r/roadtrip•
Uskoa

First time driving across the country, looking for advice.

Trip Planning

Hello! Forgive me if posting etiquette is off. I've lived my entire life in Kentucky and have never gone further west than Missouri. Recently got an opportunity I am taking where I will be moving to Washington, just a bit outside of Seattle and Tacoma.

I get anxiety driving in big cities and have set my Waze to skip toll roads and ferries. I'm driving a reliable hatchback car that is decent on gas. Going to be packing all of my stuff up and heading out west.

Drive looks to be ~2400 miles, 34.5hrs. My tires are still good but planning to have them rotated and get my car serviced the day before I depart.

Sadly, I don't have anyone that can take the trip with me so will be doing it on my own. I plan on sleeping in my car at truck stops to save money on hotel costs.

I guess my point here is, what is some general advice some of you experienced folks might have for someone that has never done this before? Anything is welcome, little things I might not of thought about or tips for safety, so on so forth.

Just incredibly anxious about this and want to make sure I'm crossing t's and dotting i's.

Thank you!

Posted Aug 4, 2025, 4:27 PM UTC

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