Just remember, drive on the right side of the road, obey speed limits, and don’t push it until you’re too tired. Driving 8 hours a day for someone not used to it is very tiring. Try to stay on the interstates as much as possible and you’ll be fine,
I’m just now on break from work and was very surprised to see so many responses - thank yall! This is helpful.
Few points to answer some of the replies
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I have a 2008 Mazda with around 110k miles and will have a mechanic (one my family trusts) check on it before I leave. I’ve never changed a tire (my dad explained it to me and walked me through it when I was younger, but I never had a need to) , so I’ll make sure I’m comfortable with that before I leave.
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Road trip is better because I’m not taking a car to Boston (for college because public transit) and would have some trouble selling my car here (moderate dent/scratch on the back would mean I’d need a good bit of time and effort to get a good price), so my parents want to take my car (offered to buy me one again if I need it, in exchange) and commercial car transport is expensive.
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I don’t see my parents as helicopter parents, and I think I’m making a decently objective judgement on that. They don’t expect me to call them often, they were fine with my decision to stay in Louisiana to work when they left, etc. Their hesitation is because they are cautious with road trips themselves - neither of my parents have never taken a road trip alone, they always take someone else as a precaution. My girlfriends mother, on the other hand, may fit the helicopter description.
Thanks again!
Plus, you may qualify for a free in-flight movie on a five inch screen while crammed asshole to elbow in a small tubular fuselage with a could hundred other people carrying a wide array of contagious diseases and sannoying small children. And if you have a layover in Las Vegas you can enjoy the wait by relaxing to the continuous cocaphany of buzzers, bells, and flashing lights. Wouldn’t that be much better than a scenic tour of the Western half of the continent?
Stranger
If the OP wants to drive, more power to him. But personally, I would be more interested in getting to where I’m going. (Especially in this case as he’s going to see family.)
Public transportation is great in Boston, but having lived there, I know it’s not that hard to find a place to park. I would want my car to go up to Maine, or out to the Cape. YMMV.
Definitely appreciate the insight, but I’ve talked to a few dozen people who’ve helped me make the decision to not take my car to school. What got me is not the parking, but the long-term parking. I’ll be living on campus for at least the first year, and overnight parking is hella expensive - a little over a thousand per semester, if I remember correctly
Oh, and:
I noticed I never fully answered this question.
I have very little knowledge of how cars work. I can fill the wiper fluid, change the light bulbs, and operate the car. It’s the one that I bought two years ago, a few months after I finished getting my license.
With that said, it’s a very common car, and has not had any major problems. Further, I broke down with my family in the middle of Arizona desert a couple summers ago (odyssey van with 180kish miles), so I have some idea of what to do if I do break down.
Sounds OK if it has been regularly maintained and has never had any major repairs. I’m shopping for something like this for my daughter right now! Mazda is common enough and and not too expensive or exotic to fix. Have fun!
I would also say - HAVE A PLAN! - make a list of major attractions of interest along the way so you can choose whether you stop or not.
Same thought here. And in addition to the various safety suggestions others have made, throw a blaze orange or yellow safety vest in the car somewhere.
Just a suggestion: Join AAA (~$75/year) for the road service. You probably won’t need it, but when you need it, you need it real bad.
Apologies, in advance, for the wet blanket:
Forego the alcohol; don’t even have it in the car–not even the trunk, it’s a hassle you don’t need.
ETA: Yes to AAA.
I used Roadtrippers when I drove from Sacramento to Boston. I did the drive in four days. The worst was from Salt Lake City to Lincoln, Nebraska. The drive was boring (past Wyoming) and it was a long day. Overall, I’m glad I did it. I always wanted to drive across country.
Some people are saying you’ve estimated too much time. Yes and no. You could get to your destination sooner, that’s for sure, but I wish I had just a few more days traveling time so I could see more. Like, I spent a few hours at Gettysburg, but I wish I could have spent an entire day.
I had all of my hotels reserved already. I did it for two reasons. 1: I like having a determined stop point. 2: I’m a chronic worrier, so I liked the idea of not having to find a place. It’s already paid for. I just need to go and sign in.
Have fun!
Better World actually offers as good or better coverage and service in most respects for the money, is more politically responsible, and apparently has better deals with many major tow truck franchises. Also, their website, while basic, actually works. AAA keeps trying to route me to a region-specific site that crashes. AAA is also a network of different organizations that don’t always provide reciprical coverage across regions; BW is a single nationwide entity. The only advantage I can see with AAA is that many hotel chains offer small discounts for AAA membership, but you can usually get the same discount through other professional and student organizations or via online deals.
To the o.p., if you do go up through Yellowstone and Grand Tetons (highly recommended), just to the west past Idaho Falls is EBR-1, the world’s first electricity-producing nuclear power plant. It is now a museum and has a very interesting tour if you are interested in technology. Just beyond that is the Craters On The Moon National Monument, which is the largest exposed lava flow in the United States. It’s not the most beautiful thing you’ll see on the trip but it is well worth visiting as you are passing through.
Stranger
I second what dan1500 brought up.
Might want to recheck on the different state/hotel policies for minimum age to rent a room.
You don’t have to go alone.
There are plenty of travel companion sites.
When I first saw dan’s reply, I googled minimum hotel ages and was linked to a reddit discussion that mostly had replies with anecdotal evidence from people who never had any trouble getting hotel rooms between 18 and 21.
Looking a bit further, it seems like you and dan do bring up a valid point - some upscale hotels (especially ones major party destinations like vegas) do require guests to be above 21 because of their mini-bars.
That doesn’t seem like the norm, however, and a few sources even tell me that those rules are not often enforced for guests who have a major credit card (my visa is in my name) or pay in cash (I will carry a couple thousand in a safe in the back of the car).
Good summary: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/minimum-age-requirement-renting-hotel-rooms-61923.html
My tip for traveling across country:
Whenever you cross a state line, stop in at the government information center that will usually be nearby. They will generally have a stack of those free motel discount books. You can use that to check out motel rates for your route and plan where you want to spend the night.
If you don’t see a information center, look for a Denny’s. They usually stock those same books next to their front entrance.
Always pick up two copies of these books. Use one for the trip out. Put the other ones in a bag so you’ll have them ready for the drive back.
What is with this general concern, verging on fear, of taking a road trip by one’s self? I’ve been doing this since I’ve been able to drive and have never had a problem more significant than a broken fan belt or flat tire. It would be difficult to find some location in the US on a major highway that is more than half an hour from auto, police, and medical assistance, and for the route the o.p. will likely be taking the most remote and least travelled areas are likely to be Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, or Texas. There are whole swaths of the country that you’ll never have an opportunity to see except via road trip, and a 6 to 8 hour per day schedule at 2 hour intervals is in no way challenging to anyone who is a competent driver in reasonable health. I’ve done 12 hour speed runs across the length of California and don’t regard that as being especially stressing or dangerous (once I get past the Grapevine and the shitty section of I-5 to the north until you get to the Hwy 99 junction) and I have to say that traveling alone reduces the interminable discussion about whether and where to stop considerably.
This isn’t like singlehanding a sloop around the Horn or traversing the Triple Divide during mid-winter. In fact, it’s about the least challenging travel adventure a single person can do short of just sitting in the bathtub and sailing plastic boats around bubblebath islands. It’s really not a big deal, and if some breakdown or inclement weather does occur, it will give the o.p. confidence to discover that he can resolve it either through his own ingenuity or by the assistance of others.
On renting a hotel room, I never had a problem as a pre-21, but I usually stayed in independent roadside motels, most of which no longer exist. Still, I doubt it will be an issue except at high end resorts, and given the route the o.p. could also choose to carry a tent and bag and stay in campsites along the way at which I’ve never had anyone check ID or enforce any kind of age restriction even if it existed.
Stranger
I’d think twice about carrying much cash. Better to have it in a bank and use a debit card or credit card. There are areas of the country where the police, rather than protect you from the highway bandits, are the highway bandits. They can smell the scent of money wafting from your car, and will consider it prima facie evidence that you are obviously dealing drugs, giving them all the pretext they need to steal all the money and maybe your car too.
I think a lot of motels you have to be at least 21 but I’m not positive. I’m seriously jealous I would love to drive cross country right now. Bring a can of fix-a-flat. Changing a tire is pretty intuitive just make sure to remember to loosen the lug nuts before you jack the car up, hand tighten them before you let the jack down and then fully tighten them when the tire is back in contact with the ground otherwise it will just spin around aimlessly.
Which will then give you the opportunity to invite your cousin Louie, a newly barred night school educated lawyer and former HVAC repairman, down from Brooklyn to represent you in court, leading to all manner of amusing hijinks and cultural misunderstandings. Trust me on this.
Stranger