How much would a cross country road trip cost?

Camping Hotels
stampadhesive asked:

I was wondering what the approximate cost of a roadtrip across the country would be. We would be setting out in Maryland and going the northern route to Cali and then taking the southern route back. Of course, we want to keep it cheap. We’d most likely be camping, eating out of a cooler, fishing once in a while, and not sleeping in any hotels. So with gas, about how much do you think it would cost?

Also, how long do you think it would take if we wanted to stop and see the sights? I was figuring 3 to 5 weeks.
Yes, I understnad about gas milage and all that but I am just looking for an approimate amount. Would $3,000 be enough? Or would we need $5,000?



Comments (3)    Posted in Other - United States    

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3 Responses to 'How much would a cross country road trip cost?'

  1. Massacre - January 31st, 2010 at 10:38 pm

    depending what gas your buying where your buying how many times you have to buy what the milage your car gets all plays into it.

  2. dmb - February 3rd, 2010 at 7:46 pm

    You’re probably looking at around 7,000 miles for the round trip. You’ll need to find out what sort of gas mileage your car gets. Gas prices have been very volatile lately, but you’ll likely find Maryland prices to be fairly typical of the average you’ll pay elsewhere. (Gas will be higher in the far west, but cheaper on the way there.) You need to divide 7,000 miles by your gas mileage to find the number of gallons you’ll need and multiply by the price. It will be very different depending on whether you’re driving a small car or an SUV.

    Camping will cost $10 to $20 a night, depending on the type of campground you choose. As for food, you’ll need to figure out what and how much you plan to eat and plan accordingly. In most cases, you’re likely to find food slightly cheaper on your journey than it is in the East.

    If you want to “see the sights”, you’ll also need to consider admission fees. National parks can run $10 – $20 per car, while privately run attractions can be the same price per person. You’d do well to look up the things you want to see online to find out their prices. You will, of course, also want to budget money for souvenirs and “extras”.

  3. pilot - February 3rd, 2010 at 11:43 pm

    Gas = 250 gal @2.50 gal = 625.00
    Drive time @600 miles/day =10 days
    Misc vehicle repairs 400.00
    Sight seeing time = 10 days
    meals = 20 days x 3 = 60/person
    Camping fees & shower fees 400.00
    possible tolls $50.00
    Motels 2 nights week = 480.00

    Have a nice trip.


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