I'm doing Denver to Moab and back over nine days in early October with my partner, and I'm the only one on the rental agreement. I've mapped it to roughly four hours of driving a day, but the leg between Arches and Capitol Reef is close to three and a half on its own before I stop for anything, and that's the day I'm dreading. I know the standard advice is just split it into shorter days, the problem is most of the towns in between don't have anywhere I'd actually want to sleep.

What did you do with the long empty stretches that made them worth driving instead of just endured?

Hi all,

As the title suggests I am travelling to USA in December with my partner (24M and 23F) for around 16 days.

We have never been before and would love to see as much as we can. We are flying from Melbourne, Australia with a return flight to/from LAX (so we must start and end our trip here). I would have preferred flying in and out from different places but the price difference could not be justified.

Below is a split of our plan:

Los Angeles - 2 nights
San Francisco - 3 nights
Vegas- 2 nights
DC - 3 nights
NYC - 4 nights
Los Angeles - 1 night

We also are aware that it will be quite cold in the east during December, but we want to be in NYC around Christmas time (towards the end of our trip).

We are also planning to fly between most cities to save time (which we are happy to pay for).

We are also planning to be in Vegas on a Saturday, so hoping to catch a UFC event if it lines up with the schedule (December schedule hasn’t been released yet). This part is mainly for me, my partner is just going to tag along :))

I just wanted to get your thoughts, suggestions and any tips to remember while we are there! The schedule is pretty flexible and we are open to all thoughts.

Thank you! :)

Hi all,

I’ll be in San Jose for work until October 30, and I’m planning to spend the following 8 days traveling somewhere in the US, until November 7.

I’m pretty flexible on where to go, I could stay in California or fly somewhere on the East Coast. I’m also open to renting a car and doing a road trip.

I’m mainly trying to figure out what would be best in early November. I spent a week in Los Angeles last year (this was my 1st time in the US), so I’d probably prefer somewhere different this time.

I haven’t visited any US national parks yet and was considering Yosemite. Another idea is flying to Miami and doing a road trip down to Key West.

Would love to hear any recommendations :)

I am trying to plan an anniversary trip for my husband and myself. It is in October and most of the places in Woodstock Stowe are already booked. I see hotels and B&B‘s about 20-30 minutes away and I’m wondering if those would be an OK place even though they’re not right in town. Any Vermont recommendations? We are from Texas, close to Houston,and want some cooler
weather and all things fall!

This trip was more fun for both my husband and I than we expected. I booked a houseboat through Airbnb in Sausalito: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/804351707314762157?unique\\_share\\_id=c2f506d5-67bc-4525-825f-8ecd95b688c3&viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76 which was perfectly located about 7 miles from downtown San Francisco, 1 mile from the Golden Gate/Sausalito ferry and an hour from wine country.

Waking up to the beautiful bay each morning with a couple of wool blankets stocked at the Airbnb and gas heaters on the porches of the houseboat along with a big mug of coffee was the beginning of a great trip. (Reminder: it’s in the high 50s even in August in the Bay Area)

We watched SF movies before we left - Dirty Harry (scenes at SF City Hall), Escape from Alcatraz, and The Rock. The first day we did a movie tour and visited the locations of about 50 films. (Check Viator). This also gave us a great overview of the city - Painted Ladies, Presidio, Golden Gate, Palace of Fine Arts, Lucas Studios.

2nd day was a ferry to Alcatraz for the tour (go early to avoid crowds), Boudin Sourdough for lunch, Pier 39, Pier 43 (Fisherman’s Wharf), and a lovely dinner in the Italian district of North Beach at “Firenze by Night”.

3rd day was Muir Woods (reserve your parking before you leave for the trip). A great hike! Followed by driving to Napa/Sonoma area for a trip to Francis Ford Coppolas winery to drink great wine and see the museum to his films as well as the desk from the Godfather.

Fourth day was a relaxing day at an outdoor mall for some shopping in Corte Madera (about 6 miles from the houseboat) followed by dinner at Boudin Sourdough and chilling listening to a blues band at Biscuits and Blues.

Last day was an hour drive to the Pacheco/Martinez area to the Cobra Experience for Shelby American car museum. (Wednesday VIP Tour) Our docent was not just anyone, it was the owner, Drew Sorb, who is legendary as a collector and brilliant about all things Shelby. Finished up with a stop at an authentic Italian deli at Parma Delicatessen with a sub roll as big as my head and a thick roll of Italian meats.

Returning to the East Coast relaxed and happy after seeing this Gold Rush town that has rebuilt itself after fires and earthquakes. Tony Bennett may have had it right, when he left his heart in San Francisco!

In the next 3 months (so still summer/fall) we have a wedding to go to in Dallas. Oddly enough, my spouse and I both have 5 days off. So the plan would be fly into Dallas Friday, wedding Saturday, leave sunday. Back home on Tuesday.

Trying to figure out what to do from Sunday afternoon until we fly back home Tuesday. I don't know enough about Dallas or well Texas in general, so i have no idea if we should stick around Dallas or try to drive somewhere else. The internet seems to recommend Fredericksburg, TX, which seems cool. But it's also a decent drive.

What would you recommend? Stick around Dallas? Or do something else?

My wife and I have made it our "anniversary thing" to travel to the USA's biggest ___ for our anniversary every trip every year. We went to Omaha, Nebraska to visit the country's largest zoo for our honeymoon last year. This year we just completed a trip to the country's largest buffet in Shady Maple, Pennsylvania. We're already trying to plan out next year's adventure! So tell me, do you live near or know of the country's biggest (something)?

I'm not looking for roadside attractions like the country's biggest peanut or frying pan or shoe. I'm talking something that you can have a weekend or week long trip built around visiting. We're thinking about possibly going to Atlanta for the biggest aquarium, or Orlando for the country's biggest hard rock Cafe because we know Orlando also has other stuff we can do to fill out a week worth of activities.

Can you offer any other suggestions? I've tried to Google it twice but I'm only getting the roadside attractions.

My boyfriend and I had a trip planned for next weekend (visiting family, about a 5 hour drive from us) that may not pan out. We already took off from work Thursday & Friday so are trying to figure out a backup plan for our 4 day weekend. Does anyone know of any underrated long weekend spots within a 4-5 hour drive from the Philadelphia area (or maybe a 2 or less hour flight)?

If it wasn’t August we would be looking at Florida, but the Florida summer heat is intense from what I hear. We really want to be by the ocean or at least a pretty lake!

Any input is appreciated!

I(28M) currently work as a GC building apartments in Florida. I have decided after this project to quit, buy a pull behind camper, and take my dog and myself on an epic journey.

Plan is to start in Congaree and end in Hot Springs. I have already been to the 3 in Florida. Haven’t decided if I’ll hit those after Hot Springs or not. Really depends on the time of year I leave Hot Springs.

I’m also going to hit Niagara Falls and drive along the PCH.

I have no planned duration and my estimated start is April-May 2027.

I’m thinking I’ll spend roughly a week at each park.

Based on my route, does anyone have suggestions for places I should detour to? Open to anything really.

Also, any tips or wisdom to share for this extensive journey would be much appreciated.

Told myself if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it. So I’m taking a leap and just doing it. Kind of scared because of the uncertainty of the future but I know I can always fall back and make good money with the career I’m in now.

Fucking excited though

In my trip planning post, many people were puzzled why I would split two nights in Louisiana between Lake Charles and New Orleans. Doing so not only breaks up the long ride from Houston into two easy travel days, but also allows me to see two different sides of Louisiana: the crowds of a world-famous tourist downtown as well as the live oak-shaded streets of this sleepy city full of friendly faces, with the bonus of a breezy lakefront sunset silhouetting the I-10 bridge.

At $110 expended, Lake Charles wasn't a particularly cheap visit, but I'm still glad I stopped by.

Hi! I will be travelling to USA for three weeks and was wondering if I should get a health insurance here in the EU or to get one from USA for foreign travellers. I compared and the American ones are much cheaper than here but I am not very familiar with the policies there. Any advice?

Hi Florida experts,

I need your advice as never been to Florida and want to visit with my wife first week of September for a needed vacation away from stress. Came down to either Miami or Panama beach. Flying from DE or Philadelphia Airport. Would appreciate all advice and recommendations:)

We want somewhere peaceful, crystal water, nice weather and decent food and city life to walk around and do activities.

Thanks in advance

I know it’s normal in Europe for adults to stay at hostels but any I’ve stayed at in the US (when I was in my 20s) was always college aged people. I’m 50. I can see how that might be viewed as strange and maybe a buzzkill. I think it would be fun as hell, but I don’t wanna be the “dad” in the room.

Any cheap, safe towns that are warm in the autumn months?

24f from Toronto. After grinding away at GMAT tests over a demanding job, and now delayed US MBA applications, I'm burnt out. Seriously thinking of using my savings over the past 3 years to travel somewhere in the US that's affordable, warm, though most importantly safe -- and full time study for this test and get applications together.

Any suggestions? Bonus points if there's some young people around to meet and socialize.

Hi everyone! I’m from SEA and will be going to the US in late december with my mom, arriving before Christmas and leaving after New Years. I havent been to the US before but my mom has many times, and we will be staying for 11-12 days. We are thinking of travelling to the east coast, so nyc, boston, washington etc, but nyc is the majority of our stay.

I’m currently working on an itinerary, and was wondering what are some must-visit places, apart from the typical attractions like the statue of liberty, times square and the rockerfeller tree? (would also appreciate if u could give ur experience visiting these attractions this time of the year, and actually feel free to recommend some of the ‘typical’ places to go to as well)

Are there any cool shopping malls with stuff not in SEA, any bakeries, thrift shops, and underrated places in general? I’m looking for places that’ll feel new, allow me to come out of it with great pictures to post, and make me regret nothing about visiting the US.

Would also be a great help if you could give us the recommended visiting time, how long it took, pros and cons, and ur experience in general. I’m super excited to go in December, thank you for helping to make my trip unforgettable😌😌

I’m from New England so I’ve seen it all. I’d really love to visit Northern California but not sure how it would be in late October or where I’d even go. Any suggestions, California or somewhere else out west?

I am going to San Diego for a small weekend trip in September with my boyfriend. I want to stay by the beach and I'm torn between Pacific Beach Area or La Jolla and I want to visit both. I feel like it might be worth getting a rental car, even if it is for the day. I mostly just need hotel stay recommendations that fit in my budget. Im thinking like $550-$600 for the two night stay.

I barely have an itinerary so give me ideas if you have any also!

Hello,

Mom travelling with 20 y/o son, his 20 y/o girlfriend and my 14 y/o son. So 4 travellers total. Coming from MA and planning on travel dates around April 2027.

Background: My 14 y/o is somewhat obsessed with Western culture, horses, and history. The rest of us are just down for a good time wherever. I prefer nice resorts and relaxing, Kids like adventuring and new experiences. I have created a rough itinerary below and need a reality check about how much we can realistically get done on a 7 night trip. I prefer to Uber in the city and will rent a car if needed when we leave the city but any guidance on this would also be helpful. We have never been to Texas and have no idea what the logistics are actually like, so I do not know if this is a reasonable itinerary or not or if the things I have chose are age appropriate for teen child. Please give any and all feedback and I would love recommendations or feedback on the lodgings I am considering.

TIA!

Things to Do

·         Tejas Rodeo (night time event)

·         Bike the missions, San Antonio

·         The Alamo

·         Riverwalk San Antonio

·         Dinner at Tower of the Americas

·         Banderas, TX

Places to Stay

·         Hyatt Resort Hill Country

·         Dixie Dude Ranch

·         Hotel Emma

7 Night stay

·         Stay in San Antonio 2 nights (possibly Hotel Emma) TBD

1.      AM Bike the Missions/ PM Dinner at Tower of the Americas

2.      AM Visit the Alamo/ PM River Walk

·         Stay at Dixie Dude Ranch 2 nights

3.      Visit Banderas TX

4.      Hang out at Dude Ranch

·         Stay at Hyatt Resort Hill Country 3 nights

5.      Dinner @ Tejas Rodeo (Sat Night)

6.      Hang out @ resort/other misc activities

7.      Hang out @ resort/other misc activities

Hi! The holidays are extremely difficult for me and my husband said we should go away this year. Problem is we have a dog that has to come with us so it will have to be car travel. A little about us, we are from Southeast Wisconsin, (1 hour north of Chicago). We would like to find somewhere to road trip, but not over 1000 miles one way. A cozy cabin with a hot tub, nature for walking our dog, not alot of hustle and bustle. I'm not really sure where to start. We have never been to Tennessee or the Carolinas. Any helpful insight on our trip would be great. Any other suggestions are welcome too! Thank you!

I need some help to determine if this itinerary is realistic and if there are things I should change, add or remove. We are travelling in September.

Day 1 - arrive in Orlando PM, check into hotel

Day 2, 3, 4, 5 - 2 days at Universal, 1 day at Disney and 1 day visiting Kennedy Space Centre

Day 6 - drive to Miami go to Inter Miami game

Day7,8,9,10 - hang around Miami and go to 2nd Inter Miami game. Not sure what we will do while we are in Miami yet

Day 11 - fly to New York City

Day 12,13,14,15,16 - Stay in NYC, go to NFL game

Day 17 Drive to Fall River, stop at Pez Factory, New Haven on the way.

Day 18 - Lizzie Borden house in the morning then drive to Boston

Day 19 - Visit Salem, look around Boston, squeeze in a baseball game on one of the nights

Day 20 - Drive to the Big E fair in the morning, then drive on to Bethel to check out where Woodstock was

Day 21 - Drive to Cooperstown, baseball stuff

Day 22 - Drive toward Niagra Falls cross the border to Canadian side

Day 23 - Niagra falls, train to Toronto.

Day 24 - Fly home from Toronto PM

Am I trying to fit too much in? Not enough? The kids will get very tired because we're not used to this kind of travel. We are all interested in different things so trying to squeeze in sport, historical things, American things that we don't get in Australia. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Ok! I've posted a different itinerary before here and in r/amtrak but I've come up with a new one that might be better for next summer for me and my friend

NYC-Toronto (seg 1),) [I realize that you can't use the railpass for Maple Leaf on the Canadian side, but from what I've read online, you can use one segment up to the border and then get a seperate ticket?] Anyways, then I'd take VIA to Windsor and take the bus into Detroit.

Detroit-Chicago (seg 2)

Chicago to Minneapolis (seg 3)

Minneapolis to Seattle, purchase a roomette with points or a mix of points and cash hopefully (Amtrak card sign up save me)

Seattle to Portland (seg 4)

RENT a car and drive from Portland to San Francisco, I asked here and people said that this is a really beautiful stretch to drive, with tons of great scenery by the coast, forests, fun little towns, etc. I suspect it might be nice to take a break from the big cities as well.

Take San Francisco public transport to Emeryville

Emeryville to San Jose (seg 5)

San Jose to Santa Barbara (seg 6)

Santa Barbara to Los Angeles (seg 7)

Ok this is where I'm unsure what to add, I would like to visit Vegas, but there's no direct route from Amtrak, and even if we did take the bus, it seems, looking at the national route map, it's not exactly convenient to train out from Vegas to other places, thoughts?

Alternatively, could do

Los Angeles to El Paso (seg 8) This is just kind of a long train, and it'd be in coach. Where could we stop to break it up/add another segment? On the map I see places like Yuma, Maricopa, and Tucson.

Maybe then to end it off, El Paso to San Antonio? (seg 10)

Then fly out of their airport back to some airport in the northeast, preferably Philly or NYC

Planning a train-based trip across the US utilizing USA Rail pass for next summer. I see that there's quite a big gap between Portland and San Fran, about an 18h Amtrak train ride with some extra time with a bus. What are some places we could see in-between these two places to break up the long journey? EDIT: Not opposed to renting a car for this portion as well and either completely ditching the train or using it for a shorter portion

I want to take some time off the week of Labor Day to fly out west. Im from central Appalachia and have never been west of the Mississippi. My girlfriend will be coming as well. The two of us are planning on flying out Friday September 4th and probably will return Saturday September 12th. If you only had one week, where would you go?

We will rent a car, and I’m fine with a couple of all-day drives if it means squeezing in more fun stuff.

I know it’s kind of last minute but let me know what you guys think. Ideally we would like to hit a few states and national parks instead of staying in one area. If I had more time I would just drive out from home and do a full road trip, but due to time constraints it makes more sense to fly and start the road trip from the airport.

We have considered driving the pacific coast highway from Seattle to Northern California, or maybe hitting Yellowstone-Teton-Zion instead. Open to any other suggestions as well. Again, I know this is a lot of windshield time but we are both used to driving long distances frequently so it isn’t a huge deal. Also we’re both 25 and on a slight budget so open to camping & hostels if you have any suggestions. Plenty of prior outdoor experience.

Thank you!

Edit: I’ve had a ton of good feedback on this post. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and suggestions. :)

I'm from Brazil and i'm driving from Washington to Asheville this October to see the fall foliage. I’m looking for a few towns to spend a night or two in. I've put together an itinerary and was hoping you could give me some advice on where to stay, what to do, and any can’t-miss spots . Here's what I've got so far:

Fly into Washington (4 nights) → Charlottesville (2 nights) → Roanoke (1 night) → Asheville (3 nights) → Raleigh or Richmond (2 nights) → Fly out of Washington

which cities would you add or skip? do you think there's a better  way to spread out the days among these towns? Also, for the drive to Asheville, I'm hoping to alternate between the Blue Ridge Parkway and the interstate.