Driving across the country, FL to CA

[Lbelle]

In May I'm going to need to move from Gainesville, FL to Los Angeles, CA. I am wondering other than "pack up and drive" if anyone has any comments/suggestions on how to go about it? I was thinking of just packing up and driving, figuring it will cost about 5-600 dollars on gas, food, lodging.

My family also suggested that it might be an idea if I had my car shipped/my things shipped and then take a plane to get there myself. This would be easier but cost much more (around $1300 probably) but I'm not exactly sure how much it would cost to ship all my belongings. It would cost around $700 for the car alone, plus $200 for a plane ticket, so the rest of that $1300 estimate is for shipping my things, but not sure if that is accurate.

So basically I'm just looking for general comments about driving across the country. Any things worth seeing, any places along the way worth eating at, etc. I know I'm making this topic way too far in advance but I'd like to get this planned out sooner than later so I'm not stressing out when the time comes to actually get there.

My mom also mentioned she might want to come with me, but that's not set in stone yet either.

The one place I REALLY want to go to on my way to LA is the Grand Canyon, but I heard it's like 5 hours out of the way or something. But I think it would be awesome, so I'd like to see it.

[Beckwin]

take a route that goes around texas

grand canyon wouldn't be too far out of the way if you get in I-40 (which goes directly to LA). About 1.5-2hrs each way?

[SephYuyX]

Drive. And instead of making it a torturous event just by thinking 'omg its going to take x days to do this', make a vaction out of it. Like you said, take in the views. Itll take much longer, and cost much more, but stop at numerous places, and make it fun.

Instead of taking a few days to just drive straight through, go out of your way, take a couple weeks and stop everywhere and take your time.

[Lbelle]

I don't have the luxury of being able to take weeks and take my time and pay for extra things. I want to get out there ASAP and find an apartment and a job. I'd like to take in sights that will be on the way, but the grand canyon is the only thing that I really want to go really far out of the way to see.

[FNH]

going alone will be terrible.

[SephYuyX]

Youre moving there and dont have a job lined up, or at least an apt. :E?
Good luck >.>;

Driving solo + straight through with few stops = your best bet then.
Bring lots of CDs to listen to.

[archibaldcrane]

I did it alone, from Miami to LA, same situation as you, car loaded with stuff. Left in the afternoon of day 1, slept in the Florida Panhandle, day 2 drove to the middle of texas somewhere, day 3 to Phoenix, day 4 got to LA in the afternoon.

It's really a pretty worthless drive, other than some cool rock formations in ...New Mexico I think?

The entirety of the Texas drive is insanely boring.

[Lbelle]

I'm going to stay with a friend/family in LA while I find an apt, and am currently looking for a job right now. I'm not moving there until May 3rd ish and not graduating until April 30th, so I have a while to plan this out.

[archibaldcrane]

Youre moving there and dont have a job lined up, or at least an apt. :E?
Good luck >.>;

It's the only way to do L.A.!

[SamanosukeShiva]

i did that with my family few years ago except it's from CA->FL, was really fun. Having someone to go with definitely helps

[Scythiroth]

I actually did this recently (FL to NV), and it was much easier than I thought it would be. It was pretty boring to do alone though, especially when you get to deserts.

I just plotted my route on google maps, decided how many hours a day I could drive without staying up way too long (risking falling asleep at the wheel would be really bad). For me, I just went with about 10-12 hours a day, which also let me not drive much at night (not really scared of driving at night or anything, just felt it would make me more tired or something after driving all day already). Also, I found some cheap hotels to stay at in major cities on my route before actually starting my trip.

I don't really have any advice for scenic stuff on your way, since I just went straight to my destination. Oh, and I mostly just had fast food for lunch and dinner, which really isn't great for you, was just trying to be as cheap as possible. =/ Be very careful with gas stations, sometimes there aren't any for 50+ miles, and if your vehicle is a gas hog, that could be scary.

edit: Oh, forgot to mention, I had just printed out the directions and glanced that them every once in a while, which, I know is a horrible thing to do while driving, but I didn't get lost once. ;x

[Tyche]

I drove 13 hours from KY to orlando last week (even through Gainesville!). I thought that drive was fucking brutal.

[Kkel]

I've driven across the country plenty of times now (MA > CA, CA > FL, NY > NV, NV > MA, etc etc) in all different kinds of vehicles. The fastest i did it was in 3.5 days (Los Angeles > Las Vegas, Las Vegas > Houston, Houston > Mobile, Mobile > Miami Beach). That trip could have gone faster, but i was driving an H2 hauling a 12' trailer.

Some major things to consider are:

1. What kind of vehicle are you driving? This is also related to your driving experience. Moving trucks, like standard Ryder/U-Haul/Budget 10'-20' have pretty poor gas mileage and low top speeds. This means slower overall travel time and more stops for gas. If you're not accustomed to driving larger vehicles you'll have to take extra caution when driving, especially through urban centers. They're not like driving cars. Know what roads you can and cannot utilize if you're hauling a trailer. Know what roads you can and cannot use if you're driving an excessively heavy vehicle.

2. What route are you taking? There are multiple major routes across the country. Usually weather plays a huge part in what route you take. If the weather is going to be colder during your trip, stick to a southern route like RT40. Icy conditions + northern mountains + trucks = bad news. If it's going to be warmer for your drive, you may want to take a more northern route, like RT70, to avoid the insane heat of desert driving in places like Arizona and New Mexico. Make sure you have change and small bills for tolls no matter what route you take.

3. Where are you stopping? Plan your trip in bursts. Set waypoints and destinations. Know your limits. It's easy to say "I can drive for 10 hours, no problem." but that will change pretty quickly depending on the vehicle you're driving and the route you're taking. If you are on a time limit, try and break up long and short stretches to avoid burn-out. I never stop in major cities if i'm driving a truck. I'll always either push past or stop just short, especially at night. It's not worth the hassle in a large vehicle. Set main destination goals, but also have a over/under secondaries in-case you feel good to push or need to stop early.

4. What do you need to make it? I'm a no-frills hotel guy. I just need a bed and hot water and i'm set. I don't like spending more than $30 a night on a room. Not everyone travels like that though, so know what you need to be ready for the next days drive. Internet? Breakfast? 6 hours of sleep? 10 hours of sleep? Make sure you have things like drinking water in your vehicle at all times. Get an idea about local traffic from the hotel folks so you can plan to leave a little early or late if need be.

Just be prepared. Don't take unnecessary risks, especially if it's obvious that you have a vehicle full of personal items. I always back my truck up right to the front door of my hotel room. Make sure you have a solid lock. Don't leave things in the cab. Etc. Etc.

It can be a fun trip, definitely worth making at least once in your life. Just be smart about it.

[Zeb]

I-10 is boring as fuck once you hit Texas. Take stops regularily, it will help it so you don't zone out while driving. If you're comfortable driving at night, I would suggest trying to do the majority of it then, especially through Houston. If you plan on towing a vehicle behind a U-Haul, use a trailer. I don't remember the cops being assholes about speeding along I-10.

[Lbelle]

@Kkel I'm going to be taking a 2001 kia sportage, it's not too big. Kind of like a mini SUV if I had to describe it. I'm actually super nervous about staying in hotel/motels by myself and my shit getting stolen.

[chellebell]

I actually just moved from Ft. Lauderdale to L.A. a couple months ago. I suggest just taking the plane and shipping your car along with your stuff. It cost about $500 to ship my car, I actually put most of my stuff inside my car so it didn't cost much to ship the rest of my crap that I couldn't fit in my car.

And by the way the weather here on L.A is so much better than Florida, and traffic sucks..

[guartz]

pull over and rest once you get tunnel vision.

[Weiing]

I recently moved from Michigan back to California (Orange County :D ) with my now fiance. I have a 2005 Honda Accord, so a sedan...not big or anything. But we were able to tow a U-Haul trailer. It wasn't too expensive...and all our stuff that we decided to keep fit into our trunk and trailer. As a precaution, we bought a lock that could not be cut so easily. So if you decide to get a trailer or rent a truck or something, buying a good lock (wasn't that expensive) would be a good investment, too. We also did what Kkel said, about backing our car/trailer close to our room or in a spot where it would be impossible for someone to jack the trailer.

Good luck driving the whole way though by yourself if you do. It'll probably be really tiresome and boring. We had a general idea of our route, and I would use my Verizon navigator to get our directions. We decided to go the northern route and pass by Yellowstone, rather than the southern or middle America route. We did stop by Grand Canyon though. It's not too far off course to LA. I think if you do drive, it'll be a fun experience. It's always fun to stop by those really lame tourist traps! A fun indulgence.

I used http://www.roadtripusa.com/ to get a general idea of the route I wanted to take...and like I said before, I used my Verizon navigator/GPS to guide us. May not have that luxury, but google maps or mapquest or whatever will do. I just used my GPS to be more flexible in my roadtrip, because sometimes things don't go as planned...good things!

Hope you are able to plan something fun! And have a safe trip in May!

[Daydreamer]

Have you thought about seeing if you could stay with BG members that you've known for a while along the way? It'd save a lot of money and you would probably feel more secure if they are people you've known for a while and would trust.

[Lbelle]

I'd feel safer in a motel than with people from BG