[Chameleon24]

So my friend and I decided we want to take a huge road trip across the USA. But the thing is we don't really want a planned route. We want to just... go. Get lost... see what kind of adventure we can have. We want to see if we can get a few more of our friends to come too so it'll be more fun. I thought of some other things as well. No mapquest, no GPS... just see where the road takes us. And if there is somewhere we want to get to... we'll use a good old fashioned map. No computers. No cell phones (except in emergency situations and letting people know where we are).

How do we plan something like this? I know it sounds like something from the movies. Is this just a dream idea or is it possible?

One big problem I see already is how to handle things. If there are a few of us going I know that it is inevitable (especially if it's all girls) that there will be constant "well I want to do this" and "but I want to do that" and "I don't want to eat there" and "I want to go this way". Every single trip I've ever been on with friends that involves at least 3 or more people there always seems to be at least one argument about something like that... where people disagree on everything. I know it's all part of the experience. I'm the calm, patient one but I really don't want to spend the whole trip dealing with stuff like that every half hour.

What's the best way to deal with things like that?
I figured if there's at least 4 or more of us then we'll defintely be taking more then one car. Maybe we can always split up at points then meet back up in certain city? So then we're not always all stuck together at all times.

I thought of some things we need to consider before getting up and just going. We have to agree on costs... how we're going to spend money on things and how we're going to budget them. Decide on a time to go that works for everyone.
What other things should be considered for a trip like this? Is this crazy or reasonable?

[DoulaLC]

First off, make sure everyone is in agreement with the idea of it being generally unplanned.
Just a few things to consider... (which having it unplanned can make more difficult)
*how many miles will you travel, on average, each day?
*would there be any night driving?
*where will you stay nights?
*will you eat on the road or make stops for meals, or a bit of both?
*are there definite sites some might want to see (would call for some planning... days of operation, entrance fees, weather conditions, etc.)
*would you be upset if you realized later that you passed right by an important site but missed it because you didn't know it was there?
*are any of you good with map reading and directions? Will someone be the navigator?
*will do enough research to know to avoid certain areas due to weather conditions, road conditions, unsafe locations, etc. (stopping at welcome centers in each new state can provide you with helpful information on some things)
*how do members of the group handle stress?
Having some plans can allow for saving money on discounts for places to eat, motel rooms, site-seeing, etc.. You could do a bit of both... put a pin in the map every few days to decide where to head, then plan your route to take in the most sites along the way for example. This would also allow you to keep family members informed of where you are headed... always a smart move when traveling.
Travel often requires a good sense of humor and plenty of flexibility.
One way to avoid who decides what is to let each person have a day to choose where the group eats, where to stop, etc. or you could use majority rules... whatever you decide, everyone has to be in agreement before you set off.