BRAZIL to USA, Florida to California

Hello Jamie,
 
I am from Brazil, 32 years old and today is the official day I started planning my road trip through the USA, that I´ve dreaming about since I was 15.
 
I´ve been to Florida twice, worked at Disney for 2 months and that´s where I would like to start: Florida.
 
I would like to travel from coast to coast, Florida, then NY, Chicago and drive our way to California via Grand Canyon (route 66) and go to Oregon as well.
 
I think it will be too much for one trip, but it´s hard to leave places I want to see behind.  How long does it take to travel throughoght the whole country, one month could be enough?
With your experience could you give me any advice ?
 
Loved your books. I think I am going to buy them all ! I've just order a road atlas from Rand McNally, I hope it´s a good one!
 
So excited!!!!!!!!!
 
Thanks in advance....


Janice
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Hello Janice -- 

Many thanks for your nice message -- I hope I can help you plan your long dreamt-of road trip around the USA.  

After 17 years, you probably have a lot of places you want to see, and you are fortunate to have an entire month to do your big drive.  

A good road atlas will be a huge help, and if you want a good way to keep rack of all your plans and hopes and dreams, I would also recommend using a good piece of route-planning or mapping software, like Streets and Trips by Microsoft.

For Florida to New York -- I'd give myself a week, including a few days in cities like Washington DC and NYC, and time to enjoy the lovely mid-sized towns like Charleston SC and Savannah Georgia (which is one of my favorite places in the whole USA).  And if you like mountains, I'd suggest you head inland to Asheville North Carolina, and take a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway

You could probably get yourself fairly fast from NYC to Chicago, maybe stopping at musical meccas like Detroit (MoTown!), and Cleveland (for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame).  But  if race past, you won't regret it, either.  

Another possible stop to add to your list of must-see places: Niagara Falls, just north of the interesting small city of Buffalo NY. 

From Chicago, you have the classic trip west, down historic Route 66.  I'd give myself another week for this segment -- including most of a day, at least, in Chicago and at the Grand Canyon.  So get to Los Angeles just over halfway through your month-long USA tour. 

The drive up the coast of California and Oregon is gorgeous, and worth some time too.  

Which raises my big question to you -- do you need to get all the way back to Florida to end your trip?  If you do have to get back to Florida (for your flight home), you'd have to head back east pretty soon.  But if you can pay a little more for a one-way rental car, and maybe a "domestic" flight between Seattle and Florida? --  I think you'll have a much more pleasant time with only one cross-country drive. 

Hope this helps -- and hope you like my Road Trip USA books.

Happy trails, cursos seguros (?)


Jamie Jensen
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Road Trip USA