So I am driving across the country on monday

JacheOReally

JacheOReally

Active member
New Hampshire to Lake Tahoe for college, any tips? Never road tripped before, maybe like to places in NY and stuff but never like this. I really just want to get word from anyone that has experience. I am a little nervous, how much should I drive a day? I am going one with one other friend, we were thinking 10 hours a day? we would camp untill like CO and get a hotel, and then get another hotel maybe in SLC just so we can be rested and clean by the time we get to school. I budgeted 9-10 days, I think I have to be there on the 17th or so. Anyway, let me know, thanks.
 
My entire family went New hampshire to Idaho in 5 days, brought our cats too haha. It was pretty cool.
 
My threads cause I'm planning to do a road trip this winter. I got some tips too:

Brings lots of food cause eating 3 meals a day at restaurants is expensive and pretty useless.

Bring a GPS if you can, can make you save a lot of time.

Download a lot of new music to listen during the drive, your old songs can get boring.

Stop to see some nice attractions sometimes, staying in a car all day can get so boring.

Bring a lot of water in bottles, I mean a huge amount. If you can't find a place to stay, you'll be able to sleep in your car and wash your body/teeth with that water.

Set a bed in the back of the car if you have enough space. If one of you can sleep while the other one is driving, you'll be able to drive more than 10 hours a day easily.
 
this made me laugh, So the bed in the back is probably out of the question, I have a jeep cherokee from like 99, and A) my trunk doesnt open and B) I will have a buck of shit for college in the back. But great tips, I will definitely remember food and water, that sounds key. the more feedback the better
 
obviously lots of music is key, tobacoo/grass if youre into that, lots of drinks/snacks/sunflower seeds or whatever. what ive been into lately when im driving is listening to books on tape, very solid way to pass the time in a car
 
ive made the drive from jersey to colorado a couple times, gonna be making it again monday. the only things i can think of is get a 24 pack of soda (cheaper than red bull, and if you drink it fast it wakes you up), put your ipod on shuffle( keeps you kinda stoked for the next song, like the radio i guess but all music you like), and take pictures.
enjoy it dude
 
this isn't very helpful but somewhat relates

my buddy just biked from Michigan to NY then all the way over to Seattle, WA in a little over two months. He's heading back to Idaho right now. he's pretty crazy.
 
i drove from north carolina to big sky by myself last fall and did 12 hours a day, so with 2 people you can definitely do more than 10 if you want to. have a camera with you because you are going to see a lot of cool stuff along they way. new music is crucial and as others have mentioned bring lots of snacks.

oh and don't stress, just relax and have fun with it man, it'll be a good time
 
My brother fell asleep while driving back from Mexico last winter and totaled his friends car. It was really scary. So if you get tired, stop driving because it's not worth it.(unless your one of those radical dudes that likes doing Xtreme stuff!)
 
Last summer, I drove from CO to Maryland with my girlfriend. We went straight through, it was liiike 30 hours total I think.
we left in the morning, drove all day, I drank like 2 monster dranks at like 2am and 4am for that shift, and we were both almost falling asleep at the wheel by the end, but we managed all right.
Not recommended, but def. doable.
If you camp in CO (I assume you'll be on I-70) go up the road past keystone and you can camp for free in the trees up there its pretty nice.
 
bring a road atlas, screw the GPS.
it isn't really that long. You can make the drive in 4 days easy.
Drive fast and long across the plains. It is boooooooring, but you do appreciate the subtle things.
Lots of food
Lots of drink
It really isn't that big of a drive, so it goes by pretty quick.
 
I was talking to one of my HS teachers, he said go the northern route, I-80, but I really wanted to stay in boulder for a day, anyone know where the "northern route" takes you?
 
it's nbd man, you could take nothing and you would be fine. Just keep an eye on how much gas you have especially once you get out in the midwest. i've done a couple 10-12 hour days as the only driver this summer and it's not bad but you need to drink coffee or you will fall asleep and aliens will lift up your car and teleport you into the middle of a field while you are napping. I'm driving colorado springs to seattle next week, that drive is 1500 miles and I do it in less than 2 days so you could definitely do yours in 4 days if you aren't worrying about sightseeing.
 
my family went from eastern new york(albany) to western montana(missoula) in 3 days, you should be able dick around quite a bit in 9-10 days
 
Interstate_80_map.png

Looks like you actually miss colorado completely on I-80.
 
in cheyenne get off i80 and head south on i25 then take 119 west to boulder, then to get to tahoe from there just take 93 south from boulder to i70 then head west.
 
Wish I could do a cross country drive like that. 8 hour drive and I'm in Scotland and that's it. Then I'd turn around and come back home...
 
If you take a detour and head north for about an hour depending on traffic you can check out Chicago for a day.
 
i-80 through nebraska is more interesting than i-70 through kansas, which is the most boring stretch of road ever. i did i-80 and then dropped down into denver. farther east, i stopped at the baseball hall of fame and niagara falls, both of which weren't far off i-90. i spent some time in chicago, which was awesome. be spontaneous and stop at all the dumb roadside attractions, like the world's largest prarie dog and stuff like that. you've given yourself a ton of time so take it slow.
 
A couple of things.

You should make some plans of ideas of things you want to see, a general idea of how you want to go across. Don't be afraid to take a detour, go down that scenic route, or drive out of your way to see something people told you about. If you need maps or get lost there are plenty of travel centers everywhere, especially by any state boarder. I would advise hitting up AAA for some maps before you start. Def would advise being a member of AAA or some other motor club just in case. I've had to use it all over the country before.

Go ahead and talk to people in different states, there are some cool fucking people out there. Ask them if they know of any legit places that you should stop and see, or any scenic routes.

Like I said make some sort of a game plan, because you in no way have to stick to it. But it's nice to have some sort of plan to fall back on when you're driving 25 hundo miles.

Best of luck. Oh and drive the speed limit for sure.
 
I would just say take your time and enjoy it. You have tons of time it sounds like. Me and my dad did Maine to Florida this past April. On the way home he drove 26 hours straight. It blew ass. Look around and enjoy it rather than just get through it as fast as possible.
 
Maintain your car! Before the trip make sure everything is in decent condition. Brakes, brake fluid, tires, wiper fluid, OIL, air filter, blah blah blaaah, all that stuff. Without a working car you're not making it too far into the trip. Maybe bring some extra oil too.

Oh, and lots of good music.
 
Coming from someone who drives back and forth from CO to WI quite a few times a year... NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE TELLS YOU, DO NOTTTT BUY ADDERALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I actually have ADHD and take adderall on a daily basis, HOWEVER, I NEVER take it on road trips. It makes it seem like it lasts soooooo much longer because you are just so concentrated on driving and getting there that it's not fun at all. You can't day dream, you can't do anything but sit and stare at the road. It's fucking HORRIBLE. Don't take it. It will be much more manageable when you're not on it and if you want to stay awake more just take 5 hour energy.

We drive 16 hours from CO to WI in a day and that is pretty much pushing it. I wouldn't do much more than that, especially if this is your first time.

Don't be nervous though, it's just driving. It's boring as fuck. I have a few friends that drive from NY to CO and from WI to NV all the time. Message me if you want their names so you can ask them what it's like.
 
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