Just some more trivia. I made my first trip via Route 66 in the Summer of 1961 and either singly or as a family have been making trips to California on at least half of the route - Amarillo westwards - about every three years. Some times we would turn off at Barstow and head north to San Francisco but lately we turn off at Victorville and head to Northridge to visit my brother and his family.

On that first trip, I had been working the evening shift (4 PM to 12 Midnight) and left from work. Traveled all night and finally stopped in Tucumcari in the afternoon. I stayed at the old TraveLodge and had dinner at Del's.

Route 66 wasn't such a big deal then as it is now and I don't believe I have many if any pictures of just Route 66. I do have a lot of Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon but I can't recall of any "Road Pictures." I was more interested in getting to California and U.S. Highway 66 and later I-40 was just the quickest and shortest route from Dallas. I do remember that Needles was usually my next-to-last stop on the way to California to get an early stop to avoid the heat crossing the Mojave. (This was in the year before I had air conditioning in the cars.) The first trip was in a 1961 Dodge Lancer (this was the Plymouth Valiant's first cousin.)

Jenny–You'll have enough money.  I assume airfare and car rental are paid-for and the 2000 British pounds covers everything else.  Here's an idea of other basic expenses over three-weeks.  Estimates are realistic but on the high side for Spring 2013.  

Driving:  Gasoline (petrol) 2500 miles, 30 MPG, $3.75 a gallon = $312.  This would be typical for a Camry, Accord or similar sedan.  Let's round up to $4.+ a gallon (because of fluctuating prices) and make it $350.  

Motels for 21 nights: $50. a night on average including taxes = $1050.

Food:  $5. day per person for self-made sandwiches, apples, carrots, breakfast bars, instant coffee = $210.

Total = $1610. or about 1060 British pounds at current exchange rates.

Gasoline is not a major expense overall unless you have a really thirsty vehicle…it might then cost $500. or more.  Motels are currently at $30. or below in a few places along 66.  You should be able to average $50 (including hidden taxes, frequently 15-20%).  Try to get a place well outside downtown Chicago and LA--you can cut the cost by at least half.  Motel 6 (frequently found along the Interstates) offers adequate basic lodging in the $50 range most places. Typical restaurant meals en route can average $5.-$15. per person. There's a lot more in the Travel section of my site, https://www.rt66pix.com and it's written largely for non-Americans.

You should be fine on your existing savings, plus what your boyfriend can muster.  You will be able to sample classic restaurants (and fast food), buy souvenirs, and stay at a mixture of classic and mid-range chain motels better than Motel 6. But the above should help others who have a more-stringent budget.  And it's for three full weeks.

One final note, economizing on a really small vehicle won't really save all that much in fuel and rental costs.  With more than two people it could lead to a really uncomfortable experience.  Better to pack your own breakfast and lunch and economize that way. 

Monica here! Been stalking 66 sites for the past 20 years. I've collected lots of books and items along the Illinois, Missouri portions. Originally I had planned to travel the road with my husband upon retirement, but have decided to not wait, and make it w family vacation to celebrate my 40th birthday. Aside from route 66, I'm a history buff, particularly dust bowl era, an avid reader and book lover and a huge old movie buff with Paul Newman being my personal favorite. I look forward to reading all the great advice here!

Hi Monica.   First, welcome to the group.  Have you been through the Dust Bowl area of Oklahoma through eastern New Mexico--or will this be your first time?  And your family--are they "into" this as well?  This additional info will be a big help in responding to your travel plan.   

Hi, Myself Simon and my wife Lynn, from Adelaide South Australia, have always wanted to do Route 66.

We want to do it well and not rush, we cant spare enought time to do what we realy want , so June 2014 will see us do Needles to Oaklahoma in a realxed time. We are enjoying reading everyones posts, and look forward to getting our plan together for your opinion.

Thanks to you all in advance 

Hi all.  I'm Clarke from Florissant, Missouri and I just got re-registered after two days of trying.  My wife and I began our Route 66 travels in 2003 when we went from St. Louis to Santa Fe .  Two years later, we went to Santa Monica via Yosemite and the Pacific Coast Highway before returning to St. Louis on Route 66.  Since then, we've made trips to International Route 66 Festivals in Clinton, Litchfield, Quapaw, Flagstaff, Amarillo, Victorville and Joplin/Galena plus several shorter trips in Illinois and Missouri the last being a Missouri Route 66 Association tour from Carthage to St. James.

Glad to see the site is working again and working much better.  Unfortunately, a great deal of information was lost.  Hope it continues to work well.  It appears that any registrations or posts which were made after about September 4, were lost.  Perhaps Steve can figure out a way to recover that data.

For anyone having the same difficulty I had re-registering, you have to go to: https://www.drivingroute66.com/wp2

The red text is different from the old address.

Hi Bonnie, sounds like you've done your research and made some good plans. This website has definitely got some great recommendations. Also, there are lots of tips on the message boards, e.g. Frank our resident expert has shared a wealth of knowledge. Let us know if you have any questions.

Hi all my name is Lisa. After years of wanting to do Route 66 this is the year it's finally gonna happen. Me and my best friend are heading out on 23rd August for just over 4 weeks. Flights and car booked, hotel in Chicago booked and then we plan on not planning !! Just take it as we find it. All info on here is very welcome.