CehuliĆ Family After Whole Europe Road Trip Planning To Do Same In Usa

[bolinoga]

Hi

 

My family and I have already completed our whole europe road trip.

 

In next few years we would like to do the same thing in USA & CANADA

 

Links to pages of people who already has such experience or any other kind of support will be welcome.

 

 

If chiefs of this forum see more apropriate place to this thread feel free to move it

[DennyG]

Wow! That certainly makes crossing the occasional state line seem mild. Here are two sites that I'm aware of that describe concentrated efforts to cover the country. http://www.roundamerica.com/ is from a couple doing it in about half a year and http://www.all50corvette.com is from a guy doing it in a couple of months in advance of the Corvette's 50th anniversary.

 

Looking forward to yours.

[bolinoga]

thank you for excellent links

exactly what we need

 

because of our jobs we can spend about 1 month yearly for trips

that’s why our basic plan is to do big USA trip in 3 parts starting august next year

 

after all kilometers we have done there is not any fear of trip itself

but because of oversea location there is some additional things to prepare regarding

car renting, buying equipment (we are using tents), visas....

 

but there are some good things making road trips in usa:

do you now that you have twice cheaper gasoline

Edited November 7, 2007 by bolinoga

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

thank you for excellent links

exactly what we need

 

because of our jobs we can spend about 1 month yearly for trips

that’s why our basic plan is to do big USA trip in 3 parts starting august next year

 

after all kilometers we have done there is not any fear of trip itself

but because of oversea location there is some additional things to prepare regarding

car renting, buying equipment (we are using tents), visas....

 

but there are some good things making road trips in usa:

do you now that you have twice cheaper gasoline

 

Bolinoga,

 

 

Welcome to the American Road Forum! (Dobrodošli na Amerikanac Cesta Forum!)

 

I enjoyed the photos of your travels (JA uživati fotografija od tvoj kurzirati).

 

We have members in many places in the USA. (Moramo članstvo in mnogobrojan mjesto in SAD.)

 

Let us know how we can help with your USA travel plans. (Pustiti nas znati kako mi može pomoć sa vašim SAD kurzirati planira.)

 

Keep the Show on the Road! (Držati pokazivanje naprijed!)

[usroadman]

You could actually visit all 50 states in a week if you really wanted to ... http://www.barrystiefel.com/50_states_in_a...ks_vacation.htm ... Of course you wouldn't see much more than highway (and much of that would be in the dark).

 

More seriously, when I was on a trip about 10 years ago I stumbled upon this book http://www.roadtripusa.com/index.html which I have found to be pretty reliable. The author's taste and my taste seem to be pretty well aligned. I have pictures of my own travels around the US at http://www.usroadman.com , if you want to see some different parts of the country.

 

In general, I'd recommend avoiding the Interstate highways (the one's with the red, white, and blue shields) for at least part of your trip and taking the two-lane state & US highways so you get to see the real US and not just the sameness of our super-highway system (although I guess in some ways that consistency is uniquely American too). For car rentals I usually go with the big national chains like Hertz, Avis, National, and Dollar so I know I can find an office at the next city in case there is a problem with the car (I've made them give me a different car on a number of occasions). Most of these probably have an office in your home country so you can ask them what their requirements are for renting in the US. Camping equipment should be easy to find at pretty much any sporting goods store. I'm not sure what's required to get a tourist visa, but this website should tell you http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/index.html .

 

Yes, although the price of gasoline has tripled here in the US over the last 10 years or so, it is still much cheaper than in most of the world, and the exchange rate is VERY favorable for visitors so you'll probably find most things very inexpensive. Bring some extra luggage so you can bring stuff back home.

 

Enjoy your visit, and let us know if you have any questions we can try to help with.

[DennyG]

I thought of a couple of other sites but one was temporarily "lost" (it moved) and another has some real linkage issues. Maybe you'll find these useful in spite of the problems.

 

As you no doubt know, Route 66 draws quite a few people from outside the USA. In fact, the web's oldest Route 66 site ( http://www.historic66.com ) belongs to Belgian Swa Frantzen who has considerable experience traveling Sixty-Six and beyond.

 

Kathryn & Darren from Australia have driven Sixty-Six at least twice. Kathryn's blog ( http://gettingmykicks.wordpress.com/ ) includes those trips in May 2005 and June 2007. The blog has been moved and photo links no longer work. I suppose that might eventually be fixed but don't really know.

 

The third site has the greatest variety (and potential) but also has the greatest problems. http://koshi-net.com/driving/ is the work of a Japanese couple who have traveled several US routes (e.g., Lincoln Highway, US-80, Yellowstone Trail, US-66) as well as Australia, Canada, etc. I recall paging through at least the Lincoln Highway and Route 66 photo journals but links to those are currently broken. Maybe it will be repaired or maybe someone here understands enough Japanese to sort something out.

 

I have email out to Kathryn and Koshi asking about repairs or alternatives.

[DennyG]

You could actually visit all 50 states in a week if you really wanted to ... http://www.barrystiefel.com/50_states_in_a...ks_vacation.htm ...

Even though this is exactly the opposite of my current idea of an enjoyable road trip, I really appreciate what the guy did. As a younger and even more foolish fellow I might have considered it.

[DennyG]

I had an old address for Toshio Koshimizu's website. He provided the correct one ( http://isao-net.com/driving/ ) in a prompt and friendly reply to my question. I also heard from Kathryn who says there isn't all that much photo space provided by WordPress. She intends to post the photos elsewhere but (and we can all relate to this:-) there "never seems enough hours in my day".

 

With the exception of roundamerica.com, I've met or had email contact with the owners of each of the websites I've mentioned and am confident that any would welcome a question or two.

[bolinoga]

thanks for all three of you

 

lot of links makes me so busy that you should wait so long for my reply

colorfol and easy-to-read site of japan couple is very nice

 

Right now (here is sunday early evening) I am exploring “to rent” or “to buy” car solutions in USA

 

Do you have any suggestions?

 

more about our way of traveling

 

We are using tents because during our Europe trips we found out that minivan & tents is winning combination for such projects

 

Almost all European cities have nearby center facilities for campers and tents with good public transport connection

 

If you have smaller car there is possibility for car city tours (we prefer Sundays) which is impossible to do with RV-s

 

After all 10 or 15 minutes of setting up tent is quiet good

recreation after half thousand kilometers ride

 

It was quiet easy for us to do trips in Europe because we have used our own small minivan (mazda premacy).

Edited November 11, 2007 by bolinoga

[Alex Burr - hester_nec]

thanks for all three of you

 

lot of links makes me so busy that you should wait so long for my reply

colorfol and easy-to-read site of japan couple is very nice

 

Right now (here is sunday early evening) I am exploring “to rent” or “to buy” car solutions in USA

 

Do you have any suggestions?

 

more about our way of traveling

 

We are using tents because during our Europe trips we found out that minivan & tents is winning combination for such projects

 

Almost all European cities have nearby center facilities for campers and tents with good public transport connection

 

If you have smaller car there is possibility for car city tours (we prefer Sundays) which is impossible to do with RV-s

 

After all 10 or 15 minutes of setting up tent is quiet good

recreation after half thousand kilometers ride

 

It was quiet easy for us to do trips in Europe because we have used our own small minivan (mazda premacy).

 

 

Y'all find yourself in the Memphis area, let us know (email to hester_nec@yahoo.com) and we'll try to get together and show you around the area.

 

Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

Memphis, TN

P. S. If your pitching tents I got one heck of a big back yard over here. LOL

Edited November 12, 2007 by Alex Burr - hester_nec

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

thanks for all three of you

 

lot of links makes me so busy that you should wait so long for my reply

colorfol and easy-to-read site of japan couple is very nice

 

Right now (here is sunday early evening) I am exploring “to rent” or “to buy” car solutions in USA

 

Do you have any suggestions?

 

more about our way of traveling

 

We are using tents because during our Europe trips we found out that minivan & tents is winning combination for such projects

 

Almost all European cities have nearby center facilities for campers and tents with good public transport connection

 

If you have smaller car there is possibility for car city tours (we prefer Sundays) which is impossible to do with RV-s

 

After all 10 or 15 minutes of setting up tent is quiet good

recreation after half thousand kilometers ride

 

It was quiet easy for us to do trips in Europe because we have used our own small minivan (mazda premacy).

 

I have no idea how you might benefit by buying. Perhaps someone else knows.

 

Automobile rentals in the USA are relatively inexpensive and you can usually get a bargain if you book online. As has been said before, stick with one of the name bigger companies such as Avis, Hertz, Budget, etc. I would reserve the smallest vehicle that I could use. At least half the time they don’t have it available, and the company will give you an upgraded (larger) vehicle for the same price. I reserved a compact car a few weeks ago and ended up with a luxury sedan for the price of the compact.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

[DennyG]

Your post reminded me of a website from a fellow who chose "to buy" in 2005. He wanted to drive a classic American car around the country and bought a 1963 Buick Riviera. Of course, your situation is entirely different but you may find some value in his experience with insurance, registration, etc. plus the actual trip is pretty entertaining. The site is http://www.ealees.com/roadtrip/index.html

 

I know I have seen a few discussions of a buy vs. rent nature and, although I don't remember details, it seems they usually end in favor of renting. Then they often move onto one-way vs. round-trip comparisons. A trip down Route 66 is what's often involved the discussions I recall and your situation is quite a bit different from those, too. One big difference is the fact that you are planning multiple visits in advance. My hunch is that storage and maintenance would eat up any savings over rental but I certainly don't know that.

[bolinoga]

....and the winner is renting!

 

Y'all find yourself in the Memphis area, let us know (email to hester_nec@yahoo.com) and we'll try to get together and show you around the area.

 

Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

Memphis, TN

P. S. If your pitching tents I got one heck of a big back yard over here. LOL

 

Memphis, TN is already marked on our MUST GO THERE MAP

 

OK let me describe how we are making a plan for trip

 

1 – GENERAL IDEA

After Europe trips it was quiet normal to go overseas making our trips, but we have had a big problem with this – my wife is afraid of flaying with planes! We have discussed this subject a lot and finally found out solution: a proper amount of vodka with will keep her cool during flight. Green light for planning is now ON!

 

2 – MUST GO THERE MAP

According to our information of selected area we are pitching the markers on

MUST GO THERE MAP for places we would like to visit. Each member of our team can put as many as want places on the map, but should prepare information regarding this place. This very interesting part because we are learning lot about places we will visit. European education makes our knowledge about overseas countries quiet poor and some tips from natives are always very useful.

 

3 - ITINERERY

Connecting the marked places on the map within a circuit we will get itinerary of a trip.

Distance between places should not exceed 700 km of driving within one day. In selected places (towns or same nature monuments) we are staying 1 to max 3 days. This system produce some10000 km of driving for one month trip. After finishing this part of the project there will be a lot of places which won’t be in itinerary but we will have much more knowledge about them than before.

Edited November 12, 2007 by bolinoga

[bolinoga]

Future Europe travelers may find out useful

our Europe camping page with one click links to

over 50 campsites in Europe where we have been.

 

 

 

Just flip over the Europe map and click on the circle

[usroadman]

Almost all European cities have nearby center facilities for campers and tents with good public transport connection

 

If you have smaller car there is possibility for car city tours (we prefer Sundays) which is impossible to do with RV-s

 

Keep in mind most American cities have pretty limited public transportation, often just buses. The large older cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, and Washington DC are exceptions and have pretty extensive public transportation, but most other cities you'll probably want to visit by car. The good news is that most cities except those above are pretty easy to drive in, especially on a weekend. Most cities have relatively wide, well marked streets. So while I agree driving on city streets in an RV isn't much fun, even a large American car would be fine.

 

For those cities that do have good public transportation, I think you'll have a hard time finding tent camping nearby. It's been a long time since I've been camping, so maybe I'm just not aware of the places, but most places I know of are in rural areas, and the suburbs surrounding many cities extend out a long way.

 

2 – MUST GO THERE MAP

According to our information of selected area we are pitching the markers on

MUST GO THERE MAP for places we would like to visit. Each member of our team can put as many as want places on the map, but should prepare information regarding this place. This very interesting part because we are learning lot about places we will visit. European education makes our knowledge about overseas countries quiet poor and some tips from natives are always very useful.

 

This sounds like a great idea. From the Europeans I've known well (mostly Germans and Austrians), European education far exceeds American education when it comes to learning about other places and cultures. (I'll bet most Americans can't find your country on a map.) So don't worry too much about lack of knowledge.

 

Some of the parts of the country I really like (in no particular order):

Connecticut River Valley in Vermont and New Hampshire (north of White River Jct.) - Beautiful scenery and quaint small New England towns.

Champlain Islands in Vermont (northwest of Burlington) - More great scenery, mountains and water.

Central and Western New York State - Lots of history related to curing social injustices. Was home to many women and men who led the fight for women's rights (especially the right to vote).

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - I think the inclined railways are kind of cool.

Beckley, West Virginia - I went on a coal mine tour here that I thought was really neat.

Ohio - For some reason I really like most places in Ohio, I'm not sure why. Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, and all of the farmland in between (and the rolling hills in the south). Also a famous old amusement park in Sandusky.

Middlebury, Indiana - Good place to get a feel for Amish life.

Islamorada, Florida - Lots of ocean in the Florida Keys, and much less crowded than Key West.

Quincy, Illinois - Old Mississippi River town.

Waterloo, Iowa - The tours of the John Deere factories (tractor assembly plant and engine plant) are neat and free.

Nebraska - Kansas border - The farms just stretch on and on and on.

Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming - One of my favorite mountain areas, pretty scenery, not many people. More famous stuff to the east (Devil's Tower) and the west (Yellowstone National Park), but makes for a nice quiet ride.

 

(I could probably go on for about 8 more pages. I guess one of the key things is, often the most interesting things to see aren't where I expected them to be.)

 

 

Memphis, TN is already marked on our MUST GO THERE MAP

 

If New York makes it onto the map and you'd like someone to show you around we may be able to meet up. It's always fun to see the City through someone else's eyes. I live about 150km north of New York (a few km from President Roosevelt's home and library if you're in to WWII stuff) and used to work in the City. I actually do live within walking distance of the train into New York (runs every hour), but my yard isn't all that large and I live in a National Historic District so I don't think my neighbors (or wife) would be too happy with someone tenting out back, sorry. It still would be fun to show you around though, and I do enjoy the train ride into New York.

 

Have fun planning your trip.