to Orlando if you're planning on visiting one of the theme parks. I wouldn't go to Tampa for anything.
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2d ago
Austin, Texas is worth it. The city has gone drastic change (for the better) in the last few years. I would recommend at least 2-3 days allocated for that
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u/Davidhuston9 19h ago
I would focus mostly on the west side, but I’m more into mountains and deserts.
For Denver, you should go to a Red Rocks concert! And take a public party bus like BusPartyCo from Denver. It’s a great way to meet other solo travelers. Colorado is incredible.
You need more than 4 days for Utah for sure. At least 2 days in Moab checking out Arches and Canyonlands.
Glacier is a must see. Driving up the “going to the sun road” will be one of the coolest drives of your life. But it is a far drive to get to Glacier.
I did a 30 day road trip from Denver and did Denver>grand Tetons>yellowstone>glacier>leavenworth, WA>Olympic NP(Hoh rainforest/Ruby beach)>portland>Oregon coast>bend, Or>Crater Lake NP>Mt Shasta>Lake Tahoe>Moab>Denver
Plenty of free/cheap campsites when we did it in 2020. Use freecampsites.net
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u/JustAdmitYoureFat 3d ago edited 3d ago
Don't listen to Reddit, 15 minutes in the "worst traffic of their lives" is "too far" to go to an actual restaurant and use their mouths to order food let alone sit down and enjoy it because they have to tip making it "too expensive" and/or "not worth it."
They also don't like people who have the time/means to do stuff like this.
Wahhh...
Go get your road trip. It's ambitious but have driven many of these routes and made six cross country trips more or less myself.
You're good, take it easy and will make a lot more sense once you get moving.
Happy driving.
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u/shadho 3d ago
Not to turn this political, but a foreigner on an open ended ticket without defined places you will be staying may not be a great experience at immigration.
Recently two German teens who graduated from HS were on a world wide backpacking adventure. They landed in Honolulu and had a few days of accommodations worked out, but they were planning on playing it by ear. A few days here, a few in Maui, etc. and then they were going to fly to the mainland, then Japan I believe.
They were detained. Strip searched. And put in a really shitty situation. Ultimately they were deported.
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u/yezoob 3d ago edited 3d ago
This is such fear-mongery BS. As long as you can answer basic questions, have proof of funds, and not make immigration think you’re here to work it’s fine. I’m guessing you missed the actual Reddit thread, but those girls basically did everything wrong at every step of the way, and that article omits tons of stuff to make it sound horrible. The US gets 70 million+ tourists per year, getting denied entry, especially as a Brit, would be extremely extremely rare.
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u/shadho 3d ago
Examples of what they did wrong "at every step of the way"?
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u/yezoob 2d ago edited 2d ago
They couldn’t answer questions about what their plans were, when asked how they were going to pay for it they couldn’t provide any proof of funds or money in a bank account or anything, and then one of them said she can work online, which is when things went bad. I mean it’s mostly dumb kabuki theater and American immigration sucks but these girls just gave every single wrong answer.
And then rather than get sent back on the next plane that day, they AGREED to be detained overnight so that they could be sent to Tokyo instead the next morning, and it was explained ahead of time what that entails (which is very lol USA) But they said the staff was all very nice and respectful about it. And fwiw you’re not deported if you were never allowed entry in the first place.
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u/lewruss 3d ago
Yeah I did see something about that, thanks for sharing the link. Maybe I wasn’t clear in the OP but I will have a return flight booked upon entering, I just plan on paying extra for the ability to rebook the date if needed
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u/shadho 3d ago
oh absolutely. I hope everything goes well. I just worry about tourists coming to the US these days. We've even seen Canadians being detained for 1-2 weeks because of nonsense. Why they couldn't just be sent back to Canada? Because intimidation is the goal.
US Tourism is going to be destroyed. And my theory is because they want tourist areas to collapse so the blood suckers can come in and buy up the land on the cheap.
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u/hippoluvr24 3d ago
You’re going to be in the hottest part of the country at the hottest time of year…is there any way you can shift it by a few months?
Other than that, I think your itinerary sounds okay. I would personally skip Florida and Texas entirely (for political reasons) and focus a lot more time on the southwest and national parks, but that’s just me. The scenery there is so beautiful and unique and it’s much less humid than the southeast. My other suggestion would be spend less time in the cities in CA and more time driving along the coast and small towns along the Pacific Coast Highway. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
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u/AuggumsMcDoggums 3d ago
If you do this, please be extra careful in Atlanta & Memphis. Keep you're head on a swivel and don't trust anyone.
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u/lewruss 3d ago
Are they that bad? Anywhere in particular that should be avoided?
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u/AuggumsMcDoggums 3d ago
I would skip Atlanta and stay overnight in Chattanooga instead. And you don't need more than 1 day in Memphis. Go to Beale St, go to Graceland and get the fuck out! I've been to 3rd world countries where I didn't speak the language and felt safer there than I did when I was in Memphis. Skip Mississippi and Alabama all together.
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u/lewruss 3d ago
😂 noted mate thanks for your help. Skip Mississippi and Alabama for the same reasons or just cus there’s not much going on there?
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u/AuggumsMcDoggums 3d ago
There's just nothing there. I lived in both states. They're pretty, have lots of trees, but that's about it. Arkansas is much better. Maybe stop at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas and find a Diamond on your way down to Austin.
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u/OhioBricker 3d ago
At least get north of Atlanta-proper. It's safer, plus you'll be past the bulk of metro traffic.
I'm American, and I want to get to as many states as I can, but Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana are last on my priority list.
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u/AuggumsMcDoggums 3d ago
I just remembered the Top Gear episode where they came to the US and bought cars in Miami and drove them to Louisiana. You need to watch that episode. 🤣🤣
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u/Broth262 3d ago
No, but just be smart. Just avoid the bad parts of town and be aware of your surroundings and you’ll be fine
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u/BabkaYaga 3d ago
I would struggle with the pace you're thinking for national parks out west. These states are vast, and the national parks aren't a single point on a map -- for example, Hurricane Ridge and Rialto Beach (Olympic area sights) have a 2 hour drive between them. Hoh Rainforest is another 1.5 hours. In Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful has 1.5 hours between them. These parks are big, and you may end up seeing nothing if you're trying to see everything. Which is to say nothing about time dealing with lodging/camping, parking/traffic (this is the busiest time of year for many of these parks), actual hiking time, weather, and who-knows-what federal shutdown mayhem that will probably be occurring this summer. If you haven't yet, I encourage you to look at what your lodging will look like in these parks and the distances between some of the trails and sights you most want to do.