What would you suggest? Which way and what to do?

[Marsha/CA]

I have to agree with Mayfair.  I would be very leary of purchasing and driving a $10,000 rig across  the US, especially since you would be arriving in the US and then purchasing.  It would more than likely be an older RV and would possibly need new tires, a complete tuneup with new belts, hoses and fluids, which could really add up.  Why not rent an RV?

Marsha~

 

[taoshum]

When we were "shopping" for a RV, I used Google a lot and found a large number of places that offer "used' RVs.  I would suggest that you invest time in shopping, then invest even more and when you find the floorplan and equipment that you need, structure your trip around the location of the RV.  Also, consider the task of selling the RV at the end.  The seller might be willing to re-purchase your RV when you are ready to go home, especially if it is a large RV operation, i.e., high volume.  There's probably one of these in LA but there are many others, Phoenix, Az; Houston, Tx; Florida; etc. 

Check out the tax implications of the purchase location/delivery.  Some states have very high sales taxes and others do not.  Some states have high registration/licensing fees, some don't.  For three months, renting is a true option; for six months or longer the scale tilts toward buying, I would guess.  Especially right now, since the costs have dropped so much compared to a year or two ago.

Your comment about studying maps is also excellent.  Maybe you have the "endurance" to drive 600 miles per day but I think that would be a real burden and get old really quick.  If you plan on a few long days, fine but I believe you'll enjoy the trip far more if you pick some places you want to see, go to these places and plan to stay there for several days, then go to the next place.  It might take several days to get from one destination to the next but 300-400 miles/day is a lot, IMHO.  Also when you are getting 10 or less MPG, fuel costs are a real factor.

There are RV "tour companies" that help with all this planning and logistics for a fee of course but it does give you a guide, especially if this is your first visit.


As others have mentioned, I hope you come and have a great vacation.  There is so much to this country.  Stay in touch via the forum, and if you suddenly need help, ask.  Good Luck.

 

[Sarah]

Thankyou so much for the wonderful info.  I'm trying to take it all in.  We are seriously considering renting as opposed to buying.  Just weighting up the pro's and con's.  After most of you say October will be really cold we are thinking about delaying the trip untill 2011.  we can go anytime of the year and save some more $$$.  I really dont want to wait but as they say 'good things come to those who wait'.  At the moment I'm being a pain in the butt as weare going to arrrive in LA and I want to go  LA to New york but see Montana, and texas and a few other places in between so we will be going north and south as w as heading west (gee we want to go all over the place!)  What time of the year do you think would be the best us travel?  Keeping in mind we have 2 young children although they can handle the Australian Summer heat eaaly dont want to be travelling when it's too hoor too cold.  Is this possible?

Cheers
Sarah

 

[1joester2]

I would think that starting in CA in the beginning of September, be-bopping around the northern USA working your way east, then south down the east coast, and returning the be-bopping west might work. You might be able to time it to catch the changing of the leaves and I would think the weather in general would be in your favor. Being late-season, the heat index should be lower in the southern states, you should miss the snow in the north, and there are usually lots of farmers' markets to pick up the freshest fruit and vegetables you could hope for.

It also gives you a year to plan the most amazing trip you can imagine.

There are many must-see parks and sights here. Plus, your children will be a touch older and would stand a better chance of remembering some of the trip.

Bring a camera, take more pictures than you think it's sane to. When you make your trip, be sure to update us as you can. With this forum being made up of many people who have and are traveling, I'm sure most members would love to offer suggestions on what to see and do in whatever part of the USA you are in.

If you haven't done this, get a large map of the USA and start putting pins on the parts you want to see. My wife and I did that prior to our cros country trip on '04 and it was very helpful in planning the route. Numbering the pins helps, and you can maintain a key to know what the site was and had to offer. Our trip was only a month, and we made it about 2/3 of the way around before we had to pull up anchor and head straight home to return to work. We ended up skipping some of the stuff we wanted to see in the 2/3 we covered.

If you plan a minimum of 3 months to travel, I really think you can see much of the USA and end up with a good taste of the land. You can also know what parts you want to explore more for future trips.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Three months is not a lot of time to drive & sight-see the route you want, which would probably be 12,000 miles or more.  Obviously you can rush around and cover the miles, but you can only hit the highlights that way.  Do you have a list of the places/attractions you really "must see" on your trip?  Saying Montana and New York doesn't narrow it down very much. Montana is 146,000 square miles. Not as big as New South Wales or Queensland, but you get the idea.

 

[seilerbird]

I agree with Gary. Three months would be insufficient to see the US. I think if you only have three months you should restrict your travels to the western US and plan on seeing the eastern US the next time you come. Covering more than 200 miles in a day gets to be a drag and you really won't see much. This is a really huge country and most of the National Parks are not located close to the Interstates so traveling is slow. I have been living in the National Parks for the last seven years and I have talked to a lot of foreigners. The one thing they all do wrong is try to see too much in too short a time span. They end up doing nothing but driving. The most classic quote I have heard is "We are having breakfast at Bryce Canyon, lunch at Zion and dinner in the Grand Canyon." If it's Tuesday it must be Belgium. Stop and smell the roses.

 

[1joester2]

It appears I should retract my post above regarging length f time.

I would take the advise of the full timers who meet more people than we do in our travels.

I must also remember I have an advantage... I live in New York and can plan several trips where you are undertaking a monumental voyage.

 

[Sarah]

Thanks so much for your suggestions.  I will keep you posted and I'm sure will have plenty of questions to ask.

 

[visch1]

VG info above. Before I planned a couple of my trips I luckily got a copy of ? 1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die? Well worth it with all the POIs, many I had never heard of. If it were me doing the trip I?d spend 90% of my time at the places written about.