As you probably know, last week I started out on my next big adventure – I am road tripping around the USA for the next 4-5 months, with a brief stop in Mexico and a few weeks in Canada. I’ve wanted to tour the United States for years, as there are many places I want to experience, like the Grand Canyon and the amazingly beautiful desert regions of Arizona, Yellowstone, and the Sierra Nevada’s in California. With so many places to see, I’ve dedicated nearly half of the year to seeing it all. I know there will be things I miss experiencing, and will run out of time in some of the states, but as Ernest Hemingway said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
After I came back from my 8-month Europe trek this past November, I began planning and figuring out every aspect of this road trip. Some of the biggest planning questions for the trip were ‘How long do I want the trip to last?’ and ‘What all do I want to do along the trip?’ and finally, ‘How should I do the road trip exactly?’ Figuring out exactly how and what I wanted to do and to achieve was surely at the top of the list, but another important logistic was what vehicle I would take. I considered all of my options, and decided to jot down the benefits and drawbacks of each vehicle option.
I considered size, comfort, gas usage, and overall maintenance costs, among other things. I originally thought I would make this trip on my own, so I considered a few different options, like a motorcycle. However, I would have to travel light, and weather could also become a bit of an issue at times. But wouldn’t it be a blast to travel around the USA on a motorbike? I looked into prices of bikes, how much it would cost to rent one, and I looked into replacement motorcycle batteries and other parts that I may have to purchase along the way. All in all, I decided that I'd rather pay a little more for comfort, and have the ability to bring a car or camper.
I have a car which is the most obvious option. But man, how cool would it be to travel in a camper or a RV?! Upon researching the prices of RV’s these days, my car won the battle of the best – well, not the best – more like the most practical road tripping vehicle. An RV would be the ultimate way to see America – I mean, really – by rolling up to all of the major attractions in a vehicle that’s the height of comfort, and has all of the amenities that I could ask for would be absolutely awesome. The problem is how expensive it is to buy or to rent an RV, not to mention how expensive your gas would be for a trip of 10,000+ miles.
For your next road trip, what vehicle would you choose and why?
(Photo by Jocey K via Flickr)
I considered size, comfort, gas usage, and overall maintenance costs, among other things. I originally thought I would make this trip on my own, so I considered a few different options, like a motorcycle. However, I would have to travel light, and weather could also become a bit of an issue at times. But wouldn’t it be a blast to travel around the USA on a motorbike? I looked into prices of bikes, how much it would cost to rent one, and I looked into replacement motorcycle batteries and other parts that I may have to purchase along the way. All in all, I decided that I'd rather pay a little more for comfort, and have the ability to bring a car or camper.
I have a car which is the most obvious option. But man, how cool would it be to travel in a camper or a RV?! Upon researching the prices of RV’s these days, my car won the battle of the best – well, not the best – more like the most practical road tripping vehicle. An RV would be the ultimate way to see America – I mean, really – by rolling up to all of the major attractions in a vehicle that’s the height of comfort, and has all of the amenities that I could ask for would be absolutely awesome. The problem is how expensive it is to buy or to rent an RV, not to mention how expensive your gas would be for a trip of 10,000+ miles.
For your next road trip, what vehicle would you choose and why?
(Photo by Jocey K via Flickr)
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