Road Trip: Where, What, When & How?!

fatkid_lovescake

Hello,

Me and a couple of friends are planning a road trip through the US and hoping to catch some good weather and have been advised not to go to New York until close to May as it can be quite cold - is this true?

Also we were thinking of New York to Miami - how boring can this be or can we avoid the motorways and use more scenic routes?

Probably most importantly we have heard that some vehicle hire firms allow you to take their cars/vans to the other side of the country free of charge providing you pay for the fuel and any damages etc as you're almost acting as a delivery driver for them which could save us a lot of money - can any light be shed on this?

We were hoping to go for approximately 10 days which we assume will be enough time but if anyone can advise us on where to fly to (we are manchester-based) and at what time of the year etc then this would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance :-)

cazziebo

Wow! Fab trip.

I've done north - to - south and back a few times. I have family in Toronto and in Savannah Georgia (and Ohio) and because it's a long journey it's so much better to make it a real trip in itself. (My sister and I had four kids between us)

One time we did it in April and going south from Canada wasn't too bad. We went down through Pennsylvania, Ohio, kentucky, Tennessee, and back up through the Carolinas, West Virginia & Virginia, Maryland up through New York State. Going north was worse - it had been 90 degrees in Atlanta, but snowing in New York. Driving through the Smokey mountains was unforgettable.

Really good motels not far off the roads, and lots of nice places to eat. Can be done very cheaply - and petrol seemed really cheap. Very very easy to drive.

Have heard about the car drop off thing but I think that puts you a deadline, which would be a pity.

Can I come with you?

[Deleted User]

Sounds like my post-university holiday/roadtrip

We went New Jersey -> Philadelphia (by train) -> Kansas City (car delivery) ->Houston (car delivery) -> Miami (car delivery) -> Chicago (Car delivery) -> New Jersey (Car delivery) -> Tiny seaside town in New Jersey (train) -> New Jersey (train)

All of that in 5 weeks!

The firm was call autodriveaway

It was quite an adventure! What we usually did was pick up our next car for delivery before we dropped off the last one - this stopped you being stuck in the middle of nowhere (usually someone's house in the middle of suburbia) with no car. Remember you'll need some deposit money extra for this.

Personally, if I was going to do New york to miami, i'd take a little drive out to the Appalachians - amazing mountains. The optimum route with no detour would only take 19hrs (think 3 to 4 days drive)... here's a route that'll take you a little longer put will get you to Orlando, Jacksonville, atlanta, Nashville and washington DC. If you click on the Terrain map in google, it'll show you that you'll be traveling along a lot of mountain routes and I know its amazing scenery

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=13695119783470935028,36.120440,-86.765720%3B18429360565965748917,30.320700,-81.720080&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=new+york&daddr=I-440+W+%4036.120440,+-86.765720+to:I-10+E+%4030.320700,+-81.720080+to:28.531449,-81.381226+to:miami&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=3&sz=8&via=1,2,3&sll=29.041763,-81.524048&sspn=3.409418,5.800781&ie=UTF8&ll=27.479035,-81.375732&spn=3.459747,5.800781&z=8&om=1

My top tip : Look out for books of coupons with discounts for hotels in them, we got some great savings this way. You may also find these online. Also.. you could consider negotiating on hotel rates in some places.

Good luck!

fatkid_lovescake

Thanks guys, it's much appreciated :-)

The car delivery thing - are there any snags with it which I need to beware of beforehand and how safe is it through the not-so-populated areas to drive through given that we're tourists? I.E muggings, chainsaw massacres (tongue-in-cheek) etc etc.?

Also pardon my ignorance and/or lack of geography but all the locations you have mentioned don't mean much to me as I cannot picture what to expect - I was hoping if I tell you what we're looking for you could advise us on a route?

We obviously wanted to experience New York 'n all but then a scenic route(whether it be coastal or through a mountain range) is what we wanted to go through as well as a Route 66-type adventure too all rolled into one - sorry I know I'm asking for a bit much but it'd be a great help - oh and then end up in Miami to catch some sun, this is very much apprecaited, thanks again.

By the way we have been advised against a motorhome although convenient for sleeping etc we could get ripped off by unscrupulous people looking for tourists and also as there's more financial liability surrounding them. Could you advise us further on this?

Thanks again

[Deleted User]

Ok, well, here's some more questions for you.. Do you want:

* history
* culture
* scenery
* outdoor activities
* nightlife

The downside to the car delivery thing is that that you can't just pick and choose your route. When we did it, we would typically be given two choices (e.g in Philadelphia we had to choose between Kansas City or a town in California). You are given a time limit for the journey, maximum milage for the trip (not much in the way for detours), you can't drive the car after 10pm due to the restricted insurance.

In texas we were fingerprinted before being allowed the car !

Have you considered going by train or greyhound buses as an option? We found the east cost new jersey train pretty good and cheap

blindman

sorry I know I'm asking for a bit much but it'd be a great help

Really?
Why don't you ask for us to pay for it as well?

Go to the LIBRARY and READ a GUIDE book.

Then when you have (finally) made up your mind come back and SEARCH this forum for advice, tips etc.
It's all here, you just have to PUT a LITTLE EFFORT IN.:eek:

Then, if you need specific help then ask :rolleyes:

We all like to help, but your multiple requests take the biscuit!

[Deleted User]

We didn't plan our trip much, we just found out about the autodriveaway firm, bought flights to Newark, NJ and packed bags. Only hotel booked in advance was 1 night at the airport.. everything else was on the road.

To blindman: I never found a book that helped us on our journey - personal experience is far more useful

fatkid_lovescake

Hello,

Good points about what we want to see, many thanks for the tip about the delivery circumstances, that will influence our decision.

We were hoping to see some culture - we enjoy food but understand that we may be restricted as we only eat halal but that hasn't generally stopped us from enjoying good food on other holidays.

We're not really interested (with all due respect) about the history as we just want to experience the differing aspects of the place ranging from city life to country life such as the mississipi or louisiana (like the places you see people stop off at in the movies where you cannot see a thing for miles) as well as the nicer beaches - also las vegas wouldn't go a miss either :-) Not that we're addicted gamblers or anything

We love scenery and wouldn't mind a walk or two en route but the time of year you advise us on is quite important as we wanted decent weather.

Sorry we don't know much about what is where in the US so clinging onto any info you guys provide.

Cheers

[Deleted User]

Sorry fatkid, but New york to Miami via Las Vegas would be a 100 hr drive - you can't do that in 10 days

Here's a route you could think about:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=15252744204364877156,25.327280,-80.832600&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=new+york&daddr=35.906849,-83.913574+to:Mahogany+Rd+%4025.327280,+-80.832600&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=6&via=1&sll=35.585852,-83.078613&sspn=12.67438,23.203125&ie=UTF8&ll=34.125448,-76.772461&spn=25.708806,46.40625&t=p&z=5&om=1

It would take you along some amazing mountain scenery, through Atlanta city (you might be able to find halal food there), Down to Orlando (you could go to Disney world) finally into the tip of Florida where you'll find beaches.

You could also consider going via Nashville (Birth place of Elvis Presley) or when you get to Florida, Daytona Beech (home of speedway).

Get a guidebook to America, have a play around with Google maps to see how long routes take (you can drag the route to take you to different places). It does sound like you need to learn a bit more about the geography - it's a VERY big place and planning is essential.

cazziebo

New York State has the most fantastic scenery - as has Tennessee and South Carolina. Maybe that's just me - the flatter places - Georgia, Pennsylvania, Florida I didn't like so much - although still interesting.

mountainchrisriver

Try a library for info on the US :rolleyes: ... Lonely Planet or Rough Guide make good guides which should help with the planning, then get hold of a map... can't believe you are trying to plan a trip like this on the basis of asking questions on a forum... but each to their own eh... In complete agreement with blindman... :beer: