Tired of the norm and enthralled by adventure, I decided to go on a road trip in the USA with my best friend last summer. We had done a few similar trips in the UK, but had never ventured to a country where you drive on the other side of the road, travel for days to get to your destination, and of course, tolerate summer temperatures which are somewhat higher than those in the UK.
One thing we were both sure of was that we would have to go prepared. Having decided we would take on the USA’s old mother road, Route 66, we knew our starting point would be Chicago and that our goal was Los Angeles. According to our research, Route 66 is 2,451 miles long or 3,945 km and we would need about 14 days to really enjoy the trip…to stop and sightsee, chat to the locals, drive on unpaved sections, go on a day trip etc. So we booked one way airline tickets to Chicago and the return flights from Los Angeles. In Chicago we would rent a car at the airport (pre-booked on Hertz.com, like any good traveler) and we had specified that we would return it to a different Hertz car rental location. Sorted! We then booked flights with Delta Airlines from Los Angeles airport to London. We left 25 days between the two flights to make sure we got there on time and to give ourselves a day or two for the unexpected and the chance to spend some time in Los Angeles when we finally arrived.
I cannot lie, I was quite nervous about the trip before we set off….but it was great fun. Everything went more or less to plan, but the fun was definitely the unexpected. This road runs through significant cities and old towns, and has everything from 24 hour diners to motels and deserts. You can even go off track and visit the Grand Canyon or Vegas for the day. Go on…live the American Dream and discover Route 66.
Written by admin
Topics: United States