Monster Roadtrip! Need advice

[qbodsyt]

Hey all,

Well, I've had a crappy couple of months. My 1990 Accord got stolen and my almost fiancee broke up with me. I've been super depressed and listless.

However I'm trying to turn things around. I found a mint condition low(ish) mileage 92 Accord Wagon (a manual too, no less!) and I'm planning to take advantage of my new singleness and mobility and do a massive American roadtrip!

I've only been to the States once before and I had a blast. I only wandered through NY, so this time I want to hit as many states as possible.

I was thinking of traveling south along the east coast coming from Toronto so probably entry through Buffalo, then down along Virginia, N & S Carolina, Georgia into Florida and then west through Texas etc and north towards California. Then wander back to Canada through the middle (sorry northern states, but I only have so much time and my priority is getting away from the northern climate right now!)

Now if I do this, it has to be on the cheap. I'll be spending a fair chunk on all the gas for this trip (probably 6000+ miles roundtrip so around $700+/- split between me and whoever of my friends will go) so I need to come up with ways to slum it like not staying at hotels and such.

Here in Canada we have rest stations along the 401 and other such highways. But its just a pulloff for truckers with cabs. In Europe there are camping grounds everywhere where you can stay for almost nothing. What's it like in the US? Are there ways you can get away without spending like $30+/night/person?

I know I might sound completely uninformed and I am, but I'd really like to see a lot of the US and I could use a roadtrip for my spirits in general. Can anyone give me some advice on pulling off a trip like this for a reasonable amount of coin? Thanks a lot guys!

[tommi]

well if you are traveling with other, have them split costs with you and switch on and off drivers so no one is left bored. and if you go thru kansas lmk man. i remember accordinate went thru here but i was unaware. which kinda sucks. i woulda liked to meet him.

http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=51776

[T3aM 83rD]

You could sleep in your car at truck stops to save cash.
Getting a CB radio will also help you know whats going one because all the truckers use them.

[Shadow1]

if you come thru VA and NC let me know. theres a welcome center here in roanoke rapids, NC. also theres plenty of rest stops going thru VA and NC.

[lokuputha]

1st: Get a CAA Membership

2nd: Get CAA to make you a "trip plan." Tell them where you want to stop or rest, they do the rest. Its free with your membership.

3nd: Have an extra $1000 for incidentals.

4th: Have fun oh and take lots of pictures and make a trip thread...that would be cool

The west coast is really nice, you might want to drive it...Highway 101 along the beach is beautiful.

[PakaloloHonda]

Bring a laptop with you .. make sure of the weather, where you'll be going to.
The weaher channel is quite a good source, and has live updates.
Intellicast.com is another .. I use both ..
Get a GPS of some sort .. if it's older, make sure you can up-date it.

Have a safe and awesome trip .. keep in mind that there's alotta Holiday travelers.
Drive mostly while it's day-light, and if you find yourselves in Vegas .. drop me a PM ..

A Hui Hou !!!
Tomi

[SteveB]

2nd: Get CAA to make you a "trip plan." Tell them where you want to stop or rest, they do the rest. Its free with your membership.

Actually, it's free for anyone.
Trip-Tik online

[d112crzy]

Do ALL maintenance on your car before you leave.

[Lil' Whitie]

u know since u have a wagon... u can just sleep in the rear at truckstops pack light and have one of those roof racks where u can put ur stuff there. other than that like someone said take LOTS of pictures!

[qbodsyt]

well if you are traveling with other, have them split costs with you and switch on and off drivers so no one is left bored. and if you go thru kansas lmk man. i remember accordinate went thru here but i was unaware. which kinda sucks. i woulda liked to meet him.
http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=51776

yeah, of course we'll be splitting the shared expenses evenly, I ain't rich!

yeah, we might head thru Kansas, not sure of the exit route yet, probably wander through the southern/middle part of the US

You could sleep in your car at truck stops to save cash.
Getting a CB radio will also help you know whats going one because all the truckers use them.

yeah, I dunno if I want to sleep inside the car...I read something that said we might be able to stay for free at National parks???

And the CB might be a good idea, I just don't want this to turn into Joyride

if you come thru VA and NC let me know. theres a welcome center here in roanoke rapids, NC. also theres plenty of rest stops going thru VA and NC.

Cool, I'll most likely be traveling through there, I'll let you know.

1st: Get a CAA Membership

2nd: Get CAA to make you a "trip plan." Tell them where you want to stop or rest, they do the rest. Its free with your membership.

3nd: Have an extra $1000 for incidentals.

4th: Have fun oh and take lots of pictures and make a trip thread...that would be cool

The west coast is really nice, you might want to drive it...Highway 101 along the beach is beautiful.

Good advice, I'll look into CAA......but they're only applicable in Canada right? I will also purchase Blue Cross Insurance for my trip too, no point in taking unnecessary risks.

I'll definitely make a trip thread, I might even get a new camera for the adventure.

BTW, I owe you a PM

Bring a laptop with you .. make sure of the weather, where you'll be going to.
The weaher channel is quite a good source, and has live updates.
Intellicast.com is another .. I use both ..
Get a GPS of some sort .. if it's older, make sure you can up-date it.

Have a safe and awesome trip .. keep in mind that there's alotta Holiday travelers.
Drive mostly while it's day-light, and if you find yourselves in Vegas .. drop me a PM ..

A Hui Hou !!!
Tomi

I hadn't thought of a GPS.....I suppose I could get one for fairly cheap.

I'll probably do this trip sometime in February so hopefully I'll miss the worst of the Holidayers. I will definitely pass through Vegas, how couldn't I?

Actually, it's free for anyone.
Trip-Tik online

cool, thanks man!

Do ALL maintenance on your car before you leave.

Yeah, excellent advice I can vouch for based on my last trip to NY when my car died....turned out it was a frayed ground cable/intermittently failing alternator.

is there anything specific you think I should preventatively maintain? The car runs beautifully right now, mechanic has given it a clean bill of health and I've just done wires, plugs, valve cover and sparkplug seal gaskets, PCV valve and I will be hooking up my MSD 6A and Blaster SS sytem soon too.

its hard to predict what might fail during the course of a trip this long. I will bring the neccessary tools and should be able to repair minor issues, but I'm not entirely certain what to expect.

u know since u have a wagon... u can just sleep in the rear at truckstops pack light and have one of those roof racks where u can put ur stuff there. other than that like someone said take LOTS of pictures!

yeah, I know what you mean, but it'd be a little too close for comfort for three-four guys to all sleep in the wagon together....at least for me that is. but the wagon will always be there as a last resort camper

thanks for everything so far guys, keep it coming!!!

[topcop182]

If you make it to Florida, be sure to drive down to clearwater, NICEST place I have ever seen! Everyone else has given some really good advise so far! Just be safe, and enjoy being on the road!

[turbomaxx]

COME TO VIRGINIA!!


the most beautiful countryside. we have mountains, caverns, the chesapeak bay.


PM me and i'll give you a better list. but i can say that one of the coolest things ive done is drive through the mountains. you see bears, deer, all sorts of animals, its just amazing.


I can look out my bedroom and see mountains, and look out my back door and see mountains (i live in shenandoah valley)


I STRONGLY suggest coming to shenandoah valley. im sure you can just google shenandoah valley and find all the attractions.

[JohnD1079]

LOL. Everyone reps their place like its the best out of EVERYWHERE

Whatever you do, dont come to shitty Philly. Its gonna be the biggest waste of gas ever.

FOr you Id recommend a The Rte of Buffalo (just as shitty as Philly), Pittsburg, CHarlotte, ATL, (FL if you really wanna go n have money to spend on gas), Dallas/Forth Worth, Phoenix, LA. ANd then depending on what you want drive up RTE 101(It IS Beatiful, and if you have the Money, worth it), Or just go through Vegas, Denver, CHI-town, and Cross the bridge at Sarnia(NOT DETROIT). Skip detroit. The only reason you wanna go there is so you can appreciate how much better the GTA is.

I might be going on a Road Trip like this in the spring, except in reverse

[starchland]

my biggest cooncern for you is that you just picked up this car and you dont really know how the owner before treated it, you want all the problems to rear their ugly little heads before you leave. Id at minimum do a compression check before you leave to find out the engine condition. I just did a massive roadtrip down to Cali and the accord was rock solid, but you gotta make sure you check the vital fluids every 500km and also check your tires. bring oil and coolant with you. make yourself a little emergeny repair pack, get some tire foam, some stopleak, extra clamps, duct tape, string, rubber, etc just in case. maybe extra sparkplugs,a distributor cap/rotor, things that could fail but you can fix easily on the side of the road. there are some places in the midwest where I would definately not want to break down so make sure you know whats going on with your engine. and for the most part outside of cities, you will be able to find hotels for under 100 bucks, so make sure you travel with 4 people to keep the cost down.

[deevergote]

LOL. Everyone reps their place like its the best out of EVERYWHERE

Not me! I live in the armpit of the universe! Of course, I AM proud of that!





If you plan on doing that drive on $700, it'll be tough. I think it might cost that, even more, for gas and tolls! It took me about $130 for my round trip to MA last summer... That was only a 5-6 hour drive each way (drove the GTP, but it got 29mpg on the highway). There are more tolls to worry about in the eastern states as well... they're smaller and more clustered.

DEFINITELY make sure the car you take is in top condition, and STILL plan on it breaking down. If it doesn't, you lucked out. I'm assuming CAA is the Canadian version of AAA... if so, and they have the "plus" membership where you can get towed 100 miles for free... GET IT! I bought my 86 hatchback in Florida, had troubles within 15 minutes of driving it away, and the tow would've KILLED me... I ended up paying $60 (with a tip for the nice driver) for a 130 mile tow! If your car quits in the middle of nowhere, you're going to want that extra tow range. Basic AAA around here is only like 3 miles or something...

A laptop, as someone said, is a fantastic idea. I drive for work, and I pick up wireless signals all over the place. If you can gank someone's wireless internet, you can check out stuff to do in the area, check weather, use mapquest, watch streaming video (great if you plan on sleeping in the car...) Plus, you can post a journal of your journey here on the board!


You should also get some numbers of CB7tuner members in the areas you plan on stopping. You can meet a few new people, learn about the area, maybe even get a free meal!


From Toronto to Florida, plan on 24-28 hours of high-speed driving. You're about 8.5 hours from me, and it took me 18 hours from Palm Beach (which is QUITE south... 4 hours or so from the northern border)


Also bring tools, and any spare parts you can bring that might fail on you (along with ghetto-rigging material like duct tape, spare wire, coat hangers, JB Weld, etc...)



Other than that... have fun! I wish I could just up and do this...