Co$t of Travel

[catfishsue]

Hi,
  Traveling the Southern Tier in April and wondering if anybody can give an average cost to this trip with camping and some motels. This will be my first big tour.  How hard is it? Many mountains?

[staehpj1]

Traveling the Southern Tier in April and wondering if anybody can give an average cost to this trip with camping and some motels. This will be my first big tour.  How hard is it? Many mountains?

I found lots of free camping, some of it in impromptu roadside sites, and the occasional motel room was usually reasonably priced.  I didn't employ stealth at all and when wild camping camped in plain sight.  That worked pretty well once well away from either coast.

There are mountains, but it is probably still the easiest of the coast to coast AC routes by a long shot.  If starting in the west the ride is pretty challenging for a while from the start.

I met a lot of interesting people and the food was great.  The scenery was mostly pretty underwhelming though IMO.  If I didn't enjoy meeting the local folks and eating the local food, I don't think I would have liked this route.  My ride was full of interesting characters and the mexican food, barbecue, Cajun food, and seafood on the gulf coast were great.

[CMajernik]

The inexpensive way to go is to camp and cook your own meals. Assuming you have all the necessary gear before you leave a budget of $35-$50 day should be enough to pay for camping fees and groceries and still stash a bit away for unforeseen expenses like repairs or gear replacement. Going very cheap, it’s possible to travel on $10/day or less. Camping prices will be more expensive on either coast, and when you are near or in large cities like Austin.

Besides the mountain passes, one in CA, one in AZ, and two in NM, you will go through the "Texas Hill Country" which is a series of short, steep hills west of Austin. Plan to ride less miles if you are going west to east at the start, because, as staepj! said, it's pretty challenging. After you're on the road for awhile you'll be able to increase your daily mileage.

[indyfabz]

Taking advantage of free camping is a very good way to cut your daily budget by a significant percentage. I rode across PA in September. Only on the first night was there a free, legal camping option. All but one of the rest of the nights cost me in the low to mid $20s to camp. The one exception was a $34 night, and it was the worst of the private campgrounds.