Wedding Wednesday: Road Trip!

Wedding Wednesday: Road Trip!

Rob and I spent a significant portion of the last few weeks researching countless honeymoon options. Eventually it all boiled down to quantity vs. cost. We could do 6-9 days in an exotic locale with our costs starting at $8,000 or 20+ days for the same price or less in the good ol’ states.

That’s right: we’ve made a date today to see the USA in our Chevrolet Honda Fit!

America is such a good value compared to the rest of the places we were looking at, so we have a lot more flexibility and time. The plan is to spend three weeks driving around, riding our tandem bike, maybe camping a bit and staying in fancy historic hotels. Maybe we’ll even stay in a tipi like this.

Yellowstone, Zion, the Grand Canyon and Santa Fe are on the list so far. I’ve only ever been to seven states, so it should be a big adventure.

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There are 27 comments for this article
  1. Greeneyes at 8:30 pm

    Awesome–what a great way to honeymoon! I grew up right next to Yellowstone, and it is a magical place.

  2. MissScientistSF at 8:51 pm

    awesome, you should keep heading west and we can meet ya somewhere! We loved Zion and you could go visit Steve and Eunice in Santa Fe! Fun times. You should register for gas cards, that would be cute!

  3. Kellyry at 9:25 pm

    Great choice! Although I am a huge fan of traveling outside of the States, I know a couple of people who decided to go the same route as you (same $$, more time) and they absolutely loved the extra time and the togetherness of exploring the country together.

  4. Southern Belle at 9:47 pm

    This is great! This is pretty much what my husband and I did. We were moving to CA from Virginia, so we decided to just head out after the wedding. We got married, and basically used our reception as a big going away party/barbecue, and then hit the road for a road trip. We had a great time, and saw some of the funniest things. This country of ours is a hilarious place, let me tell you.

  5. Liz at 10:28 pm

    What a great idea! There is nothing better than a road trip. And it’s a beautiful part of the country to explore.

    I remember hiking the Grand Canyon when I was 18 and thinking, this is where I will come for my honeymoon. It’s a treacherous hike (at least on the way back up) but so amazingly beautiful and the whole experience was so much cooler than sitting lazily on an exotic beach somewhere. (Although some time over the last 10 years I’ve developed a strong liking for lounging on exotic beaches…).

    Anyway, have fun!!

  6. Jecca at 10:36 pm

    You must look at going to the Oregon coast. Besides also being able to do Portland (very cool city), that stretch of ocean is one of the best. It’ll be great on the tandem bike!

  7. Alicia at 10:45 pm

    That sounds great! If you’re in Santa Fe you should definitely pop up to Southern CO and check out the Sand Dunes. These amazing dunes in the middle of huge mountains – really breathtaking & fun to play in! It’s a National Park so you can easily find info about it on the Nat. Park website…

  8. love.boxes at 11:14 pm

    If you are headed to zions.. just drive a bit north and visit the Unintah Mountains.. lots of people like the red rocks best, but there are parts of the Unitahs that look like the Garden of Eden to me.. they are just so pretty.

  9. Amanda at 11:18 pm

    Chico Hot Springs in Montana is just north of the North entrance to Yellowstone. I highly, highly recommend it, no matter the time of year.

    http://www.chicohotsprings.com/

    You’ll have a great time. We went to Chicago right after we got married last year (we’re doing a longer Europe trip this year) and the best part was just being with my husband and not having any obligations or have anyone ask us a question.

  10. Anne at 11:53 pm

    I second the Oregon coast! You can cycle, go to the Rogue brewery and even stay in a yurt!

  11. Soul-Fusion at 1:02 am

    if you do Zion, you should also check out Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks and if you want to climb I can recommend some amazing places – I spent my college years climbing in the hills of southern Utah. Seriously great stuff – fun sandstone outside St. George, Utah in Snow Canyon and of course Red Rocks outside Vegas. What a fun way to honeymoon!
    Oh, one more suggestion, if you are going to Yellowstone, check out Island Park in Idaho – canoeing on Henry’s Fork near Mack’s Inn is incredible. You almost always see moose and other wildlife.

  12. Marla at 1:29 am

    I think you still have quantity & quality here…I love the idea of finding historic hotels to sample America!

  13. laura at 7:30 am

    From all the great comments, and the sound of your trip so far, you will have more than enough places to visit and an amazing experience!

    Maybe as a first anniversary then, and for a relatively easy and cheap getaway for us West coasters, this place in Mexico is amazing…
    http://www.adobeguadalupe.com/en/index.html

    Happy honeymooning!

  14. Jessica at 1:28 pm

    I could not possibly be more excited that you are going to Santa Fe. That’s where we honeymooned and not a week goes by that I don’t wish I was there again. Love, love, love it.

    Is it wrong that I am now craving Chile Rellenos at 8:30 in the morning?

  15. Janet at 2:51 pm

    I think that this is just a wonderful, wonderful idea!

  16. Amy at 3:00 pm

    I thought of you this morning while watching the Today Show. They had a spot on “Recession-Proof Travel” and gave a bunch of tips and ideas of places to visit while not taking a toll on your wallet. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16486761/

  17. Emily at 5:17 pm

    That’s a really great honeymoon idea. I LOVE road trips and am craving one really badly. sounds fantastic!

  18. Katie at 5:44 pm

    I really like all those places.

    If you’re going to Santa Fe, might as well make a trip down to the Carlsbad caverns. The ear doctor and I did it 2 years ago and it was really cool…unless your scared of bats.

    Also, try to get some passes to hike the Narrows in Zion’s national park. Really cool hike, but the waiting list is LONG.

    While you’re in the area, you might look at hiking to Havasu Falls in the Havasupai Indian Reservation. Coolest hike I’ve ever been on!

  19. Jennifer at 10:24 pm

    My husband and I did a road trip up the west coast for our honeymoon. It was a blast! Also, we stayed at a lot of nice independent hotels (my favorite was the Benbow Inn in Garberville, CA) that gave us either free upgrades or cheaper room rates when we told them we were honeymooning!

  20. Elizabeth at 11:03 pm

    I’m going to give a second recommendation for Carlsbad Caverns in Southern New Mexico – I saw them on a cross country road trip a few years ago and they’re truly amazing. Road trips are SO much fun – you’ll have a blast.

  21. Ashley at 3:50 pm

    This sounds like so much fun! If you find yourselves around Jackson Hole, Wyoming…you have to treat yourself at stay at Amangani..then eat breakfast at The Bunnery. Jackson Hole is a MUST on your trip! You can’t go wrong. Also, if you are around Bozeman, Montana I recommend staying at The Gallatin Gateway Inn..this fits the bill for historic hotels…then eat breakfast at Main Street Overeasy!! SOOO GOOD! If you do go to Glacier you should go into Canada to Banff! Another amazing stop!! Ok..I’ll get off my soapbox!! Have fun!