Traveling Cross Country About This Page:

[elisa1006]

Let me begin by saying all of these hypotheticals will take place in 2017. For most people, I'd be looked at crazy.. but I know I'm right at home here with all the megga planners.

Depending on which month in 2017, my girls will be ages 16, 11, 9 OR 16, 12, 10. They are wanting *right now* to visit cars land in Disneyland. But we are going to WDW in 2014 (haven't been since 2010) so I figure it'll have to be 2017 before another large trip. (bc of dh, not me of course )

We will be starting in Baton Rouge, LA. I figure if we are going to visit Disneyland, we will visit several popular places along the way. (dh says do you have ANY idea how many days that'll take. lol.)

My thoughts thus far:

Grand Canyon
San Fransisco
Hollywood
Disneyland


That's all I got so far. My dd11 asked me today if I have more plans yet. LOL. She is taking after me on the planning I suppose.

If you were going to drive cross country... where would you stop?

[chezp]

I certainly like what you've got already. I'm no expert, being from the other side of the pond but I know I've got stops in Texas (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and some of the national parks) and New Mexico (again national parks, Alburquerque and Roswell (for DH )) on my radar for trips "one day".

[DisneyWitch]

I'm from CA - born & raised...spent almost 15 years in Northern and another 10 years in Southern CA. I've driven across country a few times...once to Minnesota (where I spent 3 1/2 years before the cold sucked my will to live), and once to my current home in Maryland/Washington DC where I've been since 2000. Don't you DARE count up all those numbers to see how old I am!

First of all - sounds like a fun trip you have planned! Your DH is right, however...you may want to consider how many days to plan for this. I think Grand Canyon is a great choice! Expect to spend at least a day here. Same with Dollywood. Don't underestimate how much driving can take out of you. When I did my trips (and I was in my 20's at that point), I thought "Meh...I'm just sitting on my duff the whole time, how tired can I get?", but the mental fatigue can be pretty rough, especially after multiple days. Prepare to go MUCH slower than estimated, and take a lot of potty / sightseeing / coffee / rest / walking food breaks. As women, I would also suggest that safety is of utmost concern, so try not to do a lot of driving at nights.

My biggest concern is that you want to see San Francisco (my home town!), then go to Animalheim...er...Anaheim for DL fun or to Hollywood. Please note that the FASTEST driving route between San Francisco & the LA/Orange County area will take you at least 7-8 nonstop hours on the road - I think that's I-5. And you do NOT want to take the fast route, because it is BO-RING! It's a straight shot and has nothing to see. You want to take a more scenic, more coastal route. It's a once in a lifetime trip, right? So...budget on at least 10 hours driving, counting in a few stops to check out the beautiful vistas. If you take Route 1 - Pacific Coast Highway - you will be hugging the coast and there will be tons of opportunities to see the ocean, which is really beautiful. Just between Northern & Southern CA, it will be a full day of traveling.

I think the ideas that the PP gave are awesome as well!

For everything you want to do, and figuring you'll spend at least 3 days in DL, I'd budget no less than 3 weeks. You might want to consider, if you don't already have it, a membership in AAA - they have great discounts (and an app to help you find them!), and they have really good trip planning guides. I found that they are as good, if not better, than anything Google has.

Hope this helps!! Planning is sometimes as much fun as the actual trip!

[Huntermom]

How long do you have? When my kids were a bit younger than yours will be we flew into LA (and spent a little time at DL) and then did an 11 day trip up to San Fransisco, stopping in Monterey for three days and stopping in Santa Barbara and Pinnacle National Park on the way to Monterey and a state par to see redwoods on the way to SF. It was a very full eleven days.

Also, I really enjoyed B.M.'s recent trip report on her cross country trip. It might give you some ideas.

[elisa1006]

Originally Posted by chezp

I certainly like what you've got already. I'm no expert, being from the other side of the pond but I know I've got stops in Texas (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and some of the national parks) and New Mexico (again national parks, Alburquerque and Roswell (for DH )) on my radar for trips "one day".

Well, you may be from the other side of the pond, but you have seen more then me. hehe I will have to go back and reread your trip report from when you made a lot of stops across the country. And i like what you have on your radar for the furture.

Originally Posted by DisneyWitch

I'm from CA - born & raised...spent almost 15 years in Northern and another 10 years in Southern CA. I've driven across country a few times...once to Minnesota (where I spent 3 1/2 years before the cold sucked my will to live), and once to my current home in Maryland/Washington DC where I've been since 2000. Don't you DARE count up all those numbers to see how old I am!

First of all - sounds like a fun trip you have planned! Your DH is right, however...you may want to consider how many days to plan for this. I think Grand Canyon is a great choice! Expect to spend at least a day here. Same with Dollywood. Don't underestimate how much driving can take out of you. When I did my trips (and I was in my 20's at that point), I thought "Meh...I'm just sitting on my duff the whole time, how tired can I get?", but the mental fatigue can be pretty rough, especially after multiple days. Prepare to go MUCH slower than estimated, and take a lot of potty / sightseeing / coffee / rest / walking food breaks. As women, I would also suggest that safety is of utmost concern, so try not to do a lot of driving at nights.

My biggest concern is that you want to see San Francisco (my home town!), then go to Animalheim...er...Anaheim for DL fun or to Hollywood. Please note that the FASTEST driving route between San Francisco & the LA/Orange County area will take you at least 7-8 nonstop hours on the road - I think that's I-5. And you do NOT want to take the fast route, because it is BO-RING! It's a straight shot and has nothing to see. You want to take a more scenic, more coastal route. It's a once in a lifetime trip, right? So...budget on at least 10 hours driving, counting in a few stops to check out the beautiful vistas. If you take Route 1 - Pacific Coast Highway - you will be hugging the coast and there will be tons of opportunities to see the ocean, which is really beautiful. Just between Northern & Southern CA, it will be a full day of traveling.

I think the ideas that the PP gave are awesome as well!

For everything you want to do, and figuring you'll spend at least 3 days in DL, I'd budget no less than 3 weeks. You might want to consider, if you don't already have it, a membership in AAA - they have great discounts (and an app to help you find them!), and they have really good trip planning guides. I found that they are as good, if not better, than anything Google has.

Hope this helps!! Planning is sometimes as much fun as the actual trip!

Wow, thank you for the welth of information! That gives me A LOT to think about. Great tip on the AAA membership. That would help with hotel stays along the way as well. My dh likes driving at night to WDW and I dont mind bc nothing to see and we are ready to get there. However, on this trip I'll make him drive during the day b/c we want to see the sights.

Originally Posted by Huntermom

How long do you have? When my kids were a bit younger than yours will be we flew into LA (and spent a little time at DL) and then did an 11 day trip up to San Fransisco, stopping in Monterey for three days and stopping in Santa Barbara and Pinnacle National Park on the way to Monterey and a state par to see redwoods on the way to SF. It was a very full eleven days.

Also, I really enjoyed B.M.'s recent trip report on her cross country trip. It might give you some ideas.

We will have at least 24 days. My dh would have 3 weeks vacation (which is really 4 days a week b/c he works shift. Then his regular days off in b/t the weeks. Which adds to 24 days) I will look for B.M.s tr, thanks for the heads up!

[GinnyMouse]

Congratulations on your decision to come out West!!!

I think you've got some great ideas, but as others have said, plan on the trip taking several days if you want to do it right and not be exhausted every day.

We take cross-country trips in our RV, which makes it pretty easy. We stopped at the Grand Canyon a few times and each time we stayed for a few days. Depends on what you want to do. We hike, so we need time to do that properly.

When we travel we like to explore - who knows if you'll ever see these places again? I don't like the idea of getting out of the car to take a quick photo. The journey is an important part of the trip. Who knew that East Texas was so green????

I would also like to suggest that when you come to California that you spend a little time in Yosemite. I've been to several National Parks and I've loved them all, but Yosemite is truly special.

By the way, we love Louisiana. Of course we've eaten well in New Orleans, but some of our best memories are touring the Atchafalaya Basin, and eating Doberge cake and Natchitoches meat pies in other parts of the state.

[JuliB57]

I second Yosemite....well worth the drive up there. Plan on staying at least a few days there....beautiful scenery....great hiking. We did 5 days there 2 summers ago and enjoyed every minute of it!

[elisa1006]

Originally Posted by GinnyMouse

Congratulations on your decision to come out West!!!

I think you've got some great ideas, but as others have said, plan on the trip taking several days if you want to do it right and not be exhausted every day.

We take cross-country trips in our RV, which makes it pretty easy. We stopped at the Grand Canyon a few times and each time we stayed for a few days. Depends on what you want to do. We hike, so we need time to do that properly.

When we travel we like to explore - who knows if you'll ever see these places again? I don't like the idea of getting out of the car to take a quick photo. The journey is an important part of the trip. Who knew that East Texas was so green????

I would also like to suggest that when you come to California that you spend a little time in Yosemite. I've been to several National Parks and I've loved them all, but Yosemite is truly special.

By the way, we love Louisiana. Of course we've eaten well in New Orleans, but some of our best memories are touring the Atchafalaya Basin, and eating Doberge cake and Natchitoches meat pies in other parts of the state.

Originally Posted by JuliB57

I second Yosemite....well worth the drive up there. Plan on staying at least a few days there....beautiful scenery....great hiking. We did 5 days there 2 summers ago and enjoyed every minute of it!

Thanks for the pointers! I will add Yosemite to my list!!

[Starbright]

We just came back from doing a 3 wk drive through the USA from Canada with an 11 and 6 yr old. I agree with what the others have said though. Don't plan for too much because the mental exhaustion of driving is more difficult than you realize. The kids also might be excited now, but trust me, most won't care about the pretty rock formations or unique land that you travel through and might be more excited about the DVD or Ipods. I was surprised at how tired of the travelling I got and dh got since wanted to spend a summer one day travelling across the USA. I have had my fill of driving and thinking of even going 2 hrs to Spokane is just too daunting at this point.

That being said....We loved going through the Estee National park and the Rocky Mountains around there. It is beautiful but it is a full day drive. Honesty, we have toured our Rocky Mountains in Canada, and I have to tell you that it is totally beautiful and primitive. I would love to go there again. Also, we liked Salt Lake City. The coast was nice I agree.

Be realistic in your planning and have flexability. I wish we had spent more time in Portland. I liked it more than Seattle, which is a shocker to me. I want to go back there again.

Hope this helps and sorry if my geography is abit off.

[elisa1006]

Originally Posted by Starbright

We just came back from doing a 3 wk drive through the USA from Canada with an 11 and 6 yr old. I agree with what the others have said though. Don't plan for too much because the mental exhaustion of driving is more difficult than you realize. The kids also might be excited now, but trust me, most won't care about the pretty rock formations or unique land that you travel through and might be more excited about the DVD or Ipods. I was surprised at how tired of the travelling I got and dh got since wanted to spend a summer one day travelling across the USA. I have had my fill of driving and thinking of even going 2 hrs to Spokane is just too daunting at this point.

That being said....We loved going through the Estee National park and the Rocky Mountains around there. It is beautiful but it is a full day drive. Honesty, we have toured our Rocky Mountains in Canada, and I have to tell you that it is totally beautiful and primitive. I would love to go there again. Also, we liked Salt Lake City. The coast was nice I agree.

Be realistic in your planning and have flexability. I wish we had spent more time in Portland. I liked it more than Seattle, which is a shocker to me. I want to go back there again.

Hope this helps and sorry if my geography is abit off.

Thank you for your reflections on your trip. Does bring to light the reality of that much driving and what it can do to you.

[dutchdisneyfamily]

I don't know your exact route, but when we were in that area we went to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. Brcye, Zion, and Arches are on my list to do next time.

[Papa Mouse]

When in San Francisco visit The Disney Family Museum.

For your trip south on Hwy. #1 see CA Hwy. Double click on any image (picture) and it will open with more information on that photo (image). When open click on See full size image in the upper right.

For other images in CA: In the search engine at the top of each page where CA Hwy. #1 is enter CA and the name, place, etc. of any place you want images of. When you want to change enter CA and continue as above.

NOTE !!!!

Use this site across the U.S. but first enter the state and then anything of your choice. Example your first choice enter it as AZ Grand Canyon to get AZ Grand Canyon.

Note that as you type in locations that as you type it will suggest other related information. Example as you type AZ Grand Canyon it will suggest Skywalk. If you want the Skywalk click on the suggestion. If you only want the Grand Canyon in general just click enter--The Q.

YES !! CA Disneyland. Now the fun...... ADD words such as rides, attractions, characters, Downtown Disney, Cars Land, etc., etc.

YES, images and information for your trip across the U.S.A.

[Happymommy]

We drove from Philadelphia to California for 4 weeks when I was 10 years old. Some highlights of the trip (for me) were Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Grand Tetons, San Francisco, Pismo Beach (were supposed to go to Carmel, but there was a problem in the area, and we had to detour and skip that and yosemite), San Francisco, Mount Rushmore, Great Salt Lake, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Albuquerqe, NM and somewhere in Texas (were not in texas long, stopped in a mcdonalds--but I remember thinking it was so cool that I was in Texas lol). I would love to do this with my kids, but I don't get as much vacation time (and I don't have a camper right now)---maybe in a few years. We have toyed with the idea of selling DVC, and buying a pop-up (then using the popup in Disney at Ft. Wilderness instead of DVC villas, plus having the ability to travel to other places). Can't decide. I'm job hunting right now for a new nursing position, so if I can find a hospital that will hire me and offer good vacation time, we may be doing that.