USA ROAD TRIP: Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica and the Californian dream, from San Diego to San Francisco, via the great National Parks!

Hey Guys! Are you ready for the most adventurous summer of your life 😎? Along the “Mother Road", passing through breathtaking landscapes, monuments of every shape and color (even the most kitschy ones!), ghost towns, motels lost in the distant past, National Parks, and more, we will discover the true American 🇺🇸 soul! Not content with Route 66, we will embark on another of the world's most fantastic road trips, the Californian one! From the sun-drenched streets of San Diego to the centuries-old Sequoias, from the majestic Half Dome 🏞️, to the world-famous Golden Gate, from the hippest neighborhoods of Hollywood, to the wild Big Sur, we'll get lost in the eternal and brilliant “California Dream”. But first… it’s-a a me, Giulia! I'm the typical Italian girl, raised on Margherita Pizza 🍕 and weird hand gestures! I love meeting new people and getting to know new cultures. Whether you are looking for a new friend, a new mum, or a new mascotte, I can be the one for you 😬! During the first two weeks of our trip, we will cover almost 4,000 km from Chicago to Santa Monica 📍, passing through famous locations, such as the glittering Las Vegas or the imposing Grand Canyon, but also through realities almost unknown to the general public, but for this reason more authentic and evocative, such as Oatman and the Cadillac Ranch! In the last 7/8 days of our expedition, however, we will explore California far and wide, filling our days between San Diego, Yosemite, and Palm Springs, San Francisco, and Carmel-by-the-Sea (and many more!). Where are we staying? 🏡 Being a Road Trip, we are going to change our “home” almost every night! The accommodations will mostly be hostels and motels. Rooms will be shared, counting 3 female mates and 2 male mates (due to the double beds accommodations). That’s why the perfect Mate for this Trip wouldn’t mind share the space, make use of shared bathrooms with others, and loves being surrounded by people 😉 I have already booked all the accommodations, in such a way as to guarantee us the spots we need in August (usually one of the busiest months, especially in the western area). Respectively: —> 1°/2° NIGHTS: Hostel - 2x single Bed in 10-Bed Dormitory + 3x single Bed in 4-Bed Dormitory (Shared Bathrooms) —> 3° NIGHT: Motel/Inn - 2x Room with 2 Double Beds - Non-Smoking (the girls will share a double bed in shifts so that one night on and one night off, they will have a private bed) —> 4° NIGHT: Hotel - 2x Room with 1 Double Bed and 1 Sofa Bed - Non-Smoking —> 5° NIGHT: Motel - 2x Room with 2 Queen-Size Beds - Smoking —> 6° NIGHT: Motel/Inn - 2x Deluxe Queen Room with 2 Queen-Size Beds —> 7° NIGHT: Wander Camp Grand Canyon - 1x Twin Tent with Shared Bathroom + 1x Family Tent with 1 Single Bed and 1 Double Bed (Shared Bathrooms) —> 8°/9° NIGHTS: Hotel - 2x Standard Room with 2 Double Beds —> 10° NIGHT: Motel - 1x King Room with 1 Queen-Size Bed (shared by 2 ladies) + 1xRoom with 2 Queen-Size Beds —> 11°/12° NIGHTS: Apartment - 2 double beds and 2 sofa beds —>13°/14° NIGHTS: Hostel - 3x single bed Female Economy Dormitory + 2x single bed Male Economy Dormitory (Shared Bathrooms) —>15° NIGHT: Apartment - 2 double beds, 2 sofa beds, 1 inflatable mattress —>16°/17° NIGHTS: Curry Village Yosemite - 1x Family Tent with 3 single beds and 1 double bed (Shared Bathrooms + men and women will sleep in the same room) —>18° NIGHT: Motel 2x Room with 2 Double Beds —> 19°-21° NIGHTS: Luxury Hostel - 5x Economy Class Pod in 6 Bed Mixed Dorm (Shared Bathrooms + men and women will sleep in the same room) What about transportation? 🚕 As for transportation, we are going to rent 1 big car (probably an SUV) 🚙, and pick it up directly at the arrival Airport (Chicago O'Hare Airport). I’ll be one out of the two drivers, so I’m only looking for another mate to join me as the Group’s chauffeur! The trip costs include 💰: - All the accommodations - Car rental - 6 Breakfasts - America the Beauty card (Valid for access to all National Parks, cumulative for the 5 of us) - Travel Insurance (unluckily, for now, provided only for travelers from Germany and Austria) What is not included 💸: - Flights - Food - ESTA - Fuel & Tool booths - Other activities not mentioned in “The trip costs include” - Antelope Canyon Tour (Optional, you can consider around 60 euros) -Alcatraz Tour (Optional, you can consider 50 euros) - Public Transportation in the big cities (and parking when not provided by the accommodation) - Travel Insurance (except travelers from Germany and Austria) ❕IMPORTANT GUIDELINES: —>It will be important for this specific trip to be lightly equipped, as we will be sharing one car (albeit large) with the 5 of u 🤓! I suggest a big hiking backpack (or at most a trolley-size carry-on luggage) for all loads and a really small bag 🎒 for daily explorations. As a matter of fact, while in the big cities/hostels, where available, we will use washing machines for our laundry. —> This trip (especially the first 10 days) will be all about traveling by car 🚙... so it will be important to take into account the hours spent on four wheels, which at times could reach 8 per day (with an average of 4/5)! So, if you don't like traveling by car or you rarely spend time in it, perhaps this is not the best possible choice... I can assure you, however, that there will be so many stops and things to do and such absurd views that you will be thankful you chose the car as your transport for your trip to America 🤩! —> Spending many hours in the car, it will be necessary to start our days early (sometimes even waking up at 6 a.m. ⏰)! Full (and not always relaxing) schedules must therefore be taken into account. On the contrary, this trip does not often involve nightlife. With a few exceptions (such as the first night in Las Vegas or the last one in San Francisco), we will frequently have to go to bed rather early to arrive charged up for the next day's morning wake-up call! —> Always bring with you some cash 💶, you never know! —> Dress in layers 🧥: despite the month, there are some destinations on our trip that might turn out to be a bit tricky, especially San Francisco, the National Parks, and Chicago. So you will need to bring at least 1/2 heavy sweater and fleece, rain jacket, and slacks, even better if you have a windbreaker jacket (No worries, before the actual trip I’ll send you guys a list with all you will need to bring with you!). —> For the first day, we will all meet in the afternoon at the airport for car pickup. For those arriving in the morning, you are absolutely free to move to the city center and begin your solo explorations, before the meeting hour (PLEASE NOTE: in this case, you will have to make your own arrangements for moving from the airport to the city center and you will not be able to check in at the hostel before I arrive). —> At the moment, for most European countries, you do not need a visa to enter the USA, only a Passport 🛂, and to fill in and pay the ESTA certificate! Remember, however, to check online the guidelines for your Home Country! For detailed trip stops, take a look at bottom of the page in the "Trip Itinerary" section! For any other questions or curiosity don’t mind sending me a message here on JoinMyTrip 🤗 Can’t wait to meet you soon, Giulia *The apartments and all the activities planned may be subject to variation based on both the weather and the number of TripMates. Every change to the original plan will be notified in advance