Drive across the USA

[stoofur]

I have always wanted to drive across America from the west coast to the east. I live in the UK. Has anybody done it? What advice would you give? How long did it take? Where should I start/finish? Any advice would be welcome.

[VHG]

I did a search for "driving across america" and "driving across USA" and found quite a few sites giving hep and advice.

Here are some as an example:

http://www.helium.com...-drive-across-america

http://www.lookingfor.../xcountryroadtrip.htm

http://www.roadtripusa.com/

[KARL]

You may be interested to know that there are people who act as agents for those who want to find someone to ferry their car between points in the USA. One such company can be found on http://www.autodriveawaydc.com/carlist.html and there may well be others. The availability of cars appears to be somewhat seasonal and another drawback is that they require you to deliver the car within a matter of days - you cannot really deviate much from the most direct route or stop off somewhere along the way for any length of time, but you in effect have free car hire. They help you to arrange low cost breakdown insurance but note that in the event of serious repair work you might end up stranded if the owner decides not to have it done promptly - you then resume a holiday entirely under your own steam but at that stage you can simply hire a car as you would otherwise have done. As for straight forward car hire, because US car hire firms charge very high insurance premiums, you might want to take out from www.insurance4carhire.com an independent (and almost certainly a much cheaper option) insurance that covers all your car hire in the US.

[Andyvon]

We spent a month in the US several years ago. We hired a car in Boston then just spent the time exploring New England and eastern Canada from the Atlantic to Niagara Falls. We stopped at hotels and motels every night, then planned the next day that evening after dinner.

We did have an idea of collecting the car in Boston then driving across to San Fransisco where we would leave the car then fly home to the UK. The hire firm (Alamo) pointed out that it would be very expensive to do that. They said the car belonged to their depot in Boston and if we left it at the Alamo depot in San Fransisco we would have to pay for someone to drive the car all the way back. That's why we stayed in the east and returned the car to the same depot in Boston.

Karl points out a possibility, although I don't know anything about that arrangement. All I would say is that renting a car in the regular manner and leaving it on the other side of the continent will be very expensive.

[Andyvon]

I can't spell San Francisco in the post above! Sorry!

[Clanad]

Living here in the U.S., I'm always a little surprised that most visitors from other countries don't have a feel for the distances involved.. for example, drive as straight as possible from Boston to Los Angeles or San Francisco and it's very close to 2,500 miles. Even though the speed limit on most of the Interstate Highway system (and it's extensive) is at least 70 mph and often 75 mph and you can see it takes a lot of time without considering stopping to see the Grand Canyon, Pikes Peak, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam and on and on just to drive it.. Best, in my opinion, to do what even us natives do and that's to pick a part of the country you'd really like to see and using a central location, check out the area very closely. You'll find, even compared to the extensive ancient history available in Britain (for example) there an awful lot to see and do (and some of it's quite awful)... Welcome to the U.S., by they way!

[gingejbee]

Unless you're being paid to make a TV series, don't do it! Clanad makes some very pertinent points and concentrating on an area will be more relaxing and more rewarding. Did it some time ago around California - excellent holiday.

[Andyvon]

You are right Clanad. We realised after a while that we were lucky we hadn't decided to drive across the country. We covered 3500 miles and had a wonderful time. I remember staying overnight in a small motel in Marieville, Ontario and we were chatting with the owners. I mentioned that we were planning to travel west to Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto and then re-enter the US at Niagara Falls. I then mentioned that we were thinking of driving north for a day to see Hudson's Bay! The looks on their faces were a picture! They said it would take a week to get there and back without seeing anything! Did I feel a chump!

Mind you, it works the other way. I used to be a chauffeur in the UK and I often collected business people from the US at Heathrow. I remember taking one businessman back to the airport and we were chatting about his flight to Philadelphia and time it took. He then asked me how long it would take to drive next time he came to the UK! I thought he was joking - but he wasn't! When I said there was a whole ocean between the US and UK he said he knew but he thought there must be a way around! He had the idea of driving and staying in motels and wondered whether that would be cheaper than flying! He seemed a bit puzzled when I said he just couldn't do that. I didn't quite know what else to say.

That's a perfectly true story.

[jno]

I've been on lots of driving holidays in the USA, but to go right across the continent on Route 66 (or whatever) would take a lot of time, though I have no doubt the experience would be amazing.

2-3 weeks will (based on my experience) give you a good trip around New England, or California, or the Rockies/Utah, or the Carolinas, or Arizona/New Mexico

[fredpuli47]

True, Clanad ! The whole length of Britain, Land's End to John o'Groats, is only about 870 miles (a journey which passes as metaphor here for a very long distance) and crossing Britain is less than 300. California alone is 770 miles long and doesn't look much on a map! I drove the whole of that, the driving time was about 16 hours, but we took a month over it because there was so much to see, and nearly all of that was not in any guidebook you'd buy in Britain, or possibly anywhere. But I may be the only tourist who has visited Lompoc on purpose. (Turns out that they grow sweet peas there, and the fields were a mass of colour, but we never knew that. We just went because W C Fields joked about it in a film !) And that's really the point. The country is full of surprises like that .

[jno]

I've got a friend who spent two weeks just touring battle sites where George Washington had lost.

[sitges]

You can actually drive from the west coast to the east coast in about 5 days, but you would not see much and you would have to cover 500 miles a day. Most of the answers are correct in that you are better off picking an area of the US that you really want to see and cover that area thoroughly. I think all of Europe, or at least Central Europe more then fits inside the US borders. We have a lot to offer in scenery and most of that takes you off the main roads.

[cc1]

We've done alot of long trips in the US and we looked at driving East to West across a Southern route but looking at it realistically it wasn't the distance that put us off, we usually rack up 3000+ miles, it was the sheer mediocrity in the middle. Talking to Americans, they were amazed we even considered it!
The trouble with the USA is the size, Yellowstone is bigger that Norfolk, and whilst the Americans consider size equals quality, it can be a pain to drive across hundreds of miles of nothingness to get to the next place you want to see.
For sheer tedium, the road from the I40 south through New Mexico towards Roswell has to be experienced. Snooker table flat, straight as an arrow to the horizon and 120 miles long.
Still, love the place, got the maps put already!

[stoofur]

Thank you all for your answers. I think maybe it would be best to look at an area and stick to that area. It is funny when you look at a map and think "I could drive that" but I am thinking from a UK point of view where you can drive the length of the country in a day. I don't fancy doing a UK length drive for several days.

Ok a modification of the question. What area of the US would you suggest I visit? I am approaching 40 and I am not really interested in Disney etc. I'd love to see stuff like the Grand Canyon as we have nothing like that in the UK.

Thanks again everyone for your input.

[cc1]

Depends how long you have, obviously, but if you want to see the Grand Canyon, and nothing has ever taken my breath away like that, there are other National Parks, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Canyon de Chelly, there's then Monument Valley in Utah and the Mesa Verde in Colorado, which is fabulous and further north, Arches NP in Utah. I think you would need 3 weeks to do all of these, there are some long distances involved, but designate "driving days".
You can also get down to Las Vegas and given time, further west into Yosemite NP.
A lot of the parks close entirely or in part from around November until even mid May, check on the National Parks website, it's very helpful.

[storthman]

We had the most amazing holiday 2 years ago (May). Hired car in Los Angeles-Palm Springs-Lake Havasu-Grand Canyon-Monument Valley-Bryce Canyon-Zion Canyon-Las Vegas-Sequoia National Park-Yosemite-San Francisco-Big Sur-Los Angeles. Three weeks, never more than c.150 miles a day, 2 or 3 night stops at least three times. Fantastic ! Happy to give you further route details.

[alternativeone]

The drive across the South West will be the most amazing experience in your life. Relax and enjoy.

[stoofur]

Thanks everyone. Just got to convice my Girlfriend. She lived in Texas for four years and is not too interested.

[alternativeone]

Where was you planning to travel? I went in Sep to Nov ad the weather was perfect.