Hi, i’m planning to go on a road trip around the USA, but I need some information on how much things would cost:
1. Flights – I’ll be flying from England to USA (state unknown) and back. Approximately how much would these flights cost?
2. Fuel/Gas – The road trip will hopefully cover most of the USA, any idea how much it would cost to drive around most of the country? or anyway of working it out? I have no idea what the price of gas is like in comparison to the UK.
3. Accommodation – I won’t be looking for 5-star luxury, just motels that aren’t in dodgy areas will be fine. What would be the price of a room in an a average hotel/motel per night? What about youth hostels – What’s the quality/safety of them like? prices? How many are there?
4. Food/Drink – How much does food and drink cost at nice places (good bars and restaurants) in the US? Any idea how much one might spend per month?
Sorry I had to ask this again, i didn’t get any answers first time.
Please just answer what you can, I’m just looking for some basic info to get an idea. Thanks again 
I can only give you the price of gasoline in Portland, Oregon and that is $3.16 per U.S gallon for regular. Some areas of the U.S. is slightly cheaper…As far as the price of food and drink goes, do you drink Coca Cola or single malt scotch? Expect meals to cost between $10 to the sky is the limit…Motel rooms about $60 and up. If sailors knock on the door all night asking for Bunny, you know you’re in the wrong neighborhood.
I’m gonna try not to write a book here
The basics
Airfare and car rentals prices vary widely so your best bet is to work out what airport +airline + car rental company works out best
From LHR to the east coast
BOS, EWR, JFK, PHL , BWI, IAD, ATL , MIA and maybe MCO are possibilities
To mid continent
DFW, SLC , DEN ,ORD & maybe MSP
To the west coast
SAN , LAX, SJC , SFO , SEA will work
As far as rental cars go use the big 3 >Hertz, Avis, Alamo & maybe Budget
As far as cars go
Get a real car
A full size foor door fwd sedan like a Ford Taurus would work
Make sure that it burns regular 85-87 octane gas
Yes a smaller car will get you better gas mileage But when you’re driving 15 hours a day at high speed between nowhere and nowhere else a big and heavier car will leave you less fatigued
Also a bigger and heavier car won’t move sideways when a loaded semi doing 100 mph downhill blows past you.
US gas prices vary widely so learn to play and win the interstate gas game by going online and determining if gas is cheaper in the state that you are currently driving in or the one the you will driving into …and adjust your fill ups accordingly.
Leave this Q open and I’ll add to it over the next day or so
1. London to New York from $800, summer time $1200
2. Go around US in a circle, it is about 8000 miles and one month visit trip, gas costs $1200
rental car for $50/day,
3. most motels go for $50, only big city has hostel for $30
4. Nice restaurant costs $50 per meal, for regular and fast food, costs $800 per month since you only eat out
So if you are very frugal, the cost can be as low as $6000, if the cost is out of control, it can be as high as $20000 in one month trip
1. idk
2.budget for $5.00 gas price just to be safe ( prices are way lower), take the gas mileage of rental car & the miles that you will drive & factor/average the amount
3. budget for $60-100 nights in hotel since prices are vary different in every part of US
4.budget around $30 per person per meal just to be safe
Many of the numbers I give are way over prices you may encounter but, it is best to over budget to begin with, so you have extra money in the event of an emergency.
What an exciting trip! I’ll give you a few ideas to consider – you’ve got some good advice so far.
2) compared to the UK I’ve heard gas in the US is very inexpensive. see the first link below
3) if you are travelling alone you’ll save a lot of money staying at hostels. Tucson, AZ for example has bunks for $20 a night including a waffle breakfast. Hostels also have kitchens so you save money by cooking yourself. If you stay in a motel the cost varies greatly depending on location. I estimate $30-$55 a night for average, no frills, safe place. If you plan to stay in motels I recommend that you become a member of “choice rewards” or “wyndham rewards” – basically you stay at the motels in their network and you will get a free night. Motels are not always good at crediting people for their stay so you need to keep your paperwork. You can also probably use one of these programs when you rent your car to get “points” toward a free night somewhere.
Hostels are really the way to go in my opinion. You’ll meet more people, save money and have a more interesting experience. The hostel in Santa Fe was about $25 including unlimited food. Hostel in San Francisco was around $30 – safe, noisy and close to fishermans wharf.
4. Food and drink can be expensive. Check “choice rewards” or “wynham rewards” for restaraunts that may give you points for eating there. Also check out “groupons.com” they offer some excellent coupon deals. Without coupons I’d expect to pay $15 for food, $4.00 for a beer $3-8 for a mixed drink. What I do is eat all my meals at the hostel except for 1 meal a day. Then I will explore a new resteraunt. So you pay $5 a day at the hostel (being very conservative) then $20 eating out. $25 a day for food. Another thought is to eat and drink at the hostel or campground (sometimes free) and then go out for a dessert.
Finally – I recommend joining some kind of frequent flier program with whatever airline you fly with. Do a little research. These programs will often give you credit for shopping at certain grocery stores, staying at motels, renting certain cars, etc. The idea is to maximize you budget by leveraging these loyalty programs. Depending on your comfort level the last link will list people searching for rides. They often will pay half the gas and you’ll have an interesting conversation.
Below are some sites that I hope help you out a bit.