The Road Trip
Introduction
Below is the lay, from the constraints faced, to budgets versus actual, and the route:
Constraints
The trip was completed in a 2006 Corolla-S sedan with manual transmission. Two people were moving out to Los Angeles permanently, the third was traveling out with six weeks worth of belongings. The fit was tight in the car, but not completely uncomfortable. Moving in one vehicle is a daunting proposition for folks who’ve been settled down for a few years, and come laden with dressers, brushed silver frames, and suitcases worth of clothes. If you must bring these belongings, this wikiHow article explains different options – Step 11 gives an overview. None of the passengers have embarked on an extended road trip before. Before this trip, I’ve rarely popped a car’s hood, have never changed a tire, and my idea of “camping” was renting a house on the lake armed with all the amenities.
Budget
If you’re into budgeting and determining exact costs, having a solid itinerary and seriously considering your sleeping conditions will answer a great deal of these questions. Examine our budgeted costs and actual costs for your own reference (opens an Excel spreadsheet.)
For eleven days:
Gas
Total miles: 4,350
10 hours driving time/day
Fill up every 10 gallons.
The vehicle gets 27 miles to the gallon of gas. That’s 270 miles per fill-up; or about 16 tanks to get across the country. At $2.80 per gallon (or $28 per fill-up) it’ll cost $448 to cross the states.
Food
$20 per day, for 10 days. Plus the initial $20 for food, per person, we arrive at $245.
Lodging
We’ll visit maximum three National Park Entries. Total cost of the national parks will be $20, per person. Calculated into lodging are two Holiday Inn stays, in case of an emergency, which comes out to $33 per person.
The total lodging is $53 per person.
Miscellaneous Emergency Funds
Total $100
Actual – In Brief
The road trip lasted 10 days. On our traveling days, an average of 8 hours was spent on road time. The 50 mph east of the Mississippi, 55 mph west of the Mississippi is a conservatively accurate measure of hours you’ll be on the road, including time to get gas and coffee.
The evening destinations included: Baltimore, Maryland; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Kansas City, Missouri; Bonny Lake, Colorado; Moab, Utah; St. George’s, Utah; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California
The states passed through included: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California
The distance traveled (not including miles inside the towns) was 3,358 miles.
Estimated total spending for the group was $888; actual was $597.
After divvying shared costs (not total costs) each person spent just under $200.
As an individual, each person’s costs landed somewhere around $350 – $400.
The Route – Albany to Los Angeles
Below is the information gathered to plot the trip. The important aspects: start and end location, estimated miles and time traveled, and locations for sleeping (multiple if you’re not exactly you’ll be crashing.) Two great resources to find campsites are About: Student Travel and Free Campgrounds.
View XC2LA Road Trip in a larger map
Day 1 – Sunday, June 13
Start: Albany, NY
End: Baltimore, MD
Miles | Time: 330 m. | 6 hr. 30 min.
Lodge: Maria in Catonsville, MD 21228
Day 2 – Monday, June 14
Start: Catonsville, MD
End: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Miles | Time: 563 m. | 11 hr. 15 min.
Lodge: Morgan in Fort Wayne, IN 46814
Day 3 – Tuesday, June 15
Start: Fort Wayne, Indiana
End: Chicago, Il.
Miles | Time: 203 m. | 4 hr.
Lodge: Eric in La Grange, IL 60525 or Karen in Northfield, IL 60093
Day 4 – Wednesday, June 16
Start: La Grange, IL
End: Kansas City, MO
Miles | Time: 526 m. | 10 hr. 30min.
Lodge: Amber in Kansas City, Missouri 64133 or Fairground Park in Higginsville, MO or Walnut Park in Arkansas City, MO
Day 5 – Thursday, June 17
Start: Kansas City, MO
End: Bonny Springs, CO
Miles | Time: 591 m. | 10 hr. 45 min.
Lodge: Ellis, KS or Phillipsburg, KS (Phillipsburg City Park) or Colorado Springs, CO (Hugo City Park), or Colorado Springs, CO (Bighorn Canyon/Salida)
Day 6 – Friday, June 18
Start: Bonny Springs, CO
End: Arches National Park (Moab, Utah)
Miles | Time: 406 m. | 7 hr. 25 min.
Lodge: Camping ($10 per vehicle)
Day 7 – Saturday, June 19
Start: Arches National Park
End: Zion National Park (Utah)
Miles | Time:
Lodge: Camping ($25 per vehicle)
Day 8 – Sunday, June 20
Start: Zion National Park
End: Las Vegas, NV
Miles | Time: 163 m. | 3 hr.
Lodge: Terry in Las Vegas, NV
Day 9 – Monday, June 21
Day 10 -Tuesday, June 22
Start: Las Vegas, NV
End: Los Angeles, CA
Miles | Time: 170 m. | 3 hr
Post Road Trip
If I Did It Again
I’d take a more “themed” approach, and fulfill that theme at every stop. One of the original themes was “Sushi Restaurants”: that’d involve visiting every famous sushi spot along the way, as well as the best restaurants in the town I’d stay in.
Such a theme presents several obstacles. First, traveling with others makes the sushi theme a difficult prospect. Unless they’re explicitly down with the idea, the theme probably doesn’t excite them very much. Second, chasing sushi restaurants across America isn’t the same as chasing friends; the restaurants won’t put you up for the night. Finally, sushi isn’t a budget meal, and a road trip built on a sushi theme would easily double or triple expenses for the trip.
If a road trip is in the future, touring more National Parks is a definite interest. National Parks provide the best the states have to offer: beautiful scenery, exercise, people to meet, and camping. If you visit three of four National Parks, it’s worthwhile to splurge on the National Parks Yearly Pass for $80. Also, call for reservations a month ahead if you plan on camping – many National Parks are switching to the reservation system.
In a group road trip, the selection of travel mates is important. It is not like putting together a corporate team, or a committee to oversee the town; don’t look for balance and differences that provide a wide view. For a trip of short duration, focus is more important. The similarities between travel mates are more important than the differences. Acquire travel mates who share the same standards (or lack thereof) of comfort, dining, and interest. (For example, someone who doesn’t eat fish isn’t a good candidate for the “Sushi Restaurant” themed road trip.)
If the group isn’t focused, then despite your best efforts, tension and resentment will inevitably arise.
Miscellaneous Tips
Before leaving on the trip, agree between travel mates which costs will be split between travelers. For example, if the car breaks down, who contributes towards the repairs?
Driving from Colorado into Utah on Route XX, for the first dozen exits, there are zero services: no gas, no telephone, no nothing. This is a fact they fail to mention at the last exit in Colorado. Make sure you fill up on gas and water.
Leave Vegas while you’re up.
Getting used to the diet of PB&J’s was simple. Not showering on a regular basis – less so.
Armed with an atlas, you can worry considerably less about exact locations to camp out for the evening. Just open the map and shoot for a spot.
Sidebar: Final Thoughts
Continue to XC2LA: Part 5 – Settling in Los Angeles
Return to XC2LA: Part 3 – Planning the Road Trip
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