Driving accross USA (best, hotel, Amtrak, ideas)

[Mr T Bourne]

My wife and I are going on holiday from the United Kingdom to Orlando for Christmas and New Year. We have decided to extend our holiday and hire a car to drive accross the USA from Orlando to Las Vegas. We are looking to do the trip in 5 or 6 days. As we have never been to the USA before we are not sure if this possible. Does anyone have any ideas of the best route to take and whether or not it is viable to complete the trip in this amount of time.

If anyone has any useful information for us we would be very grateful.

[Raggy dee Ann]

Originally Posted by Mr T Bourne

My wife and I are going on holiday from the United Kingdom to Orlando for Christmas and New Year. We have decided to extend our holiday and hire a car to drive accross the USA from Orlando to Las Vegas. We are looking to do the trip in 5 or 6 days. As we have never been to the USA before we are not sure if this possible. Does anyone have any ideas of the best route to take and whether or not it is viable to complete the trip in this amount of time.

If anyone has any useful information for us we would be very grateful.

Driving from Orlando to Vegas can be done in 2/3 days. I don't think you are giving yourself enough time to enjoy it. I've done LA to the Tampa area in 4 days without another driver and me taking my time to enjoy the ride.

[Hengist]

A friend did it, but felt he wasn't able to enjoy the view due to driving too much.

Wish I had enough money to do it by rail. As kids we did Trenton NJ to Lakeland Florida, didn't think much of it, so got back on the train and lived in Tampa for a few months.

As an adult I did it by Greyhound (NYC to DC to New Orleans then back up to Chicago and St Paul via Milwaukee), but you end up in some dodgy areas of major cities in the small hours, and soon feel a bit grubby.

[M3 Mitch]

The US is bigger than you think, and the drivers are worse than you can imagine.

You could definitely do the trip in the time alotted by driving along the Interstate, but I'd suggest at least part of the trip should be on secondary highways ("blue" roads).

You may or may not have a problem picking up a rental car in Orlando and dropping it off in Vegas.

The Christmas/New Years time is not really ideal for a road trip.

Just to suggest something different, you *could* take Amtrak up the coast say to New York, flying "open jaw" into Orlando and out of NY. Just a thought.

[Sleddog905]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

The US is bigger than you think, and the drivers are worse than you can imagine.

The driving is really not that bad here, but everyone has their own opinions!

Anyway, I've never driven that route, but I would think it would take close to 3 days to get from Orlando to Vegas. I just looked it up on google maps and it shows it as being a 2400 mile trip. I've driven from Colorado to the East Coast several times which is about 2000 miles, and it takes us 2.5 days. We do stop every night to crash at a hotel.

Maybe I'm misreading your post, but are you giving yourself 5 or 6 days to complete the trip from Orlando to Vegas, or is that how long your stay is?

I'd recommend renting a GPS unit (unless you have one with USA maps) while you're here. That would make the drive a lot easier.

Again, I've never driven across the southern portion of the US, so I can't help with routes at all. Good luck though, and enjoy your trip!

[Pug Life]

Originally Posted by Mr T Bourne

My wife and I are going on holiday from the United Kingdom to Orlando for Christmas and New Year. We have decided to extend our holiday and hire a car to drive accross the USA from Orlando to Las Vegas. We are looking to do the trip in 5 or 6 days. As we have never been to the USA before we are not sure if this possible. Does anyone have any ideas of the best route to take and whether or not it is viable to complete the trip in this amount of time.

If anyone has any useful information for us we would be very grateful.

Take Route 66, it's the pure Americana you'd be looking for. Follow Highway 75 (I think, it's either 75 or 85 that goes through Orlando) to Highway 40 and go west. Along the way there are tons of little ghost towns and mini-Americana museums. Just be sure to take every little "Old Highway 66" detour and find a motel as soon as it gets dark. If you space it out right, you can spend your second night at the Big Texan Steakhouse and Motel in Amarillo, a truly American place if there ever was one. At the restaurant they have a competition where if you eat a giant steak (72 Ounces), you get it free and you get your name on the wall. It's a fun place to watch people. If you take that route, you'll make it to Vegas in 3 days, including a stop at Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. The road in New Mexico and Arizona is stunningly beautiful, so be sure to drive during sunlight hours and try to check out a sunset on the cliffs in Arizona. Florida to Arkansas will probably be quite boring though.

[jacq63]

Def. agree w/blue roads comments. Get yourself a really good USA map (I think HEMA is a good brand), and look for the alternatives to the i-state roads where you can. Might be a bit far South, but Zion Ntl. Park in Utah is stunning. The roads were such that you cant drive overly fast, plenty of photo ops.
Rte 66 cannot be overstated. At first glance you might wonder why everyone goes on about it, but if you're a history buff, it's fascinating. A lot of places have been left as they were when it was in use, it's a real step back in time - without hordes of tourists.
I'd reeeeeeaally try and get a bit more time if you could. The U.S is a really majestic place, you will kick yourself if you have to rush it too much.

[wastina]

It's a great idea, and you'll have quite an experience. If you haven't already read it (I heard it as a book on tape), "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon is an excellent book which will get you in the mood and inspire you to get off the beaten path.

[jacq63]

Thats a FANTASTIC book wastina, the OP def. should read it!
I find having a good 'road trip' mix of all American music mix helps the experience also.

[jacq63]

sorry about typos, studying for exams at the mo.