I can write a ton on this subject. Both DH and I took trips like this when we were teens, and when our kids were younger we made a goal: Take them on a driving trip across the US when they were young teens. We chose our dates based upon them being old enough to endure long drives, being old enough to remember the things we saw, but not old enough yet to drive and want to get jobs.
Our original goal was to do a month-long trip, and we saved for it for two years -- but then life intervened, and DH wasn't able to get off work that long, so we cut it down to three weeks and began by flying to Vegas /renting a car.
Overnights: Originally the plan was to rent an RV -- we both thought it'd make sense: No searching for hotels, no packing up camp. But the price, oh, the price. I can't remember exactly because this was 6-7 years ago, but it was so ridiculously high that we dropped that idea immediately.
We also realized that camping wasn't going to be a bargain for us. We would've needed to carry a tent, four sleeping bags, four pillows, four mattress pads, flashlights ... plus our clothes and other gear. It would've meant we would've needed to move "up a size" in rental cars, which would've also meant lower gas mileage. It also would've meant more time setting up /packing up camp each day, and it would've meant more time on the road -- campsites aren't always located next to the tourist attractions we wanted to see.
We stayed in hotels, and -- given the same circumstances -- I'd do it again. My husband travels for work fairly regularly, and he saved up all his rewards point /specifically stayed in certain hotels to get the right type of points -- and then we mostly did the "points + cash" deals to stretch the points. After long days of driving /hiking /etc., it was wonderful to come into an air conditioned room, take hot shower, and veg out in front of the TV. After long driving days, we appreciated workout rooms. Most hotels have laundry facilities; I did laundry every three days -- that got old. Best of all, we tend towards 2.5 star hotels (Holiday Inn Express, Country Inns & Suites), which provide a free breakfast, which -- with four of us in the room -- was a great bargain AND a time saver. Hotels also provide free ice for your cooler. Staying in hotels means you don't have to do the same thing every day: On days we knew we'd be arriving late, then heading out early the next morning, we chose the cheapest possible rooms; on days when we expected to have an evening to relax in the hotel, we splurged on a nicer place or even two adjoining rooms so the kids could relax with their own TV and we could have some private time. The kids were ready to hit the pool and get in some exercise most evenings.
We also used Priceline pretty heavily. I started planning this trip well in advance, so I had plenty of time to big low and move up slowly. I got some rooms as low as $30. If you're doing the Priceline thing, use BetterBidding.com -- it'll help you predict what hotels you'll "win", and I found it surprisingly accurate.
Our biggest accommodation splurge was cabins at some of the national parks -- Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon. These were expensive, but they were worthwhile in terms of location.
Packing: We each had a rolling carry-on suitcase. If I were doing it again, I'd go with small duffle bags and keep a plastic tub in the back of the car for dirty clothes.
We each packed four shorts outfits, one pair of jeans, tennis shoes, flip-flops, hiking boots. In Yellowstone, when the temperatures dipped into the 40s, I was forced to buy $50 sweatshirts for everyone. It was July. We wore them for three days straight, then didn't need them again during the trip.
Food: We arrived late at night, and the next morning our first stop was Walmart. We bought a cooler, drinks, sandwich fixings, fruit and yogurt. Though we were forced to abandon our cooler at our last hotel (flew home), this saved us oodles of money.
Most days we had breakfast at the hotel ... then we ate out for either lunch OR dinner ... and had sandwiches from the cooler for the other meal. Worked out well. I bought lots of convenience foods that I don't typically buy at home, but it all worked out well. The kids became little food-schemers: Oh, this hotel gives out apples at the desk -- thank you. This hotel provides fresh-baked cookies every evening -- straight into our ziplock bags.
Mistake: I spent all our credit card rewards points on restaurant gift cards, thinking we'd be able to eat "for free". Turns out the restaurants we have here on the East coast don't really exist out west. The vast majority of the cards came right back home with us -- not a big problem, we used them here at home.
I bought some certificates from Restaurant.com -- good deals.
We enjoyed a couple meals at places we'd seen on Food Network. Fun!
Route: We started by picking the "must dos" that were do-able for our starting point /available days ... and with that information we planned our general route ... then we combed the internet to choose smaller activities and attractions that fell into our path. Some of the secondary items turned out to be wonderful; for example, Antelope Canyon in Page, AZ was absolutely incredible in an other-worldly way, and I'm very glad it made the cut. We didn't yet have a GPS or smart phone when we took our trip, but I spent hours and hours on the internet measuring highways /printing maps /optimizing our route ... and in the end we had a busy, highly structured three weeks. 95% of our plans worked out perfectly, and we were never lost even once.
I made a three-ring binder notebook with printed maps, hotel reservation print-outs, and other information about activities (plus tickets). It worked out great.
One website that helped me a great deal was RoadTripAmerica.com, though people on that site tend towards oh-let's-just-go-camping-and-smell-different-air type trips, and they don't buy into the highly structured trip I was planning. They also have the false idea that camping is free, and you're a fool to do anything else. Still, take information where it's offered.
We made a point of including SOMETHING for everyone in the family. For example, we saw Glenn Dam (second largest dam -- we weren't on the right side of the canyon to see Hoover), and I was bored stiff -- but my husband loved it. We also took in a Colorado Rockies game for him. For my youngest, we splurged on a Vegas show. And some things were for all of us: We went to the coolest bookstore EVER in Denver, and we enjoyed some great meals. My husband and I are all about historical sites, and the kids put up with us because they knew they'd be hitting a water park the next day. But it wasn't "everything Mom wants and screw the rest of you".
National park admission: We did buy the America the Beautiful pass at our first national park stop (Zion National Park), and it was a small savings over the course of three weeks ... BUT you're allowed to put two names on the back of it, so I lent it to a friend who was going to the Grand Canyon that same summer, and then we were able to use it again ourselves when we visited Puerto Rico the next summer. So, yes, we saved big. You should look it up to see what it costs today, and -- assuming the rules haven't changed -- don't buy it 'til you're AT your first national park; your one year starts "counting" from the day you buy it, so you'd be stupid to order it ahead of time.
Do note that national parks aren't consistent in the way they charge. Most charge X amount per car. Some (like the cave parks -- we went to Jewel and Wind Tunnel) allow free entry to their visitor's center, but charge for their tours; this is appropriate because they can't allow you to wander through a cave on your own, and they have to pay the rangers. Mt. Rushmore is free to see, but you have to pay to park. Admission to Yellowstone also allows you into adjacent Grand Tetons. The only national park in my own state is free. Do your homework and check the admission cost of each park on your route; you can't generalize.
Yellowstone is different from the other parks. It is SO CROWDED. Expect traffic jams. If you stay in West Yellowstone, expect to need 30 minutes to get through the entrance gate of the park -- yes, it is SO CROWDED. Drive defensively: Expect everyone to just STOP every time a bear or a deer is visible from the side of the road. Do not enter Yellowstone without a full tank of gas; yes, they sell gas in the park, but the price, oh, the price.
Look into ranger programs at the parks. They're free and so informative! You can find this information on the internet before you leave.
I do not regret a single splurge on a national park tour. I LOVED seeing the places where the Pueblo Indians lived at Mesa Verde. The buffalo safari tour in Custer State park was possibly the best activity of the trip (okay, that's a state park, but it's pretty incredible). I do regret not going to see Jay Leno in Vegas. I second-guessed myself when I paid $500 for the four of us to see a Vegas show, but we were all mesmerized, and my youngest talked about it every day for two years; just yesterday I said something about it, and she smiled and talked about how much she'd loved it. Expensive, yes. Worth it, yes.
Some of the BEST parts of the trip were surprises: For example, when we were at the Grand Canyon -- we went to the Northern Rim -- the employees told us they were planning a July 4 parade. It was a parade of the horses that take people into the canyon and the emergency vehicles that they use. What they didn't tell us was that they were going to spray the crowd with water hoses. They gave the kids water guns -- no, don't think Dollar Store, think Nerf Cannons -- so they could fight back; the water fight lasted an hour, and my kids declared it one of the best parts of the trip.
We planned three days at the end of our trip in Vegas, thinking it'd be time to rest, hit the pool, wind down before returning home. Mistake. It was 117 degrees, and we literally couldn't get into the pool. Still, the wind-down portion of the trip was good.
Our rear ends can endure a 6-hour drive ... but we can't do it two days in a row. When you plan your route, be sure you're working in a balance of driving and active stops.
General comments:
- Don't forget to pack a first aid kit. I needed it the very first day for hiking blisters, and I'm usually a no-blister type of girl.
- We chose to buy water bottles, and did we ever go through them; we weren't willing to risk any upset from the local water.
- We did two horseback riding cowboy meals at two different parks -- one of them was Yellowstone -- and they were expensive but so much fun.
- Mesa Verde National Park is near nothing, but so worth the drive.
- Zion National Park is one of the best for hiking.
- Custer State Park is not to be missed.
- Note that the Grand Canyon has three sides, which are quite different, and you can reasonably only visit one.
- Grand Tetons was perhaps the most beautiful place I've ever seen -- but so full of gnats! Pack bug spray.
- The nicest hike we took was Mt. _____ next to Jenny Lake in Grand Tetons; we took the water shuttle across the lake, then did the hike. So beautiful and little chipmunks running around everywhere, taking chips from my girls' hands.
- Check out a couple audio books from the library, and download them to your ipod.
- Once you've planned your route, look for tips online; for example, we took a short hike up a secluded hillside in crowded Yellowstone and were perfectly positioned (with maybe a dozen other people) to watch Old Faithful erupt.
- The Wolf and Grizzly Center in West Yellowstone is wonderful.
- We LOVED the rodeo in Cody, WY, but I wish I hadn't stayed at that ratty Bear Motel next door to it.
Soooo much more. It really was a fantastic trip, and DH and I intend to do much of it again after we retire. We plan to buy a teardrop camper, which will mean we can take it at a more leisurely pace. But the plans we made /executed were ideal for the time we had /taking our kids.