USA next week NY - LA road trip

highhorse_2

Morning all,

so me and my friend are off to the states on Tuesday for a 3 week grand tour taking in NY, Chicago, Las Vegas and Stanta Monica.

We are flying to Newark, spending a few days in NYC then flying out to Chicago and then picking up a hire car and driving along Route 66 to LA.

so a couple of quick questions:
Whats the easiest way to get into Manhattan from Newark?
We are two 30 year old men - so whats fun to do in NY?
Same with Chicago, what should we do there?
Finally - anyone done route 66 before?
if so, how far did you drive in a day?
Where did you stop off?
are there any "must see sights along the way?
Are there a chain of cheap motels along the way or is accommodation easy to find?

thanks

Horse

richardw

highhorse wrote: »

We are two 30 year old men - so whats fun to do in NY?
Same with Chicago, what should we do there?

Drink beer in a sports bar.

highhorse_2

Why on earth didnt I think of that before Richard.....thanks :beer:

jackieblack

anyone done route 66 before?
if so, how far did you drive in a day?
Where did you stop off?
are there any "must see sights along the way?
Are there a chain of cheap motels along the way or is accommodation easy to find?

We've only done part of it so far, our plan is to do it in stages incorporated into several trips mainly because of one-way drop-off fees for rental cars.

Would recommend either of these two Route 66 travellers companion or Road Trip USA: Route 66 which will give you all the info you need.

Yes. there's masses to see and do - enough to fill a book (or two!)

How far in a day? I'd say it would vary depending on what takes your interest along the way and whether you want a more restful trip or a mad dash. Early risers or leisurely mornings? Guessing you're sharing the driving? So maybe about 400 miles a day maximum (2x 2hr stints each). (Remember speed limits will be lower than on the interstates.)

Loads of roadside motels, varying enormously in quality and price.

Murphy_The_Cat

jackieblack wrote: »

So maybe about 400 miles a day maximum (2x 2hr stints each). (Remember speed limits will be lower than on the interstates.)

& that's if you don't mind being cooped up and driving in your car for 8 hours per day (without loo breaks, brew breaks, sightseeing and meals). If that is your idea of holiday heaven, go for it.

by my reckoning, route 66 from Chicago to LA is about 2500 miles - you're spending 'a few days' in NYC and then flying to Chicago. You mention that you are also going to Las Vegas. So how many days are you intending to take to drive the 2500 miles ? 6, 7, 8 ? What ever your intended timing, you are going to be spending an absolutely massive proportion of your valuable holiday time in a car.

Horses for courses and all that, but I'd strongly suggest that you relook at your planned itinerary.

p.s what is the one way rental surcharge for a trip like that ?

malkie76

Yeah, I agree, that seems a long way in a short time. The way around it (possibly) is to take turns doing overnight driving, but leaves you knackered during the day. It's almost do-able if you hire a 4x4 where you could sleep comfortably in the back.

p.s what is the one way rental surcharge for a trip like that ?

Past couple of rentals I did (with AVIS in north america) didn't charge me for a one-way hire - I thought that was odd as historically I've always been charged. Maybe it's something on the way out?

jackieblack

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

& that's if you don't mind being cooped up and driving in your car for 8 hours per day (without loo breaks, brew breaks, sightseeing and meals). If that is your idea of holiday heaven, go for it.

by my reckoning, route 66 from Chicago to LA is about 2500 miles - you're spending 'a few days' in NYC and then flying to Chicago. You mention that you are also going to Las Vegas. So how many days are you intending to take to drive the 2500 miles ? 6, 7, 8 ? What ever your intended timing, you are going to be spending an absolutely massive proportion of your valuable holiday time in a car.

Horses for courses and all that, but I'd strongly suggest that you relook at your planned itinerary.

p.s what is the one way rental surcharge for a trip like that ?

I agree Murphy, if they're going to to it in so few days they're going to have to cover a fair few miles a day. :eek:

Like you, 8 hours in car everyday is not my idea of a good holiday, but they've got no children with them...... maybe they're not so bothered?
(Maybe you and I are the odd ones for researching and planning our trips out in advance )

jackieblack

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

what is the one way rental surcharge for a trip like that ?

Last time I checked it was about $1000 :eek:

malkie76 wrote: »

Past couple of rentals I did (with AVIS in north america) didn't charge me for a one-way hire - I thought that was odd as historically I've always been charged. Maybe it's something on the way out?

I think it varies between companies but I think they'll allow Arizona/Nevada/California and within Florida with no drop-off fees, but think it's still fairly common practice elsewhere.
I'll be happy to be wrong though

malkie76

Actually, I've just done a couple of dummy bookings with AVIS, and it seems their one-way surcharge isn't transparent in the booking process.
I wasn't obviously charged one on my booking, but if I start and end at the same location it was about £40 cheaper on a week booking on a basic 4x4

So, I'm totally wrong about the one-way charge!

edit

oh my dear lord, I just did dummy bookings for chiacgo to LA using AVIS, and their one-way surcharge was £730 on that journey. 7 days rentail and pick-up and return to chicago was £209, but return to LA was £940.

However, pick-up and return from DC for 7 days was also £209, but return to Raleigh NC was £240 - so I guess the distance makes a huge difference. Perhaps the OP could break the journey into bits which might reduce the overall surcharges ???

Murphy_The_Cat

one way rental guide

---

ouch, but I thought that it may have been over $1000.

BTW OP, I found a site which seems to indicate that they don't have a one-way charge from Chicago-Los Angales (& vice versa)

jackieblack

I think maybe I confused £ with $, I thought it was about £500 (and the exchange rate was $2 to £ at the time) but maybe it was $500 not £500