Traveling Cross-Country

I want to travel across the country from Massachusetts to California, stopping to see all the sights possible. How do I go about making sure I have the most scenic and interesting places to visit? That includes things like views, casinos, places of interest, etc. Thank you in advance.

–Linda

Agawam, Mass.

Hi Linda,

A little advance planning using the Internet is the best way to go in your case. The Web offers many resources to help you decide what is worth pulling over to see (and what’s not) and can also help you with logistical issues, such as figuring the cost and routing of your trip.

When it comes to actually mapping out your route, including which highways to take, where to spend the night, and which traffic hot spots to avoid, try sites like AAA.com, RandMcNally.com, or Roadtripusa.com.

Roadtripamerica.com is a great one-stop resource to find not only routes, but also local attractions, entertainment, events, tips, and traveling companions for your trip. It even has a road trip forum where other travelers offer advice based on their own trips across North America.

A quirky site that will help you find more eclectic and unusual sites along your route is RoadsideAmerica.com. It lets you plug in a destination then it tells you what weird and wonderful stuff is within a specific radius of that spot (examples include The Museum of Torture and the World’s Biggest Ball of Twine).

The Road Trip Center Web Site has a tool that allows you to estimate the cost of your trip by punching in a few numbers and includes dozens of other car-travel resources, such as the rest-stop survival guide and eating healthily on the road.