Road trip from CA to NJ!
Hi all! Long time reader, first-time poster here :P
So in the next couple of weeks, a friend and I are planning a little celebratory cross-country road trip. Starting in NorCal going to Central Jersey-NY (or the other way around, haven't decided yet). We want to take it fairly easy, possibly stop at some hotels to enjoy the nightlife along the way (if possible given Miss Rona), but generally, just v easy and chill.
So I was wondering a few things:
- is there a route that would maximize the number of states/attractions we can hit? I'm flip-flopping between going SoCal and across the lower states (maybe more interesting views here??) to then make it up to NJ OR just trying to take the straightest route possible and doing a few detours along the way.
- What are some "must-sees" if going cross-country? (Interested in mainly natural attractions/fantastic views, but definitely open to stopping and exploring culture as well [In my head I was thinking NOLA but that might be too far south...we both really enjoy art/music so open to taking a few detours if you all have some definite must-sees!])
- is a week (7 days) too much/too little time? I know Google says that it's about 45 hours non-stop, so I was thinking 3-6 hour increments of driving (depending on how our attractions/stops are laid out) with the rest of the day to explore/stretch/sleep would give us a cool little 7-day trip, but I can budget more time if we REALLY wanna slow down and explore!
- Definitely want to stay safe, but am I being naive assuming that safety doesn't really need to be a huge concern? I planned on us getting hotels along the way so we wouldn't be sleeping in the car, but if you all have some tips and tricks for car sleeping/parking/living JUST IN CASE I'd appreciate that too! I have traveled abroad alone before and I was fine, but I definitely have not done a road trip before, so I'm wondering if there are things I need to/should mentally prepare myself for.
I don't mind long drives at all (love them actually!) and my friend and I get along really well (roommates before so we def know how to keep the peace!).
- If I did have the option of going CA -> NJ/NY -> CA, what attractions could I add? Would I be able to hit other cool attractions? (Say, going back NY -> CA I take a more northern route or something? I know it would add time but considering it all I feel like I may have enough to do a full round trip)
- Would you all recommend getting a rental, or just using my own car? I'm deciding between this because I may just drop the car off in NY and fly back to CA if it appeals to me more after a week/more on the road, but is there more safety using a car I know and am comfortable with? I wouldn't want to damage my own car, but the cost of the rental definitely also becomes a factor, but how much more could it cost to rent a car?)
- Overall, I just want to have a good time and give us a chance to explore the US a lil, I've lived in CA all my life and haven't explored any of it, and I don't want to miss out on an opportunity to drive across the country, esp given the fact that I have free time right now!
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, thank you all so much! You're helping a lifelong dream come true :)
0 Response to "Road trip from CA to NJ!"
Post a Comment