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Planning a 8000 km road trip next summer

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OrthoSurg

Active Member
Jun 2, 2017
2,799
22,233
Montreal
My 9500km will be expiring October 2023. Will use about 1500 of them this summer to go work in far eastern Canada.

Next year was thinking about planning a 3-4 weeks road trip across USA to use my last 8000km before they expire. I don’t feel like taking the plane with all the kids and trying to lower the family CO2 impact.

I was wondering if any of you have any road trip suggestions with incredible routes to follow or cities to stop by? Was thinking to leave from Montreal, reach Key west in Florida then drive to San Francisco stopping by Giga Texas in the way, the. Heading to Seattle then cross to Vancouver and come back road tripping via Canada to Montreal.

Any suggestions will be welcomed.
 
I'm planning a similar trip to begin the end of this month. I've found the best planning tools are A Better Route Planner (ABRP) used in conjunction with Google Maps to fine tune routes; and TripAdvisor to get the most reliable reviews on restaurants, hotels, parks, museums, tours and other places, coupled with Google Reviews once those places have been identified. Be sure to set filters to "Recent" to get the most reliable ones.

I also use Trello to create packing lists for my wife and me, daily itineraries, and individual cards for each state and province to keep track of planning ideas, places to visit, lodging and meal options, and special notes I don't want to misplace about a given area.

I've identified the 84 Superchargers we'll likely hit, thanks to the "Save Trip" feature in ABRP, which I tweak weekly and save for each day of the trip.

We set two Rules: (1) No chain restaurants, only local, family-owned ones; and (2) Can't blow throw a state or province-- need at least two "defining events" in each.

Tip: Book lodging early, and then double-check prices every other month until your trip arrives. I've saved lots by doing this.

We have five automotive museums lined up. I'm making a special trip to honor Nikola Tesla by visiting his monuments/memorials on both sides of Niagara Falls. I've identified some very out-of-the way towns to visit, including Poteau, Oklahoma, Hamburg, Iowa, and Wallace, Idaho not because of any impressive tourist spot, but to experience Small Town USA in different regions of the country from my own. (Well, Wallace, ID, does have a spot called "The Center of the Universe," so to me, that's gotta be a must-see!) Also, heading to Belle Fourche, South Dakota, for the geographical center of the USA.

We're also going to many historical spots, including the WWII and Korea War memorials in Washington, D.C., the Battle of Little Bighorn, Vicksburg Battlefield, Manassas National Battlefield Park, and several others, but also discovering rather obscure historical places like Grant's Canal in Delta, Louisiana. That's been part of the planning fun: finding both the grand and the obscure.

Safe travels, and I hope you'll find that planning the trip is half the fun as you prioritize what to see and not see.
 
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Reactions: OrthoSurg
You only have 3-4 weeks, but with your proposed route won’t have time to actually see anything. This is WAY too much time in the car unless you have 3-4 months to see it all. American highways are *mostly* long and boring with not much to see. And if you’re doing it in summer, much of the south will be unpleasantly hot.

I’d just make a big circle of New York/New England in that time and hit cities, beach, mountains, good views, and not insane driving distances. Supercharging is good in most places, and you will run into plenty of Ontario & Quebec license plates any time you plug in.

Have fun with the planning! It’s sometimes the best part!
 
I have another thread here a few days ago, but let me add some thoughts.
  1. Booking lodging early sometimes is needed when you travel at peak. I personally hate it. It's much more rewarding to travel at your own pace, and then book a room in the afternoon when you know where you will be. Yes, you get less room selection and you'll pay more. But you never have to say "we have to leave to get to the hotel we picked weeks ago." But others do prefer the planned style, so to each their own.
  2. As noted in my article, pack a small table and chair. Indeed avoid chains at all times, but I find most superchargers have at least one decent non-chain. You will have a lot of lunches at superchargers.
  3. Get the CCS adapter or CHAdeMO if you have an older car. It's really very worth it on a road trip, opens up a lot of options.