Cristobal asked:
Hello my American friends, I am currently planning a road-trip in your country, probably for May. My idea would be to fly from London (I am French, please dont hurt me ha ha, but live in the UK) to Houston, Texas. From then on, I would like to go to San Antonio, then along the Mexican border and then all the way up to Wyoming, then down again through Utah (and so on). I will be travelling with a friend. So here are my questions:
- what car would be ideal for such a trip?
- what places do you recommend in particular?
- what is the average price of gas right now? (to plan my budget)
- Would it be too ambitious to think about doing so much in about 20 days? Or should I plan for a longer trip?
- What are the best places to meet people and share stories? I am quite keen on trying to understand the local characters and people a bit more...
Thank you, any tips will be appreciated...
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Hello my American friends, I am currently planning a road-trip in your country, probably for May. My idea would be to fly from London (I am French, please dont hurt me ha ha, but live in the UK) to Houston, Texas. From then on, I would like to go to San Antonio, then along the Mexican border and then all the way up to Wyoming, then down again through Utah (and so on). I will be travelling with a friend. So here are my questions:
- what car would be ideal for such a trip?
- what places do you recommend in particular?
- what is the average price of gas right now? (to plan my budget)
- Would it be too ambitious to think about doing so much in about 20 days? Or should I plan for a longer trip?
- What are the best places to meet people and share stories? I am quite keen on trying to understand the local characters and people a bit more...
Thank you, any tips will be appreciated...
Content supplied by Yahoo Answers
Howdy Partner
From here in North Texas (just outside of Dallas) we welcome your upcoming visit to our state and our country !!
First suggestion right off -- get out of Houston really really fast !! Unless you have the most uncurable desire to see the Johnson Space Center-- Houston is a megamonster of a city !! In San Antonio, you may need someone to translate unless you do Spanish-- but-- outside of that-- don't miss the Alamo and the Missions tours and they have a superb botanical gardens there as well !!
If you're doing the Mexican Border area--- might as well go on across and get into Mexico but in whatever case -- get away from the border area--- it is nothing to be desired there and awash in some fairly troubling economic upheavals because of the CRUSH of illegals pressed in there looking to get the break and find their way IN-----You'll find MUCH BETTER MEXICAN CULTURE IN SAN ANTONIO than anywhere AT the border areas and it's alot safer too !! Now -- be sure and get to Austin (Texas' Capital) and we'd love to have you up here around Big D--- don't forget to indulge in some Texas BarBQue and see a working ranch while you're here !!
20 days is not long , dude-- and you have an impressive distance to cover in that time---even without all the things you are going to want to do !! 30 days would still press you !! And as far as a vehicle --- you're going to want a solid mid- sized car with two of you and THAT much time in it---otherwise the two of you are going to go nuts with the lack of room in a smaller car-------and----gas right now in North Texas is running near the $ 2 USD per Gallon price but ---THIS AIN'T MAY----and it could be as much as $ 3 USD per gallon at THAT time---be sure and check JUST before heading out !!
Another thing here-- don't bother with Oklahoma---nothing there!! Opt for a route that takes you from Texas into New Mexico ---up into and through Colorado and on up from there--- a much better deal !!
Hope this helps you with at least SOME insight and view point--and once again-- Come on over !! You're gonna LOVE TEXAS (get some boots and a hat while you're here)---and just might want to consider spending your entire stay here chasing the cowgirls down some cow path !!!!!!
Hey friend,
First let me say WELCOME! Now to answer your first question..
1) The best car to rent (hire) for the trip would be either a mini-van or a full sized SUV like a Chevy Suburban, Chevy Tahoe, Chysler Pacifica, Fod Expedition and rent from a company like Alamo that has unlimited mileage and decent daily/weekly rates.
2) I would reccomend a day trip in Mexico in the border town of Juarez across from El Paso, TX. I have been there many times in my travels and it is a nice town. You should take the walking bridge and get something to eat in town from the restaurant but do not drink the water or allow them to put ice in your drink (made from the same water of course) The city of Juarez is about a million people and is very interesting and impressive once you get away from the immediate border crossing area. They have US styled streets and shopping malls which are easy to navigate and breath-taking spanish architecure in some areas.I reccomend seeing the Grand Canyon, I reccomend stopping to see the River Walk in San Antonio which is a must see if you are in the city. The Ogden Canyon near the Resevoir is beautiful. Another beautiful place to visit in Wyoming is Jackson Hole. It has great views, good camping and white water rafting.
3) The average price of gas now is about $2.20-$2.35 though in some areas it is lower like $1.89. I guess you can count the consumption in a full size vehicle at .17 cents per mile for the 1,500-2,000 miles you plan to drive.
4) Is it too ambitious to do it in 20 days? It depends on if you have to drive back to Houston which may add 2-3 more days on an already short trip. It would take 6-7 days to drive that loop you propose non-stop without even getting out to see anything. I would think you might want to spend about a night or two in each place for rest and the ability to see it unrushed. if you stop at 6 places that is about 12 days of solid sight seeing and leaves you only 8 days to drive the remainder and try to meet friends along the way. 30 days would be alot better in my opinion because sometimes you might want to stay in some cities longer than a day. Some can't even be seen properly in a day. What you are proposing is like driving from Spain to Finland and then down to Turkey and back to Spain. Its a long drive.. Take your time.
5) The best places to meet locals are outside the major cities. Small towns, talking to cashiers and gas station attendants. Stop at farms and ranches and talk to the people there. They may have never met someone from New York City let alone from France living in the UK. It could be the highlight of thier lives. people in cities tend to be tougher and more guarded and they may either see you as playing a trick on them or someone who they can play a trick on but in smaller towns the mentality is different.