First USA road trip, itinerary and general advice
Hi Reddit,
We are planning a 13 day California road trip starting in Sacramento and ending in LA this coming September.
A little bit about us:
We are in our early 40s.
We want to avoid the big cities.
My boyfriend is a musician and I am a scientist. I am very much into seeing nature and my boyfriend is a history buff (but we both enjoy each other's interests).
We are up for a few short hiking trips (1/2 day or so).
We would love to enjoy some beer/wine at the end of the day when the driving is over.
We are not campers so we will be looking for cheap accommodation along the way.
We would like to spend one night in a location in the desert where is best to see the stars.
We love to try different foods
We would like to plan with some flexibility and have place for some spontaneity.
We are both very social and would love to meet some people along the way.
A rough idea of our itinerary (not necessarily in this order and without specific activities):
- Gold Rush country
- Yosemite/Sequoia/Kings Canyon
- Tioga Pass
- Mono/Mammoth Lakes
- Bishop/Death Valley/Ancient Bristlecone Forest
- Mojave/Joshua tree
- Drive to LAX
Maybes:
- Tahoe
- Salton Lake area
Budgeting:
- Spend no more than 300 USD a day for accommodation/food/drinks for 2
- Counting on included breakfast in some of the stays
- We will be buying a cheapo 25$ cooler when we get to Sacramento for cold drinks and picnics (this will take care of most lunches, some breakfasts and perhaps some dinners)
We have a lot of questions as we've never been on a road trip in the US, I hope you can help us by answering one/few/many/all of these questions or can share some experiences about a similar road trip.
Itinerary
- Is visiting all these locations too ambitious considering the time-frame?
- Which specific locations/activities would you recommend considering our description above?
- Tourist traps to avoid/lesser known gems to visit
- Any short hikes recommendations?
- Share your itinerary if relevant
Budgeting
- Is the budget too low? too High? - what would you change?
- Flexibility and hotel booking: How to travel flexible without spending a fortune because you didn't book in good time
- How long time in advance is best to book hotels
- US Park Pass, should we buy it?
- Tips, experiences on how to make a great trip without spending too much
Eating
- Tips on picnic food in the US, what is your favorite go-to, what is the best/cheap/healthy (pick any or all). Think about that we are not starting at home with access to a kitchen.
- Is it possible to grill something along the way? what would you need to have with you?
- Is ice available anywhere?
- Besides a cooler, paper plates and fork, knives, paper towels, etc, what else should we have with us?
- Must-stop-to-eat-something-delicious-places
General advice
- What to bring
- What to avoid
- Any other stuff we might not be aware of?
Thanks everyone for your time!
0 Response to "First USA road trip, itinerary and general advice"
Post a Comment