Solo Girl in a Mustang / Road Trip

Hi Jamie,

I'm a Singaporean girl going to Florida for work for 1-2 years and I was thinking that while I'm there I wanna do a couple of road trips... Well, maybe more than a couple. I've only ever toyed with the idea until the other day when I was going crazy on Google maps plotting routes. I've got one that stretches to the Air Zoo in Michigan, another that goes through NYC to West Point, and one that hits New Orleans, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and, finally, San Francisco (I've got family in LA and SF), and I'm thinking one up that will definitely go through Colorado Springs to end in Seattle (am also considering the possibility of fusing the last two into one mega trip).

I'm already planning on getting a Mustang; I'm just wondering here if it's a bit naive for me to think that I can accomplish all that solo. Time is not an issue I have to deal with now, but with regard to safety, etc., am I biting off more than I can chew? And how impractical is a Mustang as a road trip vehicle? Any tips for a single Chinese girl on her own on the roads?


Cheers,

Kelly

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Hi Kelly --

Thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA -- and thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for American road trips!

Having a car and lots of time -- those are the two main ingredients for a great trip, so I think you are well on your way to a fun adventure. To my mind the all of the locations you mention could be great places to explore; the key is to enjoy where you are, and not get worried about what you might be missing elsewhere. A Mustang is a great car, and so long as you keep in touch so friends and family know where you are, traveling solo is safe -- maybe you can take some shorter trips to start, just so you get the feel of America, before you set off across the country.

My one piece of advice is that, along with visiting the big cities like NYC and LA and New Orleans and Seattle, you also take time to enjoy the places in between -- smaller towns, state and national parks, anything nifty that shows up on your road trip radar while you are traveling. Though planning ahead is important, it's the unexpected experiences which usually end up being the most fun and memorable.

Drive safe, and have fun! Happy Trails,



Jamie Jensen
--
Road Trip USA


PS: If you're going to get a Mustang, why not get a really special one, like the 1968 "Gone in 60 Seconds" version seen above. Cool, huh?