It’s a big country. Give us some things you love; ie; the Grand Canyon or the world’s largest ball of string; the Rockies or 6500 kinds of turquoise earrings; LA. po’ boys or the Raspberry Festival in Hopkins, MN.

The Northern route, central route or Southern rte?

Good question Gail, well keep in mind we’re 18 year boys. We have decided on visiting the Mall of America and definitely go to Las Vegas. One of us likes animals (aquatic), the other a “free spirit” and stoner, the third loves to “have a good time” with the ladies, and I am the intellect- love culture and experiencing new foods/ peope. We are all open to new aspects of life and like living life to the fullest (without many restrictions). Historial landmarks would be nice, along with anything out of the ordinary. We plan on hugging the Siuthern Coastline, to the Mexican border, and then up NoCal (we’ll probably take a detour to Minn. see the mall). Anything included in that path that might interest our young minds.

@Indy: please finish that sentence. I am on tenderhooks.., “the third is a….”?

Well, you should definitely stop by an aquarium if one of you likes aquatic animals.
What about amusement parks? Are you guys the roller coaster types?
And perhaps you could do things that you couldn’t do at home, like, oh, I don’t know…swimming with dolphins or hang gliding or something?
You should just try to make it a memorable trip with once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

@Indy; And yes, I agree with Gail here! The suspense is killing me!

Sorry guys I’m was on my iPod and sometimes it freezes up or prevents me from going back and forth in the passage.

Do you want natural attractions or would you have more fun in big cities?

My loose plan would be:
Atlantic City—> Chicago—> Minneapolis—> Winnipeg—> Vancouver, B.C.—> Seattle—> Portland—> Take the 101 from Portland to San Fransisco—> Continue down the 101 until you hit San Diego—> Las Vegas—> Flagstaff (Grand Canyon)—> Austin—> New Orleans—> Watch My Cousin Vinnie—> Florida(pick a place)—> Then work your way up the east coast.

That is just a outline. I ‘m sure you can find interesting places along the way. And we have some wonderfull aquariams along the Oregon coast. And good weed too.

18 year old boys, huh? When you get to CA, drive up the coast, and stop at the beaches. Santa Monica, Malibu, Monterey/Carmel, Santa Cruz, and S.F. Monterey has the best aquarium. I recommend you get some tour books. AAA has free ones, if you are a member.

Are there any specific attractions, landmarks, or cities that we should narrow our route to. Its one thing to just drive from one ocean to the other but calling it a roadtrip to remember is another. I’m guessing that we can take the southern route and visit the coastline going west and work our way up Cali to Minn. and back to NJ taking the northern route (almost like a full circle).

Johnpowell has is right. Follow his plan.

JP: 101 doesn’t go all the way to San Diego, it only goes to LA. You have to take 5 or 405 to 5. I agree about the Monterey Aquarium, but there’s also one in Long Beach and in La Jolla (San Diego area) Scripps Aquarium. Monterey is pricey, though for hotel stays, so try to stay out of the area.

I’d also suggest going north up California and hitting Hwy 1 at some point. It is beautiful from San Luis Obispo to Carmel and Big Sur, can be treacherous driving, so if you do it, take the Northern route up and check with the CHP road reports as parts can be closed (as they were recently due to the fires).

So, John Powell’s route seems to be the most practical for us. Thank you for the advice so far but I was wondering if any of you liked in the path of out roadtrip and could suggest specific places or landmarks to keep an eye out for.

@Indy318
The beauty in traveling is meeting new people. Ask the locals for cool stuff to visit. I actually made a trip similar to the one I posted above and it is good to have some flexibility.

When I was in Europe we followed a rigid schedule. Looking back I wish we hadn’t planned things out as much.

When I did the loop of the United States we just kinda said that we should try to be at a certain city by a certain time. We just made up what we would do between cities. Sometimes you will find cool stuff that you didn’t even know existed.

Here are the list of the National Monuments by state. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Monuments_of_the_United_States

Everyone is worth a stop-over; to balance the sex, drugs, rock’n’roll and a peek at Roswell, New Mexico.

I agree john powell, its better to just to go with the flow rather than paddling upstream. It is important to establish a rough route but not a specific timeline or schedule. More than likely, we won’t be following the schedule anyway. Problems will occur and setbacks are bound to happen, so we should follow where the road takes us and hope the map is right-side up. I think we should focus more on issues such as gas money and availablity if staples. I hoping this journey is more of a maturing experience because that will probably be the last chances for us to enjoy our young. With college on the horizon and a need for greater independence, I hope that we have next summer to clear our minds of distractions and focus on only the road yet to come. Thank once again for the advice.

You have some great answers here and they all seem right on the money.
My only thought would be to not use the interstates. The out of the way places and roads are fun. I would skip Vegas until you’re 21, it’s too easy to get in trouble here.

Indy: Guess what? You’re in luck. The World’s Largest Twine Ball is in Darwin, Minnesota.

Darwin is not far west of Minneapolis…

@gail, since you mentioned it, now we have to see the Ball! I’ll try to take pictures (that’s if I remember).
Got any more oddities like that- I mean what else mesmerizes teenage boys than trivial wonders such as great balls of twine?

@Indy; now that you are practically in college, you get to do the rest of the research.

@gail, oh man, I hate being grown-up! But your right, I have almost a year to think this over and discuss with my fellow adventurers. Most likely, our tastes will change and we will find different pleasures. The main focus for us should be sitting back and enjoying the wind through our hair because the only thing keeping us together will be our friendship. Thanks Gail for your time and effort.

I live in the Daytona Beach area… which is always a big draw for Spring breakers etc… but for me I would put your money on Europe!!! it’s wonderful!! I love Amsterdam and you will too!!! The people are very friendly!! everyone speaks English and you can travel by rail all over Europe for about $200 for 3 months!! it’s called a Eurorail pass and as students you would qualify for the student discount… there’s always cheap places to stay such as hostels, camp ground, etc… I would recommend checking out http://www.wayn.com it’s a fabulous travel site… and you can even connect with other people that live in the area and more times then not the other members that live around the world will invite you to stay with them in Europe!! just about any country you pick!! I spent 6 weeks in Europe last year and stayed with friends for free and visited 15 countries!!! it was fabulous!! so much history, amazing architechture, and incredible culture!! If money is a problem you can always stick to Eastern Europe which is a lot cheaper since they aren’t on the Euro yet… I did all of Western Europe… it was the most amazing vacation of my life!! Have fun!!

@monkeynurse- Europe eh, I feel a college spring break trip already in the works! I love Europe (a lot nicer and sincere people than the US) but I will probably have to get fiancially stable—airline companies charge ridiculous fees now-a-days. I have family there, so I could probably crash at their cribs for a few night. But I think I’ll stick with boring old USA for now. :)

Indy:(You’re never too old for the world’s largest ball of twine. But you’re also right about allowing a lot of time for unexpected adventures or misadventures. (Cops on interstates pay particular interest to four teen-aged males, remember.)

And traveling abroad includes more than air-line fees. Check gas prices and hotel and food costs on-line, if you don’t have friends to mooch off of.

I recently saw flights to Europe for $244 so I don’t think that is unreasonable… but perhaps your grandparents will be happy to send you to Europe and give you the experience of a life time…:-)

@monkeynurse, $244? What do they give you on the plane some OJ and a bag if peanuts? On the other hand, that’s a small scarafice that most have to take anyway. All we need is to get from A to B (it’s only a 7 hour flight anyway). Sadly, I don’t have well-to-do grandparents buy I have some rich aunts and uncles, so I can squeeze a few hundred from them. Europe and South America are two places I would love to visit before its too late. I love their culture, the people, and the natural landscape.

I belong to about half a dozen on-line discount travel clubs so I’m notified with all kinds of specials… I am offered plane tickets to just about anywhere in the USA for about $9….lol My cruise around South America was only $600 for 14 days… with $600 worth of on board credit… so couldn’t pass up that trip… You would probably enjoy Central America too… I loved my trip through Costa Rica… JD Watersports puts together a spectacular vacation when it comes to CR… you’ld be really surprized if you can make a trip at the last minute the incredible deals you can get…:) You’re still very young and will have plenty of oppertunity to travel…I hope you have a wonderful trip no matter where you decide to go…:)

@monkey: How do I get deals like that?

just join some travel sites… Travelzoo, vacationstogo, booking buddy, cruises only, top cruise club… just to name a few… they are all free and will send you all kinds of specials as they come available.. there’s tons of them on-line… You’ll be traveling all over the world for less money in no time!! have fun!! enjoy!!

If going West, be sure to stop in Laguna for the small town charm and scenic beaches in the area. I would also consider making your way through the Living Desert area (Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage). Great Indian Reserve called Agua Calientes out there as well. Have fun!

Some of the best advice I have gotten has been from this website:

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/

A couple of highlights:
Hospital parking lots are cheap hotels.
All Wal-Mart parking lots are road trip territory, per Sam Walton. Camping in your car in a Wal-Mart parking lot is legal.
Be flexible. If you set a rigid schedule, you’ll make yourself NUTS!
Good music is priceless.
Keep extra emergency cash hidden in the car.

As for destinations, keep in mind, the destination is not nearly as important as the journey.