1

Summer. Varies by region, California March to Oct. National parks in the west, June to Nov. Beaches in south, March to June. Winter is best avoided, Dec to March/April.

Basically the same time schools are out, May to Sept.

2

SARAHMATT,
How much is it going cost to rent a vehcle for your trip ?

3

I didnt even want to bring that up- but you really dont need a car and it would be very expensive to park in Boston, Philly, DC, NYC, Chicago, San Fran, all those same cities are also very easy to get about on foot, public transport and using a taxi. You also can get between all the east coast cities via train/busses, like NYC/Philly/Boston and DC.

There really is nothing to see in many states, and many of the cities lack hostels/low budget options.

It would be far more efficient and cheap to fly between many of the areas, like Chicago/Midwest, Denver/Rockies, New Orleans/Texas.

If you plan on camping in the state and national parks and forest, this would be a huge money saver, but also requires gear, logistics and planning in the popular parks/areas.

This entire subject of road tripping all over the USA is asked, covered and mentioned weekly on this forum, just read back.

4

All of what was said above and if you are going to drive be careful driving through the mid-western states June-August cos that's tornado season. If you plan on driving through any of the Mountain states from September-March check the weather ahead of time cos places like Colorado can get snow as early as September.

The southern states are hot and humid in the summer and there are tons of tourists in places like Florida cos that's the cheapest time from them to come.

If you have the means to fly from city to city I say do that. It takes roughly 4 days to drive from NY to CA and that's without stopping to do tourist stuff.

NY and CA will probably be your most expensive places to visit. Both are pretty comparable to the prices in London.

5

NY to CA in 4 days? 3000 miles and 48 hours...thats 12 hours of driving per day, good lord...6 days would be exhausting...

6

What if they are skiers?

7

They asked the best time, I would assume this means weather, pleasant temps and leaves on the trees, not freezing winds and snow on the ground, and most the National parks, are closed or limited access in the mountains in winter,,,

Would you suggest driving across all of America, in Dec to March?

8

But again, what if they are skiers?
In that case "best time weather wise" takes on a whole new definition.

9

I've done the 4 day drive & it sucks. One day was 18 hours straight. I don't recommend it unless you've got no other means for transportation.

I don't think people from other countries have a clue how big the US is. I know I didn't when I first came here. Ha.

10

I'm fond of summer-into-fall,
but then again that is fishing and leaf color season coming close to hunting season. It also allows me to hit some summer-only places and visit some other that are best visited once the crowds leave.

My son loves summer (because all the beaches and amusement parks are open).

It kind of depends what you are in to.

11

Crazy non-plan by a dreamer. To attempt all of that in your 3 months (assume you actually mean 90 days, to comply with VWP constraints) you'd need to set a blistering pace. After 2 weeks you'd no long "see" anything, just wish that you could stop for a while and get a good night's sleep and decent meal.

Put all of your desired destinations in a hat, and pick 5. If any are close together drive between them. If they're far apart fly and rent a car for nearby circle-tour sightseeing.

Look at your budget for the trip, and you may decide you can only afford 3 destinations and 60 days. That's OK -- it's a big country, it will be around for the rest of your lifetime so you can come back. Most of us who live here haven't seen "most" of it either, even if we've been trying to explore all the corners.

12

Different strokes for different folks. I LIKE road trips and perhaps the OP does too. All she asked was an opinon on the best season, not comments on the cost of rentals, fearmongering about the weather, etc.

In my experience, you don't want to do more than about 4,000 miles per month - so 12,000 miles for your whole trip and that would be spending quite a bit of time behind the wheel. So I am assuming you really LIKE driving. So you can easily do a loop around the US. We've done similar distances many times and had a great time.

Basically, April and May are spring. This means cooler weather with more rain in the north, whether that be the east or the west coast. So have your April/May in the south where it will be really pleasant. June/July/August are the hot months, more so in the south where it can get VERY hot, like way over 100 deg. So make sure you are in the north/near the coast during those months. Sept/October are lovely anywhere - those are my favourite months for traveling anywhere in the US or Canada.

In terms of trip planning, I would choose Aug/Sept/Oct taking advantage of the warmer August in the north (ie travel from New York across to Seattle then head south down the coast before turning east again). The other factor is families on holiday. Nothing against kids but I always like traveling when they are back in school leaving more room for the rest of us. They return to school in late August.

13

You can drive everywhere, but it does not mean you will see everything. Take a simple trip from Chicago to Traverse City, Macinaw, over to UP, then down Wisconsin side and back to Chicago, to see the national parks, key beaches and fun towns, you would need 8 days. Then you need 3-4 days in Chicago to see the city. Then a day driving to Chicago from Cleveland, St Louis, Lexington or Minneapolis. Then a day leaving Chicago to next city/area, so now thats two weeks, and you have not even seen 90% of Wisconsin or Michigan...

You need a good 10 days to just explore Kentucky/Tennessee.

You need a week for Yellowstone.

Colorado and the Rockies, add another 10 days. Now thats a month, and you have only been to 4 areas.

California- a easy 3 weeks would be fast.

When you go to all these places, you need to get out of the car, walk, hike, enjoy the scenery, museums, trails, nightlife, regional foods, music, fairs, festivals, and activities. do you want to drive to a beach, and not lay on it or walk on it? Go to a mountain or park and not hike it? Go to a big city and enjoy the arts, culture and nightlife? That all requires time, and money.

14

Solo:
I look at travel the same way I do eating at the buffet. Sometimes I make a meal of just a couple items, maybe the baked salmon and the coleslaw. Other times I dance along the buffet line, sampling a spoonful of this and a spoonful of that. Making a meal of the variety. That's very satisfying too.

So too with travel. I spent 4 months in London and still have not gotten enough of it. I've recently returned from a 15,000 km road trip through southern Africa over 2.5 months. It was the best trip I've ever taken. Every day blew my mind.