A road trip from coast to coast is a popular pastime. It allows you to have a good time, learn many exciting things and see many sights. However, for such a trip to be perfect and memorable for a long time, it needs to be carefully planned. In our article, we will teach you how to do this and tell you which aspects should be given special attention.
Selecting and preparing a car
You don’t want to walk from coast to coast, so you’ll need a suitable car for your trip. It should meet several essential criteria, so you don’t encounter various troubles during the journey. First of all, it’s necessary to decide on the best model. For an extended family trip, choosing SUVs or station wagons is better. These cars will be comfortable for all event participants and have plenty of space for personal belongings that may be handy on vacation.
A roadster or a Gran Turismo class model is ideal for couples planning a romantic trip from coast to coast. Most often, they are expensive. Therefore, if you plan to minimize travel expenses, choose a vehicle at special online auctions. Lexus LC500 salvage cars and other popular models are sold at a significantly reduced price. This option will help you save a lot and leave a certain amount of money to pay for entertainment during the trip. For all other categories of travelers, the best option would be a sedan or some compact SUV.
When choosing a car for your trip, consider its economy. Otherwise, the travel costs will be high. Also, remember reliability because you won't find a car repair shop where you can fix a breakdown everywhere. Another vital criterion is safety. It should be as high as possible because anything can happen during a long trip. As a bonus, consider the presence of a large trunk, a modern audio system, and various options that simplify the driving process.
The car chosen for the trip should be purchased and prepared. To do this, you should check it for various faults and ensure the vehicle has undergone scheduled maintenance. Next, travelers need to remember about the spare wheel and the devices needed to replace it themselves. Finally, you should check the levels of various technical fluids in the car.
Finding the best route
An essential step in planning a coast-to-coast trip is choosing the best route. The quality of this work determines a lot, including your travel costs. The route should be selected considering the features of the road networks and the rules for crossing the borders of countries or states. At the same time, you should not try to make your route as short as possible since this option may be deprived of various advantages that a longer route has.
You should choose a large city as a starting point. It can become an interesting location for any traveler, and from its outskirts, it will be much easier to get to the selected highways. The end point of your route should also be one of the large cities. This is necessary so that it is easier to start the return journey or find another way to return home.
If you plan to travel in the United States and not enter the territory of other countries, then the best option would be to choose one of the popular routes. The first of them involves a trip from Seattle to Boston. It has a length of 3085 miles and crosses 13 states. Along the way, you will have something to see and where to have a good time. This option is also attractive because you must travel along Interstate 90, which does not have severe problems with the road surface.
The second popular route is laid between the cities of San Francisco and Teaneck (New Jersey). It goes along Interstate 80, so you will not need to turn anywhere. This road crosses 11 states and is more than 2.9 thousand miles long. The third popular route will be a trip from Chicago to Los Angeles along the famous Route 66. This legendary road is full of surprises. It crosses the borders of 8 states and has a length of 2,400 miles.
Planning stops along the way
Traveling from coast to coast will be boring if you do not stop at interesting places and iconic locations. In this regard, try to plan your trip so that you have time to visit various natural sites, explore architectural landmarks, relax in amusement parks, and do other similar activities. Your plan should also include stops in multiple metropolises and unusual cities you will encounter along the way, regardless of your chosen route.
Periodically breaking your train, you can take a break from long driving and enjoy everything this or that location offers. Do not refuse to visit local cafes and restaurants. In this case, you can try unique dishes served only in the territory of the region you are passing through. You can also make stops in unplanned places that will attract your attention. In general, ensuring that you and your fellow travelers experience true pleasure from the trip, not just driving from one coast to the other, is essential.
Booking accommodation
If you do not plan to use a motorhome during your trip, you will definitely need to find a place to stay overnight in advance. When choosing accommodation, you should focus on the most conveniently located hotels (located near your route), the cost of which corresponds to your financial capabilities. Having found such a situation, it is recommended that you book a room to avoid a situation where there is a lack of free places and the need to spend the night in a car.
You should consider campsites equipped specifically for travelers as an alternative to hotels. There are many of them on any popular route, so you will not have problems finding the best place to spend the night. This option is the most profitable from various points of view. By choosing it, you can save money and spend the night in the company of the same travelers. You may even be able to make new acquaintances and find good friends with whom it will be pleasant to plan your next trip.
Collecting necessary items
The final stage of planning a coast-to-coast trip should involve collecting items that may be useful on the road. First, ensure at least two navigation devices in the car. Without them, you are highly likely to get lost and miss the planned stop. Next, you need to take water and food for a light snack. Ideally, these should be carried in a mini-fridge or a unique bag that can retain the cold.
Anything can happen during a trip, so do not forget to have a complete first aid kit in the car. The kit should contain not only standard medications and first aid equipment but also medications that each participant in the event may need. You should also include painkillers, antipyretics and sorbents.
The complete list of items needed for the trip should be supplemented with a change of clothes, hygiene products, and sound devices such as flashlights, power banks, and others. In addition, it is mandatory to have documents and cash in the car or in the pockets of the travel participants. Do not forget about the key participant of the trip—your car. To service it, you need to take with you dozens of different items that may be useful in one situation or another.
Traveling from coast to coast is one of the best vacation options. All of its participants will remember this event for a long time, and it will give everyone unforgettable emotions. During its planning, you need to choose the right car and the optimal route, determine stops in the most attractive places, book accommodation, collect the necessary personal items and study the features of visiting each location in detail. Such measures will help avoid troubles along the way and make your trip ideal.
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