Looking for a lot of advice on a potential first solo road trip (southern and western US)
Hi all! Thank you in advance for the help -- I realize that I'm asking a lot and I truly appreciate your experience and advice.
Here are my mains questions up front -- please don't feel like you need to respond to them all!
- Do you think 2-3 weeks would be too long to travel solo? I'm worried about getting bored or lonely even though I can visit a couple friends along the way.
- Likewise, does anyone have any good solo road trip tips, either for safety or for having a good time?
- How much extra will it cost me to rent a car in one city and return it in another? Can flying home at the end of the trip make sense financially, or do I really need to drive round trip?
- Is it possible to get a rental car without committing to the date and location for returning it up front? If so, is it insanely expensive? I would understand if so, but I want to see how flexible I could be during the trip.
- Does the route I'm thinking about seem feasible? Too much driving, especially solo? Any highlights I'm missing?
- Can you think of any other potential red flags about this idea?
I am weighing the possibility of taking a big road trip this summer. I will have a month between jobs and a healthy budget, so this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to plan a major trip and I want to take advantage. I am thinking about trying a road trip on my own for 2-3 weeks. I have never traveled solo. I want to see new places, but I am leaning more toward staying in the US rather than going abroad. I think a road trip makes sense because I can cover a lot of ground. Here is the VERY preliminary route I'm thinking about:
- Start in St. Louis
- Memphis (1 night)
- New Orleans (2 nights)
- Houston (1 night)
- Austin (2 nights)
- Somewhere in West Texas (or maybe Roswell?) (1 night)
- Albuquerque/Santa Fe (2 nights)
- Grand Canyon (2 nights)
- Las Vegas (2 nights)
- Maybe continue to Los Angeles (2-3 nights)
- Maybe somewhere in the middle of California (1 night)
- Maybe San Francisco (2-3 nights)
- Fly home
I realize that this is a much more urban itinerary than most of the cool road trips discussed on here. I love just walking around new cities because I have a casual interest in architecture and urban development. I also don't really know how to camp, and I have at least seen some of the big national parks already (Grand Canyon/Yellowstone/Tetons/Arches/Rocky Mountain). This route appeals to me because I have never been to Memphis, Louisiana, Texas, or New Mexico.
I don't know exactly what my budget will be yet, but I should be fine for at least two weeks and probably three. Unfortunately I'm aware that sticking to cities means more expensive lodging. I'm planning on shared AirBnBs/hostels, but I am still expecting it to add up quickly. So will city parking costs. And I like checking out local breweries and gay bars, so I'm planning to budget for that too.
I'm not exactly sure what my endpoint should be. I'm nervous about biting off more than I can chew or just getting bored. I feel pretty confident that I could make it to Vegas, but I'm not sure if trying to tack on LA and SF afterward would be overkill. If I fly home, it would make it easier to hit more cities, but I'm assuming it will make the car rental significantly more expensive, and it could also limit what stuff I can pack.
Thanks for reading, and I would appreciate any and all advice! Too long? Too short? A crazy idea all around? Let me know!
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