Depends what you drive…
I can get 300 miles on 40 dollars worth of fuel… a 6000 mile trip would cost 800 dollars.
More…from the same road trip:
in order from left to right. Great Sand Dunes CO, San Fran CA, Yosemite CA, Lake Tahoe CA, Bryce Canyon UT
(fyi, met up with different friends that live in SF)
I have traveled by road to every state east of the mississippi. Sometimes by the backest of back roads. It’s a great time. However. Things to keep in mind:
- Around most of the country, gas stations are NOT open 24 hours.
- Take a reliable car, comfort is nice, but reliability is king.
- Make sure your license is up to date and clean, small town cops prey on you.
- A gas can, fix a flat, gallon of coolant and a small tool kit are a must. However I also recommend an aluminum jack from harbor freight and a cordless impact gun. That came in handy in the middle of Canada…that is like driving on the moon.
- Cell phone charger, up to date atlas or GPS but GPS doesn’t work everywhere I don’t care how good it is.
- Food and rations to fight off dysentery and the occasional indian attack.
I took back roads and side streets back from Norwalk, OH to Buffalo once. They are both on US Route 20. So I thought this would be awesome. WRONG. It made a 3-4 hour drive 10 hours. Ghey. It got boring and frustrating, I didn’t see a ton of stuff I thought I would nothing was impressive other than a nuclear plant near Camp Perry, Ohio.
The best drive I have done “Locally” was on my way to Rumford, Maine for the what was Maine Forest Pro Rally. It was between Troy, NY and Greenfield, MA. It is 42 of the most serene and winding roads through 2 state parks. It is route 2. Google Map it.
Otherwise it’s fun, it was less fun during the 2007-2008 gas hike.
for dancing i had a competition in vegas and flew there for a week then with my family rented an RV for a week and a half and went to all the national parks out there, did a helicopter ride over the grand canyon, hiked through zion, road horses through bryce, hoover dam, dealth valley, etc. it was a lot of fun out there…i wanted to take a roadtrip this weekend to the detroit auto show but no one will go with me 
haha and i can’t go alone but oh well
i make it to florida for a little under $200 in gas
I did a 4500mi trip this past September. Shit ruled.
DO IT!
when I was 21, 3 buddies and myself rented a van and drove around the country for 3 weeks and logged 9500+ miles. It was the best experience I have ever had. We camped at KOA’s (25$ a night and get to use their showers, sinks for washing pots etc etc) and slept in the van or in truck stops. We used a propane mini grill set up for our pots to cook food (brought tons of canned goods). The only thing we had planned was what points of interests must been seen, the estimated total milage for gas money and the duration for the van rental.
I picked up a 911 Turbo in Houston, and drove it back to Albany in a day over summer.
As far as it being “a spur of the moment” thing; my room mates and I went to White Castle (E. Cleveland) one night in November just because. Was barely a road trip, but, was fun nonetheless. My dad and I did a 2-week drive with the race car 911 on the trailer. Stopped at Texas World Speedway, Watkins, Lime Rock, and one other (raced at every single track that time, too).
rent a truck with a cap from enterprise, sleep in back in inflatable mattress.
S10 or ford ranger ftw in that aspect. Very cheap on gas and the 6 foot bed is big enough for a small air matress.
After graduation HS me and a bunch of my buddies when on a roadtrip based mostly around riding our bikes but pretty much winged the last 2 weeks of our 3 week trip. Rented a u haul, put a mattress some coolers and hung some ghetto hammocks in the back to sleep on. Shit was awesome, saw a bunch of the North East, managed not to get arrested a bunch of times and had a blast.
Read Travels with Charlie by steinback, very well written about the universialities of travelling, he travels in the 60s across the US with his dog, and just amazing stories out of it. Will make you want to get up and go.
I’m planning a roadtrip to find a job, maybe next week
I’ve always wanted to drive out to Chicago, and follow Route 66 all the way to LA. I saw one small town on RT 66 in AZ, and since then, I’ve wanted to drive the whole thing.
Then I think I’d head North to go see Yellowstone again, and the badlands, speed prudent to road conditions FTW 
Also have a buddy that lives in SD so I’d probably make a stop there for a warm meal and a place to crash for a bit.
One more year of classes and this is going to happen… it has to…
Salt flats would also be an awesome place to check out.
Make sure to see Mt. St.helens if you go out that way. I would say that was one of the most impressive things to see. Even more so then the redwoods, yellowstone, rushmore, etc etc etc. saw them all on my trip and that still stands out in my mind as the most impressive.