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Solo cross country (SD to NY) road trip?

Legendary

Legendary

Diamond Member
I know there are people out there who have completed the same or similar road trip on their own...so if anyone could share some interesting occurrences with me, I would really appreciate it. Right now it's looking like the most viable option financially (instead of shipping an empty car + all my belongings, then flying, I might as well drive them myself). I'm hoping it'll be like Forrest Gump's running across the country. 😎

I will have an iPod for company, but that's pretty much it. I'm sure I can find cheapo motels on the highway somewhere, all I need is a bed. I have no problem driving for hours and hours, even in my fairly uncomfortable Accord, and it'll save me $500 in the end. I just got laid off, I have to do it, I know it makes the most sense, I just need some convincing from the denizens of ATOT.

🙂
 
The most I've done solo is 1400 miles, and it wasn't bad. Get a AAA membership, a cooler full of Coke and Red Bull, an iPod/cellphone charger, and a will. Then you're set.
 
yes, this is good

i did this a couple times


when i quit school at FSU in Dec. 1984 i found a girl that needed her car driven from tallahassee to pullman WA , she even paid the gas! so i drove that honda accord I-10/20/5
i had a rider from florida to los angeles , he was creepy

the next time was when i got married, i drove my car from seattle to atlanta , got married, put a uhaul car top thingy on my car, put my new wife's stuff in it and we drove back to seattle

have a nice trip! :sun:
 
I drove from Ft. Lewis, WA. to Fort Benning, GA. About 2700 miles I think. Was fun to see the country and I stopped a lot of places on the way, though I was on a 4 day timeline so I couldn't stop for too long in any individual place.
 
Originally posted by: FoBoT
Originally posted by: pyonir
Pick up hitch hikers for company. A lifetime of stories should come out of that.... 😀
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especially if one of them is buffalo bob
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And has an axe. Axes are great conversation starters...
 
Originally posted by: JS80
Are you SURE you're saving $500? That's a hell of a risk to save $500.
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When I shipped my car out here from NY it cost $1000. Flight is $170. Shipping lots of things is some unknown amount.

3000 miles = 10 tanks (conservatively) * $40/tank = $400 + 3 hotels at $100/night = $700.
This is assuming it takes 4 days/3 nights. If I stop that many times one of them will be a free stay so that doesn't even count. Google Maps time to drive this is 40 hours. I can do 16/day easy (assistance from Red Bull would make it a little easier)

Add in an oil change and a AAA membership and I'm pretty sure I'm still saving some money.
It's possible I've forgotten something though, I've only recently (45 minutes ago) begun considering this.
 
Originally posted by: Legendary
Originally posted by: JS80
Are you SURE you're saving $500? That's a hell of a risk to save $500.
Click to expand...

When I shipped my car out here from NY it cost $1000. Flight is $170. Shipping lots of things is some unknown amount.

3000 miles = 10 tanks (conservatively) * $40/tank = $400 + 3 hotels at $100/night = $700.
This is assuming it takes 4 days/3 nights. If I stop that many times one of them will be a free stay so that doesn't even count. Google Maps time to drive this is 40 hours. I can do 16/day easy (assistance from Red Bull would make it a little easier)

Add in an oil change and a AAA membership and I'm pretty sure I'm still saving some money.
It's possible I've forgotten something though, I've only recently (45 minutes ago) begun considering this.
Click to expand...

Saving $500 seems like a lot of risk. You have to factor in probability of car breakdown, accident, etc...
 
Upgrade your AAA membership to the Plus. At this time of the year it might only cost you $15 (if you have the Classic).
Might as well do it now before the weather gets horrible.
Oh make sure you check your radiator level every morning. Driving through the desert (Mojave, Nevada and Arizona) during the day can lead to a lot of coolant evaporation.

Edit: and it's better if you left on a Monday so you'd get to NY before Friday. Those motels along the way really rape you on their weekend rates.

Once again AAA membership is key. They can also help you with planning your trip, getting maps, and tour guides (pretty important if you need to figure out where to stay). You often also get AAA rates on rooms.
 
By the way I'd put more valuable belongings in luggage cases and put them in the backseat and the rest in boxes in the trunk so each night you stay in the motel room you can easily take them inside with you.
 
My 3,600 mile trip from CO to AK advice - audiobooks. My favorites during the trip were Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Bring a cooler for food and drinks.

EDIT: Sleep in your car. Much cheaper than staying anywhere!
 
bah drove my truck back from California to Washington DC... not fun. Did it in 3 days didn't stop to see anything and I think with food, gas, and motel rooms I ended up paying more than having it shipped. Nothing worse than driving all day only to stop to eat and sleep then waking up the next day to do it again, then again :thumbsdown:

btw spend as little time in New Mexico as possible, almost got robbed by a bunch of drunken Indians.

btwX2 uh no offense to those in New Mexico... or Indians.
 
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