IME hotels use age limits to keep out grpups of kids looking to rent a room to drink in. If you are obviously an interstate traveler looking to c.f. crash 8 hours then go, they will rent you a room. And if one doesn’t, the next will.
Don’t overplan this. Just get in the car and go. Keep the yellow line to your left and it’ll be fine.
Which rule does this violate?
Is it because I didn’t use a trigger warning?
Nope. You should go for it.
Sure, why not? If your car is in good shape you shouldn’t have a problem. I assume you have iPhone or something similar in case something happens. As far as taking the trip alone, my only advice would be to pay attention to what’s going on around you–and not just when you’re driving. When you’re on the road for hours and hours it’s easy to space out and do stupid things like putting your wallet/phone/keys down and forgetting them somewhere.
I’m not a fan of long, long days on the road. I always try to stop at a roadside attraction or something to break up the day and stretch my legs. Unless your time is really limited a road trip is a lot more fun If you can budget an hour or two every day to be a tourist. YMMV (ha!) of course.
Do you have a credit card? You’ll probably need one to rent a hotel room.
Count me among the people somewhat astounded this is even a question.
The only planning you need to do for this trip is to make sure your car won’t break down and you have enough money to pay for gas, hotels and food. Other than that, throw some clean clothes in the backseat of the car, drive every day until it gets dark, and try to stay pointed in the general direction of the Pacific Northwest.
This is good advice, and I’ve thought this over. If my credit card fails, I’ll need cash. Cash rarely fails. The internet has told me that, as long as I’m carrying less than 10k (5k in some states), I should be safe from 99% of police abuse. I’ll carry around two thousand and leave the other 1% to luck.
Yes. Visa connected with my checking with plenty of money
I’ve been getting a lot of this response in this thread. It has definitely pushed me from borderline to firmly on the side of doing this trip. Thanks for that. My parents will be concerned, but it is my life, after all. Yay road trip.
You might consider bringing along a tent and doing some camping along the way. Much cheaper than a hotel room.
My pet peeve is cars with interference engines. They should be outlawed.
You said your Mazda has 110,000 miles on it. If it has an interference engine and the timing belt has not been changed since the car was built, the engine could turn into a lump of slag.
An interference engine is one in which the intake and exhaust valves descend into the top of the cylinder after the piston has travelled down far enough to give them room. If the timing belt (which, among other things, controls the ascent and descent of the valves) breaks, the piston and valves collide, wrecking the engine as the car screeches to a stop.
This site has a list of some interference engines. Scroll down for Mazda. You have to know your engine’s size (and shouldn’t take the list as gospel, anyway.)
This YouTube video explains what could happen.
This one explains it with animation.
If you don’t have the owner’s manual that probably would state when the belt should be changed (and you don’t know if it has been), phone a Mazda dealership.
You have gotten a lot of good advise. I did the “Take four years off from school & explore America” thing just out of high school. It was a blast & I learned a lot about myself. I also learned about the folks that make up our country, good folks for the most part. I recommend a trip like this to many young folks.
Are you crazy for doing this? No, not for doing this. You may be crazy for other reasons that we are not aware of. Just not for this.
Is it safe? That depends on your definition of safe. You will probably not get robbed or killed by criminals. If your rig is in good shape, your chance of breakdowns is very low. You are more likely to get in a car accident because you are very tired than almost any other cause, not counting drinking & driving, of course.
Is it doable? Of course! Folks have been doing this kind of thing ever since the automobile was invented. It was much more dangerous then.
I also second or third the idea of slowing down & truly seeing the sights. If it takes you more then a week to get to Oregon, is it the end of the world? You will be learning about our great land, as well as about yourself. That last can be scary.
The thing I regret about my four year “vacation”, is that I did not slow down sooner to see more of this country.
I will recommend using “Blue Highways”, the two lane blacktop highways that go through the small towns, instead of the freeway that by-passes them. You will see more of America that way.
While Stranger On A Train’s advise is good, he must have forgotten about the hundreds of miles of interstate freeway out west here, that literally have no services. The highway department usually puts up signs to warn about these stretches. If you have my luck, some fool stole those signs. Keep the fuel tank full.
Oh, Do not count on cell phone service every where out here.
Look on traveling forums to determine what you should bring with you. For the long stretches of road, out west, carry two gallons of distilled water in the trunk ($0.75 a gallon at wally world). If you get stranded, (not likely), you will have water for your radiator, your battery, & drinking water. All in two, one gallon jugs.
IHTH, 48.
This is not a good idea. Take a couple hundred in cash, and if you need more go to an ATM.
Past that, have fun. There’s nothing quite like a road trip.
When I was your age I’d hitchhike 100’s of miles; by about age 30 I’d go on international solo adventures. My regret is that I didn’t do more of that. Travelling by personal car in the U.S.A. certainly doesn’t seem reckless :dubious: … what about travelling by public transportation within a non-English speaking country?
In fact, mention of personal car and especially “updating parents on location” makes this sound like a very different experience from mine. I strongly feel that 24-hour telephone connectivity, GPS, etc. spoils much adventuring (especially the personal self-discovery aspect), though I may not be able to articulate my reasons very well.
for the little things to see that you will remember (good or bad)
Is this a debit or a credit card? I would not do this without a credit card to use for your hotels and gas. Both place holds on your account that can tie up your funds. And if some sort of fraud occurs I’d much rather have it on the credit card than have actual funds gone from my checking account.
I would try to convince the girlfriend to jump back on board, or maybe a buddy would ride along and share the driving. It will be a much better experience that way, IMHO.
NOooo…
Carry two hundred at most and have cash access through an ATM card. $2000 could get you killed in the wrong situation.
Also as a lone teenager with out of state plates, don’t do anything stupid to catch the attention of the cops. Like never more than 5 MPH over the speed limit. In fact, never ask a cop for help with your car, their help may be to tow it to a “safe place”; get AAA.
Not a good idea. People can always wire you money if necessary, but the most likely catastrophe you’re liable to encounter is some lowlife breaking into your car at a trailhead or rest stop. My guess is that lowlives, by profession, know the various places where people would hide money in a car.
In the old days, you’d bring traveller’s checks, but I’m not sure they’re even a thing now. Probably the best thing to do is bring a couple of hundred dollar’s worth of cash (enough for gas and a night’s stay somewhere) and hide a debit card with a few hundred dollars on it in the car.
I have to wonder what kind of apocalyptic death-metal zone or shitty 'Eighties Burt Reynolds movie you people are living in, but it doesn’t bear much of a relationship to reality. It certainly wouldn’t be advisable to flash that kind of cash around, pick up hitchhikers, or tour around East St. Louis, but I have driven across the US multiple times, including across all of the possible routes the o.p. might take from Louisiana to Oregon without a single problem with corrupt police pulling me over and searching my vehicle, biker gangs running me off the road, or so much as a single act of automotive vandalism or a wandering psychopath played by a Kiefer Sutherland look-alike. The biggest problem I had was with the DEA shutting down highways and doing controlled pot burns in Humbolt County, forcing me to reroute from Mendicino.
Stranger
Update:
Talked to my parents about the trip. They’re supportive of the trip, and even mentioned that the trip may even be safer alone - less distractions. The girlfriend, despite her numerous positive attributes, is not a very confident driver.
I also added a few hours to most of my planned days, not in significant extra driving distances, but off on tangents to some nature trails/attractions and such as a break from driving.
And, despite many posts suggesting that I not bring much cash, I have to agree with Stranger’s perspective on this. I’ll carry most of the money in a fairly hefty safe in a suitcase that won’t leave my car, and a few hundred in non-obvious places in separate luggage. I feel like the benefits of the extra money out weigh the potential risks, as long as it is not in plain sight and I don’t do anything (too) stupid.
I might get a gas rewards credit card, as well. Haven’t done much research on that yet, so I’ll file that under pending ideas.
You’re going to lug around a safe full of money??
You’re 18? You’re old enough for a road trip. First time? Stick to interstates as much as you can.
600 miles a day solo is bad planning. It can be done, but if it’s not necessary, don’t try it. And road fatigue is cumulative. I just fired up M$ Streets and Trips. You’ll be driving through Dallas and OKC. Take the NW loop around Dallas. It’ll be congested if it’s daylight. Don’t be in too much of a hurry and pick your lane in advance. You’ll be going straight through OKC. That is never fun.
Do some trip planning. You don’t want to drive through or around a major city during morning or evening rush hours if you can avoid it. Driving westbound during sunrise or eastbound during sunset is fun. DON’T get that backwards. Even if you’re not planning on getting off the interstate, don’t ignore Exit signs. Because usually, there’s an entrance ramp paired with the exit signs and you might want to get over to the left lane when there are vehicles entering.
Yup. Little safe, back of trunk in big suitcase. Might bring amount down to 1000. Not sure if ‘lug’ applies when the safe is the size of a book. Never comes out of the car. Pretty simple and safe, I think.