Map & Itinerary

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Day 1: Leave from Frankston and drive to Lubbock (estimated time and distance: 8 hours and 442 miles). We plan to visit the Buddy Holly statue and West Texas Walk of Fame, and we’ll stay the night with my sister and her husband.

Day 2: Travel from Lubbock to Albuquerque, NM the following morning (estimated time and distance: 6 hours and 320 miles). In Albuquerque, there’s a company call Enchanted Winds that offers hot air balloon rides. So, weather permitting, we’ll take a hot air balloon over the city! For the night, Taylor and I will stay the night with one of my family members.

Day 3: The next day, we’ll drive from Albuquerque, NM to the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona (estimated time and distance: 7 hours and 401 miles). We’ll bask in the wonder of the Grand Canyon, take pictures (obviously), and stroll across the horseshoe skywalk. For the night, we’ll stay in the Grand Canyon Lodge @ the North Rim.

Day 4-5: Say good-bye to Arizona, and head to Las Vegas, NV (estimated time and distance: 5 hours and 278 miles). We’ll stay in the Sin City for two nights. The first night, we’d like to see a Cirque du Soleil show. And, the second night, we’d like to try our hands at gambling and explore the nightlife. Thankfully, my grandparents have a time-share in Vegas that we’ll be able to take advantage of.

Day 6-7: Drive from Las Vegas, NV to Los Angeles, CA (estimated time and distance: 5 hours and 266 miles). Some of my paternal cousins live in Studio City, which is in West Hollywood. I’d like to hang out with them in LA for one day, and then on the second day, Taylor and I want to spend a day relaxing at the beach. At the Santa Monica beach, Taylor will take a surfing lesson while I soak up the sun and beauty of the Pacific.

Day 8: The next morning, we’ll drive from LA to San Francisco to meet up with my good friend Chris (estimated time and distance: 6 ½ hours and 382 miles). We’ll spend the day exploring San Fran and possibly ride a cable car –a San Francisco trademark. Chris knows the place pretty well, so he’ll be able to show us around. That night, we’ll drive only an hour (estimated distance: 50 miles) to Napa to crash at Chris’s house.

Day 9: The following day, we’ll hang out with Chris in Napa. His family owns a winery, so hopefully Chris will give us a tour…maybe a little wine tasting to go along with it. If we have enough time or energy, all three of us might drive to Sebastopol to have dinner at D’s Diner (estimated time and distance: 1 hour and 43 miles). Again, we’ll stay at Chris’s place for the night.

Day 10: Say good-bye to my friend Chris, and we’ll start making our trip back. Leave Napa and head toward Los Angeles, and then from Los Angeles to Phoenix, AZ (estimated time and distance: 12 ½ hours and 774 miles). In Phoenix, we’ll find a cheap motel to stay in for the night.

Day 11: Drive from Phoenix, AZ to Lubbock, TX (estimated time and distance: 13 hours and 738 miles). We’ll stop and crash again at my sister’s apartment in Lubbock.

Day 12: Make our final stretch from Lubbock to Frankston (estimated time and distance: 7 ½ hours and 440 miles).

Day 13-14: My itinerary only accounts for 12 days of a 14 day trip, but you never know what might happen on the road (flat tire, we sleep in too late one morning, we might get lost, or sidetracked). So, I’m allotting at least two days just in case something does happen. Or, say we do get back into Frankston two days early, we could use these days to recuperate and relax from our long, yet exciting journey!

Details/Cost Breakdown:

Mileage: From my itinerary, the mileage adds up to 4,134, but I’m certain it will be more than that, considering we’ll be driving around in the various cities along our trip. So, I’ll guestimate the mileage will be somewhere around 4,350. [5 states and 10 cities]

hot air balloon ride: $160/person = $320
one night at the Grand Canyon Lodge: $126
tickets to a Cirque du Soleil show: $86/person = $172
two nights at USA Hostels in LA: $35/person = $140
one surfing lesson for two hours: $109
one night at a motel in Phoenix: $50
gas: $500
food: $500
nights on the town and other frivolous spending: $300
Overall Cost = $2217 ÷ 2 = $1108.50/person