2012 Summer Adventure... USA Road Trip Itinerary

I recently mentioned in a blog post that I'm heading to the United States with G Adventures for between four and five weeks. I'm going to be flying out to Los Angeles on the 21st of June and won't be flying back until the 27th of July so I have to fill that time with lots of fun things! My G Adventures tour begins in San Francisco on the 30th of June and lasts until the 22nd of July traveling across the country hitting up big cities and national parks alike. So as you can see, I have about a week either side of my tour, one in Los Angeles (some of which time I'll be traveling to San Francisco in time for the tour) and one in New York city where my uncle is currently living so I hope to share some time with him there! I'll probably do a post about the things I'd like to do either side of my tour. HOWEVER, this post is all about my actual Coast-to-Coast Road Trip Eastbound itinerary, so check out what I'll be doing...

30^th June 2012

5.00pm Arrive at Best Value Inn 505 O’Farrell Street For G-Adventures Tour!

Day 1 San Francisco

1^st July 2012

Day 2 San Francisco/Yosemite NP (L,D)

3 hours travelling

2^nd July 2012

Day 3 Yosemite NP (B,L,D)

3^rd July 2012

Day 4 Yosemite NP/Bishop (B,L,D)

4 hours and 30 minutes travelling

4^th July 2012

Day 5 Death Valley NP/Las Vegas (B,L)

7 hours and 30 minutes travelling

5^th July 2012

Day 6 Las Vegas

FREE DAY

6^th July 2012

Day 7 Las Vegas/Grand Canyon NP (L,D)

5 hours travelling

7^th July 2012

Day 8 Grand Canyon NP/Monument Valley (B,L)

3 hours and 30 minutes travelling

8^th July 2012

3 hours 30 minutes travelling

Day 9 Monument Valley/Mesa Verde NP

1 hour travelling

Mesa Verde NP/Durango

9^th July 2012

Day 10 Taos/Santa Fe (B,L,D)

4 hours travelling

10^th July 2012

Day 11 Santa Fe (B)

FREE DAY

11^th July 2012

Day 12 Carlsbad (B,D)

6 hours 30 minutes travelling

12^th July 2012

Day 13 Fort Stockton/San Antonio (B,L,D)

7 hours 30 minutes travelling

13^th July 2012

45 minutes travelling

Day 14 The Alamo (B,L,D)

3 hours 30 minutes travelling

Houston

14^th July 2012

3 hours 30 minutes travelling

Day 15 Lafayette/New Orleans (B)

2 hours travelling

15^th July 2012

Day 16 New Orleans

FREE DAY

16^th July 2012

Day 17 Memphis (L,D)

6 hours 30 minutes travelling

17^th July 2012

Day 18 Memphis/Nashville (B,L,D)

3 hours 30 minutes travelling

18^th July 2012

Day 19 Wytheville (B,L,D)

6 hours travelling

19^th July 2012

Day 20 Shenandoah NP/Washington DC (B,L,D)

5 hours 30 minutes travelling

20^th July 2012

Day 21 Washington DC (B)

21^st July 2012

3 hours travelling

Day 22 Philadelphia/New York City at Manhattan Hostel at 891 Amsterdam Ave (at West 103rd St) New York

2 hours travelling

22^nd July 2012

Day 23 New York City

END OF TOUR

As you can see, I am going to be spending A LOT of time traveling in the mini bus which G Adventures are using to transport us from one destination to the next, however, I don't mind because the views are supposed to be amazing AND the mini bus has wifi also, so I should hopefully be able to blog my experiences. I think I'm most excited about the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas (as it will be the 4th of July!!!), Yosemite, New Orleans, Nashville and Memphis. These are places where I may never get to go again, so I'm really excited and eager to make the most of my time. 

I booked the tour through STA travel and I have paid for the tour, my flights, and my insurance all by myself with savings from my past three years of university loan. HOWEVER, STA did give me 15% off my tour, £100 off my flights with British Airways and £50 off my travel insurance as I mentioned that I hope to blog about my summer and inquired about any discounts they may possibly be able to offer. The lady at my local STA, Dawn, was absolutely lovely and more helpful than probably anyone else I know. In fact, she even calls me every now and then to make sure I'm as organised as I should be (organizing my accommodation pre and post tour, applying for my ESTA form which is necessary to enter the USA, booking my Greyhound bus and more) and I almost feel like I speak to her as often as I speak to my friends. 

If you guys are crazy, book an outrageous long tour across America like me! Haha. And if not, I'll try and blog often enough that you can live vicariously through me. Expect posts about packing my backpack, planning my weeks in Los Angeles and New York, writing up wish-lists of the beauty bits I'm going to try and buy while I'm away. I'm actually not planning on buying many clothes this year, as I won't have much suitcase space, but lipsticks and eye shadows and blushers and... ahh you know the deal!

Are you going away this summer? Have you ever been backpacking? Is there anything I ought to know?

Love and snuggles

gabriellasofia

x