Eye & Pen: Lifestyle, Travel, Photography and Literature
  • Main
  • Blog
  • Topics
    • Accommodations
    • Bucket List
    • Cheap Travel
    • Culture
    • Essay
    • Destinations
    • Inspiration
    • Interviews
    • Narratives
    • Personal
    • Photography
    • Restaurants
    • Reviews
    • Safe Travel
    • Travel Planning
    • Trip Update
    • Weekly Wanderlust
  • Photo Gallery
    • Photo Gallery – All Places
    • Photo Gallery – Aruba
    • Photo Gallery – England
    • Photo Gallery – Europe
    • Photo Gallery – Iceland
    • Photo Gallery – Ireland
    • Photo Gallery – Italy
    • Photo Gallery – Northern Ireland
    • Photo Gallery – Other
    • Photo Gallery – Scotland
    • Photo Gallery – USA
  • Services
    • Blog Coaching
    • Graphic Design
    • Hire Brandon
    • Advertising
  • About Brandon
  • Contact

Announcing: My USA road trip!

9/27/2013

40 Comments

 
Picture
Although I’ve mentioned my first trip of the coming new year via Twitter, I thought it relevant to officially announce my trip and its tentative routing – henceforth, I officially announce that I will be road tripping around the USA with brief stops in Mexico and Canada in 2014. Now that’s out of the way... I’ve been touring around Europe for nearly six months now and I’ve had a growing feeling that I should see more of my own country when I get the next chance to. I’ve decided to finally put an expiration date on my current wanderings, as I’d really like to visit friends and family back home in Columbus, Ohio for the holidays. I’ll be touching down November 2nd at Columbus International. But without spoiling where I’ll be heading just yet, I thought it would be nice to update my current routing, prior to my return to the states:
Belfast, Northern Ireland > Dublin, Ireland for TBEX Conference > Glasgow, Scotland > Touring the Highlands for 8 days > Cardiff, Wales > Exeter, Devon > London, England > THEN FLYING TO REYKJAVIK, ICELAND!

I can’t tell you how excited I am to wander about the Land of Fire and Ice. I can only imagine the amazing photo opportunities! Anyway, I digress. There will be more about Iceland in the near future, I’m sure.

So, the road trip. I will be doing a complete loop round the country, starting in my hometown of Columbus, proceeding south to Nashville, then east to the coast, where I will follow the coast south and around Florida, where I’ll go as far south as the Keys. After visiting a friend in Tampa, I’ll continue northwest through Georgia, onto Memphis, where I head south to New Orleans, after which Texas awaits. Spanning the entire length across Texas, I plan to catch a lot of the sites and the silly tourist stops (like Roswell) along the way to the Grand Canyon. After which, I believe a much needed party break in Las Vegas is in order, before driving west to Los Angeles to visit a friend of mine in Hollywood. I’ve been to L.A. a few times and have always missed San Diego and the border cross over to Mexico.

I will likely go further south than Tijuana, however, we shall see. Much like the rest of this trip, it’s all up to how I feel and what I find where I go – if I want to stay longer in a place, I will, or if I want to get the hell out of town, I will absolutely do that. I have had my heart set on venturing north, along the California coastline for ages, and I’m definitely making that happen. I want to veer off a bit to see some of the parks (like Yosemite and the California redwoods) and cities that I’ve yet to have the chance to visit. Oregon and Washington are also very high on my list of must see places, and so I plan to continue north, all of the way into Canada, where I plan to visit Vancouver and other areas of British Columbia. Ever since I was young, I saw photos of Banff and I’ve been dying to tour the area, and to do a bit of hiking, so I’ll be off to conquer Alberta, before heading south back into the states, where I will continue my wilderness trek in the Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. After which I’ve decided to add Boise City (to see a friend) and Salt Lake City to my routing (not shown on the current map), after which I’ll head to Colorado where I will tour some of the Rocky Mountain range. After all of that, I’ll surely be properly worn out and need a break.

Now, I’d love to be able to take a RV or caravan for the length of my trip, but seeing as I don’t own one and they’re quite expensive to rent for the better part of three months, I will simply settle on my Ford Fusion to be my steed. It receives around 30 miles per gallon, so for those people who were wondering how much this trip might cost, I foresee this trip costing around $1200 in gas – which makes it less than a decent apartment in most places around the country. I will be able to eat cheap, cook out on a portable grill, sleep in the car or camp, and prove even more that it’s truly cheaper to travel than to stay at home.

As I said, most of the trip is tentative and I’ll be winging majority of it – but that’s the best way to travel, I’ve found. There’s no worry of over-planning, no stresses, and if I’m feeling tired of traveling or a bit antsy, I can choose to stay or move along the trail. Most of the places I’ve chosen to visit are not listed on the map, because Google Maps has a limit on pinpoints. If there are any off-the-beaten path places that I should visit, please comment below and let me know – cheers!
40 Comments
Derek Thompson link
9/26/2013 10:46:14 pm

Your itinerary looks fantastic - the trip of a lifetime. Looking forward to the updates.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 06:43:05 pm

Thank you. I am so excited about it! I can't wait to dig in to my home country! I will certainly be posting many updates and pictures. It will be a great adventure!

Reply
Wade Kirk link
9/26/2013 10:58:43 pm

I want to go!!

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 06:44:35 pm

Come on! :) Pack your bag and let's go roadtripping! We would have a blast! I will even let you drive every now and again. :P

Reply
Anna
9/27/2013 12:06:11 am

Your route looks a lot like a sideways Italy :)

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 06:46:17 pm

Lol! Good eye! I hadn't realized that however, you are right! It does look a little like a sideways Italy. Perhaps my heart misses Venice. :)

Reply
Kate link
9/27/2013 01:39:13 am

I would love to meet you in person, I read your blog all the time! We live in Jacksonville, FL and have a guest room you can crash in whenever you are in the area. Safe travels, it looks like an amazing experience.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 06:54:06 pm

Thank you! I would love to meet you too! It is always great when I get the chance to meet my readers. I love the connection and the chance to meet new friends. I will be in Florida before you know it! Let's keep in touch for sure!

Reply
Scott link
9/27/2013 03:41:51 am

Living the dream of a storyteller and traveller, I say rock on Brandon. As you mentioned in the about me piece, the corporate world is a soul sucker - and none of us should be forced to do that any longer! Happy travels, and wonderful pics!

May the times change with the needs of the many and peace come to our planet.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 06:56:06 pm

:) Thank you! The corporate lifestyle just isn't for me. I need change. I also need to have the freedom to come and go as I please. lol. It makes it really hard to do that if i'm forced to sit behind a desk.

Reply
Dale Rogers link
9/27/2013 07:06:03 am

You're going through my homeland from Greenville, SC to Charleston. Enjoy!

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 07:30:57 pm

I will! :) I am very excited to get on the road and start this new journey. I will be updating often, and posting new pictures. It is cold here in my State now, so I will be looking forward to traveling through the warm states.

Reply
Linda Carter link
9/27/2013 11:48:04 pm

Why take 75 from Atlanta south, you miss all the wonderful sights, See Madison, Ga one of the few towns not burned during the civil war, pass the Georgia farmland, head through Thomasville Ga, or some other small town, discover the Souths wonderful canopy roads. Not much to see along I75

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 07:29:10 pm

I need to consider that! I may have to do some tweaking to my itinerary. Mason sounds like it would be very interesting to see. What is your favorite place in Georgia? Would it be Mason? If so, I will try to see it!

Reply
nityananda link
9/28/2013 01:12:09 am

Just awesome!..All the best..will follow you through !.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 08:23:10 pm

Thank you. I am very excited. :) I love travel and I haven't done much in around these parts, so this should be a great adventure! I will post updates often. Be sure to come back by and check it out.

Reply
Cultural Affair
9/28/2013 02:21:21 am

There's nothing like a great road trip!! I've done lots of road trips but still not the whole entire country. If you plan on hiking in the Canadian Rockies just make sure you're doing it summer/fall season. Winter and spring is ski seasons here. Also there are more parks to see in the Canadian Rockies, so many awesome photo opps any time of year.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 08:27:04 pm

Thank you for the tips! I had thought about the hiking however, I may hold off on that since it is winter. I can't wait to get on the road! Just me and the pavement! :) I am sure I will meet some great folks along the way also.

Reply
colin link
9/28/2013 03:07:07 am

That is the mother of all trips across the USA. I always wanted to but never did a portion of your upcoming trip - Denver to the Pacfic Northwest down to SF. It will be very interesing to follow your travels.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/15/2013 08:28:44 pm

Thank you. I look forward to seeing you around the site! Road tripping is fun, and I am excited to start the adventure. Be sure to comment on some posts so I know my locals! :)

Reply
Carmen Allan-Petale link
9/29/2013 12:10:22 pm

Looks great! We are currently driving around the USA for six months. I wish we could drive for longer than that but our visas won't allow it. We love your country though - our trip is very similar to your route.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/17/2013 01:21:20 am

Congratulations! Where are you traveling from? What was your favorite road trip destination? I love talking to fellow travelers. :) Be safe and have fun! :)

Reply
Kim
9/30/2013 03:26:05 pm

Hooray, you're coming to SLC! I'm a huge fan and would love to meet you. I've been thinking of signing up for some of your services, so it would be great to have one of our consultations be in person. Plus, I would be happy to show you around SLC and Park City. Let me know if you might have to time to meet. Safe travels!

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/17/2013 01:23:11 am

Kim, Thank you so much for your comment. I would love to meet you and take the opportunity to consult with you about your options and how I can help you. When it gets to be that time we will be in touch and set everything up. Does this sound good to you?

Reply
Alyssa link
9/30/2013 11:09:16 pm

Come visit ri. Your missing all of newengland in this road trip. :) But looks like you will have a blast!

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/17/2013 01:28:07 am

:) I am definitely going to have a blast. There are many places that I wish that I had time to visit on this road trip. It took a lot of picking and choosing. No worries though! I will surely be having more road trips planned in the future.

Reply
Mark E Tisdale link
10/1/2013 11:29:35 pm

Wow, that's a massive road trip! Should be fantastic! Enjoy!

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/17/2013 01:32:19 am

yes, a long, massive road trip! I am very excited to get started. The warm climates are really appealing to me at the moment because it is winter here in Ohio, and is freezing.

Reply
Ian Phillips
10/2/2013 02:09:40 pm

Brandon, the 1-5 corridor to Seattle is dulllllllll . Better idea to come over to God's country Vancouver Island of course it means paying for a ferry but we don't like to make it too easy for mainlanders. Best part of Utah is east of Salt lake to arches then down to Moab but then there is also Bryce and Zion. Camped in Zion once.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/17/2013 01:38:45 am

Thank you for the tips! Zion seems like a nice place, and I have heard nice things about Zion as well.

Reply
Erin link
10/9/2013 12:28:03 pm

Looks exciting! Recently found your blog and want to thank you for your gorgeous photography. Very inspired. I lived in Austin for several years so make sure you hit it (looks like you will), but not anywhere near summer. Would love to see pics if you ever go to New England in the Fall when the leaves change(also lived near Boston). I've lived in the Bay Area most my life and have never seen the redwoods. Need to fix that. Oh, also you might want to check out San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay area on the coast. Some interesting landscape features.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/17/2013 01:58:23 am

Thank you very much! It means a lot to me that you took the time to comment on my blog. I post new pictures often, and will definitely post pictures while on my road trip. I may take a peek at San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. I have heard nice things about the views.

Reply
Marcus
10/10/2013 12:47:05 am

That's great!!! I can't wait to take a trip across the USA.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/17/2013 02:01:19 am

:) Thank you. Have you decided where you are going to road trip to? It's almost a new year! You should plan for sometime soon.

Reply
Swamy Karnam link
1/20/2014 09:08:35 pm

Awesome plan :) So envious. Looking forward to lots of stories. Hope you make a lot of connections.

Reply
Debbie
1/20/2014 09:48:16 pm

Your road trip looks amazing! I've always wanted to do something like that. Kudos to you for making your dreams become realities. I live in St. Louis and would love to meet you &/or be your tour guide when you pass through town. It would be so much fun to meet you in person and hear about your travels. I would recommend that you head north from St. Louis to Alton and Godfrey and check out the Great River Road. There is also a lot of beauty in Missouri wine country around Herman and Augusta. You should definitely check that out. Have fun and safe travels!

Reply
Pat McGlinchey Vosburgh
1/21/2014 11:31:20 pm

My husband and I live in St Petersburg FL and would love to see you when you are here in FL. Email me and we can meet in Tampa or we can show you around St Pete. It's really beautifu here. Safe travels:)

Reply
Anne Helmers link
2/2/2014 11:27:54 pm

Fantastic!!!! I just wrote about American travelers needing to do this!!! http://thewayfaringfamily.com/2014/01/28/the-american-road-trip-everyone-but-americans-take/
We did some of it as a start to our RTW trip last year. Be sure to try rafting the Grand Canyon and you are driving through Kentucky so be sure to stop by and visit us! You'll love the Bourbon Trail! At least grab some food! ( we are in Lexington and will happily swap stories and a bite to eat! My husband is a fellow bourbon enthusiast)
Not sure when you get to New Orleans but Jazz fest is the best! So if you are taking your time Bruce is there the second weekend.

While in Florida see if the Manatees are at Crystal River. Always amazing and worth a side trip.
Enjoy! Hope you love Aruba! We are snowed in today!

Reply
Phil link
2/3/2014 02:39:04 am

You will be near the "four corners" area and really should make a trip to Canyon de Chelly. It is like a mini Grand Canyon, easily taken in and comes complete with Anasazi ruins and Native Americans to interact with. It's a rare place, on a Navaho reservation, and as untouristy and American as it gets.

Reply
Joel
2/3/2014 09:06:38 am

Definitely stop in Zion National Park in southern Utah. It is so spectacular!!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Sign up for my VIP email list:

Picture
Picture

Article Topics

All
About Blogging
Accommodations
Bucket List
Cheap Travel
Culture
Destinations
Discussion
Entertainment
Environment
Essay
Fine Art Feature
Gear
General
Giveaway
Green Living
Guest Posts
Inspiration
Interviews
Lifestyle
Luxury
Narratives
Not Recommended
Other
Personal
Photography
Restaurants
Reviews
Safe Travel
Trip Planning
Trip Update
USA Road Trip
Video
Weekly Wanderlust

RSS Feed

Monthly Archive

November 2021
September 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012

*Disclaimer: All blog posts featuring products, reviews, or suggestions for products or services are governed by our Disclosure. Products were received free to review, so to provide authentic opinions and content for our readers. The opinions and ideas in this post are the writer's own and are uninfluenced by any other person or business. We receive no compensation for product reviews. Links within non-product review posts may be sponsored.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.