Planning first roadtrip. Help!?
I'm planning a honeymoon road trip for next summer. We both love to travel but it will actually be a couple weeks AFTER our wedding. Our wedding will be in May. Here is our current list of destination, starting in northwest Arkansas, where we'll live. (The wedding will be in Alabama): Eureka Springs; St Louis; Chicago; Indianapolis; Cincinnati, Charleston, WV; DC; Baltimore; Hershey, PA; Philadelphia; NY; Providence, RI; Boston, MA We are planning to rent a more fuel efficient car. I am thinking the rent will be from $300-500 and gas (depending on unpredictable gas prices) will be around $300-400. We also were hoping it'd work to pick up the rent in AR and drop it in MA, at which point we'd fly back from Boston. The flight for 2 people is gonna run us around $400. The only thing we have left to figure out is food and housing (hotels, camping?, etc) If you are from any of these places or have traveled through please leave me any ideas! If you are an experienced traveler or know what it takes to roadtrip like this, I'd love to hear your thoughts!! THANKS!!!!
Other - United States - 3 Answers
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1 :
I'm a professional roadtripper and I can give you some tips on how to balance your budget while being on the road.I'm driving across the country this summer and I already planned my roadtrip and I know how much it will cost me altogether.first,rent a mid-size car which is more economic on gas, and when you stop at a filling station for gas,take each receipt so you can keep track of your expenses.do the same if you stay at a hotel(Super 8 motel recommended) about food and places to eat,find a grocery store along your way and stop there to buy some.you save a lot by doing this,I figure,and don't forget to get the receipts so you have an idea of how much the roadtrip cost you.it won't believe this but my last roadtrip across the country cost me about $600 altogether one way (excluding the rental car costs).of course gas was cheap by then and the economy wasn't that bad at all.
2 :
A few tips. In Hershey, stay in the Hershey Hotel, not cheap, but it's your honeymoon and you might as well. Don't underestimate northeastern traffic, it's heavy. Always. Even if you weren't planning on spending an overnight in each of the northeastern cities, with the possible exception of Providence, it would be worthwhile to do so. In Philly, eat at the City Tavern, do the historical tour of the area, don't skip seeing Independence Hall and Christ Church. Amish country sits between Hershey and Philly, may be worth driving through if you have time to take the scenic route. Take a few minutes to just stand in the middle of Times Square and admire the mayhem. Get tickets for the Gateway Arch ahead of time, likewise if you're seeing a play on Broadway. Have fun!
3 :
I disagree with almost everything about the plan that you just presented starting with the high mpg car On a trip of 4000 highway miles there is only a marginal cost difference between the cost of gas for a full sized car and economy car. The full sized car offers you much greater , performance, comfort and safety than the economy car does The gas math Full sized 4000 mi @ 27 mpg=148.148 gal @$ 3,00/gal =$ 444.444 Economy 4000mi @ 34mpg =117.647 gal @$3.00/gal = $ 352.941 Difference over 4000miles ? $ 91.50 or $22.87 per 1000 mi >>> More savings One way car rentals and one way flights are THE expensive way to do either one of those things I would seriously suggest doing a loop drive b/c it would probably save you a couple of hundred bucks in the long run. Leave this Q open for a day or two and I'll answer some of your Q's I was born & raised in NYC, Lived in Chicago , ski-bummed in VT , know New England and the Northeaster part of America fairly well
