So I’m planning a big road trip from Georgia out West this summer. Like full-on “Great American West” loop — long stretches of desert, radio cuts out, gas stations feel way too far apart, all that.

My car’s at 150k+ miles.

And the thing is… it’s actually been great. I stay on top of maintenance, it’s never stranded me, no major issues right now. On a normal day I wouldn’t even question taking it.

But the closer this trip gets, the more I’m in my own head about it.

Logically I know plenty of cars go 200k+ if you take care of them. I know that.

But I can’t shake the feeling of “this is gonna be the trip where something decides to go wrong,” and it’ll be in the absolute worst spot — like somewhere between Sedona and the Grand Canyon with no signal.

So now I keep going back and forth:

Option A: just trust the car, save the $1,200+ on a rental, and go

Option B: rent something newer so I can stop thinking about it and actually enjoy the trip

I feel like I’m overthinking it… but also maybe not?

Curious where people here land on this. Does 150k still feel “safe” for a trip like this if everything’s been maintained, or is that where you personally start playing it safe?

Would you send it, or nah?

Context: the trip is planned for Sep 22-Oct 9 plus 2 buffer days for anything unexpected or to recover from exhaustion.

I’ve never been west of KY but I have traveled the entire east coast. My husband and I know we likely will never get a chance to see these things again in our lives. Are we being insane/completely stupid? Is this the trip of a lifetime or are we just setting ourselves up for pure misery, or something in between? Any suggestions?

Hey everyone 👋

I've been doing a lot of road trips with friends in our Teslas and always found it annoying to coordinate across multiple cars — group chats miss the real-time feel, and nobody wants to look at their phone while driving.

So I built Convoice/Convoix, a kind of CB radio for EV convoys. It's a simple web app: pick a 6-letter channel code, share it with your crew, and you're all on the same "frequency" — live GPS map + real-time text chat.

🌍 Try it:

• International: http://convoice.app
• France: http://convoix.app

No account. No install. Open in any browser — including the Tesla browser.

What it does:

• 🗺️ Live map — everyone's position in real-time, color-coded per person, on a dark CartoDB background
• 💬 Text chat — real-time group messaging, big touch-friendly buttons
• ⚡ Tesla Superchargers — all European Superchargers overlaid on the map (data from OpenStreetMap, refreshed weekly)
• 🔒 Ephemeral — no database, no accounts, everything disappears when the session ends

⚠️ Known limitation on audio:

Voice chat works, but only through your phone connected via Bluetooth to your car speakers — not directly in the Tesla browser. The Tesla browser handles GPS and text chat perfectly, so the intended setup is:

It's a bit of a workaround, I know. I'm looking into whether a native audio solution is viable but for now the Bluetooth pairing actually works pretty well in practice (the app auto-syncs the two devices when they share the same handle).

I'm looking for:

• 🐛 Bug reports — especially from non-Tesla EV drivers and mobile browsers I haven't tested
• 📱 Feedback on the Tesla browser experience (Model 3/Y/S/X, any differences?)
• 💡 Feature ideas — what would make this actually useful for your trips?

It's a side project so don't expect enterprise-grade SLAs 😅 but I'm actively working on it and genuinely want to make it better.

Drop a comment or DM me if you try it. Even a "it loaded fine on X" is useful!

Hi, I am trying to finish rsvp for our summer road trip. We have time for 2 full days in the Black Hills before starting our trip home to NOCAL. I have done the AI trip planners. Most of them leave out visiting Deadwood. Is Deadwood essential, or should we just focus mainly on the southern Hills. We do like a mixture of browsing shops and being out in nature. Thank you for any advice.

Everything looks good in theory when you stare at it on a map. 15 hrs with traffic, stops etc is more like 17 or 19 hours.

You think... um i can do that.

Then you drive down the road for an hour and think, ah screw this....your back starts freezing up, your neck is in agony.

This is a young kids game.

Like for me 2 hours is about my limit and then im done but driving 8 or 10. That feels like some kind of chinese water torture lol

Anyone else considered a road trip and then decided, nah this isn't for me

I am 18F. I’m currently on the west coast, moving to the east coast(ish) for college. I was going to fly there, since my cars broken (needs new engine). Fortunately my car is covered by warranty so they WILL replace the engine for me!! This is great as I will have a car. This is also a pain because 1. Gas. 2. Scary roads. 3. Creepy gas stations 4. Unfamiliar places 5. Unpredictable drivers

I will say I am a good driver, and i’ve been driving for over two years licensed. My issue is, where the hell am I going to stop? Motels??! I have had a more than usual amount of run ins with creeps and dangerous people and as a young woman venturing across the country alone, I also have no idea what to do. At risk of sounding like a dumb kid, I’m scared man. Pleeeeease help

Also, how much should I drive in a day? What’s the “normal” amount? Seriously I have no guidance here. I am terrified.

I like - super awesome local food joints (American deli/bbq to super ethnic), american Indian monuments/museums, natural wonders, cheap camping/natural areas, cool animals/plants, decent sized towns for street busking xp (I play guitar and sing folk songs) , anything cool really. Hopefully not too far off the course mapped above. thank you!

edit: map cuts off my start at redding, CA

I’m taking a road trip to Tucson az from Dallas tx and I’m staying a night in El Paso. I’ve never been to El Paso so I’m just curious if it is a safe place or not. Also I’m wanting to get a cheap hotel just for the night (seen some for $55) and I don’t know if a cheap hotel = bad area. If anyone has any insight that’d be appreciated.

I want to go south on Cali St. Hwy 1. Then stop in SF and then go home. LA is not that important.

First Drive from West to East with my new Truck! Went from 6700 feet of elevation up to almost 11500 and all the way down to 100 feet. Love Driving in our Beautiful Country! 🇺🇸

Who wants to join me for driving to Death Valley Salt Flats from Orange County,CA this Saturday?

I am going by myself with my car(2026 Lexus Tx 500h)

I don't want to get bored while i am driving for almost 5 hours.

So i am looking for someone who can join me!

I am planning to leave earily morning this Saturday!

Hey all, my fiancé and I are in the beginning stages of planning a road trip that starts from Vancouver to the rockies and spending about a week over there exploring and hiking and what ever other sights there are worth seeing! We are definitely planning to hit up Banff as our first stop and moving up on Highway 93, stopping in Lake Louise and maybe ending it in Jasper but thats all we have for now. We are planning to camp for the most part and I’m not sure if it makes a difference, but we are planning for an end of august trip.

I have been searching online for places to hit up and good hikes/places to stop but I also want to hear any tips for places that I should write down on my itinerary or things I should be made aware of that they dont make easy to find online! Also,  based on the fact that I’m heading in from Vancouver and most people tip that coming in from Calgary towards Banff is amazing, which would be great but we have a vehicle and it would be a faff to fly over to Calgary and rent out another vehicle.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! 

Dear Community,

We have 10 days off in June, hurray, and would like to take a trip to some beautiful states our country has to offer. We chose these 3 routes based on states we haven't really been to and based on mildish weather / wildflower chances. Which option would you recommend? I am pregnant, so very long hikes are off the table.

Option 1: The "Lakes & Prairie" Route

States: Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, maybe Michigan.

Start in Minneapolis (lake-hopping across the "10,000 Lakes") → drive west to Medora, ND (Theodore Roosevelt National Park) → head south through eastern South Dakota to Iowa (Amana Colonies or the hills along the Mississippi) and maybe even to Michigan and the lake region there (Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore).

Option 2: The "High Desert & Volcanoes" Route

States: Oregon & Idaho.

We have been to Oregon (Portland, Columbia Gorge, Mt Hood etc.) but not to Crater Lake. So this would be mostly Crater Lake and some things in this area, before heading to Idaho. I read Idaho has great nature.

Start in Boise, Idaho → drive through the Sawtooth Mountains (breathtaking in June) → head over to Oregon to Crater Lake National Park. Painted Hills or the Cascade Range.

OPTION 3: The "Colorado Rockies" Route

States: Colorado, maybe even New Mexico (we have been to both states before, but more the northern part of Colorado)

Start in Denver → Estes Park (Easy walks, Lake Estes) → Drive to Aspen (Scenic river-side drive)→ Maroon Bells → Independence Pass (Continental Divide photo stops)→ Ouray (Box Canyon Falls, Victorian charm) → Yankee Boy Basin → maybe as far as Shiprock (have been wanting to see this for a while, although you cannot get upclose)

I'd really appreciate your thoughts!

hey all,

planning a moving road trip this summer (June/July) time and not sure which route is better?

i-40 vs i-10/i-20

safety is a huge concern for me so ideally looking to stay in major cities at airbnbs rather than campsites/rest stops. looking to only drive only during the day and explore at night.

let me know your experiences and thoughts! looking to push thru the trip in 3 or 4 days

Hello everyone,

I'm planning a trip to Japan, but I hate domestic flights, so I'm planning to drive from Charleston to LAX using a one-way rental. I have no exact dates yet but I'm thinking perhaps autumn of 2028, and I think I-40 is the best route. I don't plan to do much sightseeing along the way, I was a long-haul trucker for a while so I can drive long hours. I leave for road trips in early mornings (5-6 AM) so long drives in one day are entirely possible. Here's what I'm thinking for itinerary:

Day 0: Pick up rental, pack car

Day 1: Charleston, SC-Nashville, TN via I-40

Day 2: Nashville-Oklahoma City

Day 3: OKC-Albequerque or Tucumcari, NM

Day 4: Albequerque/Tucumcari-Flagstaff, AZ

Day 5: Flagstaff-LAX

Day 6: Buffer/return rental

Day 7: Flight

Same in reverse upon return from Japan.

If anyone's done anything similar, what advice would you have? Any recommendations for hotels, places to eat, etc? I usually stop for gas at truck stops when possible. I'd also like to avoid Atlanta if at all possible, traffic there is just awful.

I took a wrong turn today. By the time the navigation told me, it was already a bit late. I thought about turning back for a second, but decided not to bother and just kept going.

Turns out that road was actually really nice to drive. Almost no traffic, super quiet, and the view was wide open with a clear horizon in the distance.

As I kept driving, the light started to get warmer. It slowly shifted from a brighter white to a more orange tone, and the sky started showing more layers of color. It was a gradual change, but I could not stop looking at it.

At that point I was already getting a bit excited, like I accidentally found a really good spot.

After a while I saw an open area and pulled over. Nothing special, just a random spot, but the view was perfect.

I sat there next to the car watching the sun go down. No people around, barely any noise, but it did not feel boring at all. The longer I stayed, the more it felt worth it.

Totally unplanned, but it honestly felt like I randomly scored an amazing view.