Route 66 Vacation Guide

Index to this page:

Introduction
Some Key Facts about Route 66
Start here!
Try our Route 66 planner tool
Download our Road Trip planning e-Book
Define your trip: check list

Route 66 Vacations & Road Trip Plan

Great ideas for Route 66 vacation

vacation
Noun, va·ca·tion: a period of time that a person spends away from home, school, or business usually in order to relax or travel
Getting away from it all to find yourself

Looking some ideas for your road trip vacation?
Have you ever wanted to follow a road just to see where it will take you?
Then check out our Route 66 vacation ideas for the adventure of your life!

>> Read about the Ten Reasons To Go On A Road Trip.

Our website will help you understand what Route 66 is all about, how to experience it, things to do in its tiny towns or its large cities; side trips and byways that you can explore along the way. What to do, see and enjoy.

At www.TheRoute-66.com we offer reliable and comprehensive information on Route 66 hotels, motels and other lodging, attractions, landmarks, activities and sights, maps, weather and more. Tips, hacks and advice for planning your trip along US 66.

muffler men and a Uniroayl Gal in several images titled MUFFLER MEN AND UNIROYAL GAL ON ROUTE 66 — Wacky sights along Route 66: Muffler Men on Route 66

Some Key Facts about Route 66

The Mother Road

Length. Route 66 is 2,278 miles (3.665 km) long.

Many segments of the original road are now abandoned and some are buried under the modern freeways that replaced it in the 1970s; these segments cannot be driven. But don't feel discouraged, there is plenty to drive and see along the remaining segments.

Route 66 crosses eight states from Chicago by Lake Michigan to Santa Monica on the Pacific Ocean. Each one has its special character. Each town has its own sights, landmarks and special Route 66 attractions.

>> Where is Route 66
>> How long is Route 66?
>> Can you still drive the entire Route 66?

Driving Route 66

You could drive it in less than a week...

If you drove eight hours per day at 50 miles per hour, you could drive the whole of Route 66 in about six days. Of course you'd miss out on all the fun, whizzing past the towns and villages.

So first of all define the scope of your vacations: how much time do you have? The whole road? Part of it? Focus on the top attractions? Take a slow pace and cover everything?

>> See our 1-Week Route 66 Road Trip Itinerary

Where to start? What are your plans?

Are you coming to a convention in Las Vegas or Tulsa and want to include a short Route 66 trip as an "extra"?

Are you specifically organizing your trip as a Road Trip vacation?

Or, is Route 66 an add-on to your main vacation?

The type of trip you have in mind will define the scope of your Route 66 vacations.

Some travellers opt for covering the western section: California, Arizona, and New Mexico and include a side trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Get a feeling of the "Old West" and the fantastic outdoors in southwestern USA.

Others prefer the more densly populated sections in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and eastern Oklahoma. Enjoying the hills, plains and tiny villages.

Others skim along the whole route from Chicago to LA and stop at the main attractions.

>> See the Top 10 Route 66 attractions in each state

Start here!

sunglasses, black, on the asphalt by yellow line in the sun

Plan your Road trip!

Our suggestion is that you read our Tips for a Great Road Trip which outlines the whole Vacation planning process in detail.

And to get a better understanding of Route 66, get a broad outline of what Route 66 is all about reading our Detailed description of Route 66.

Frequently Asked Questions

See our FAQ page, with answers for your questions...

When is the best time to Drive Route 66? How long will it take? Is the Road Paved? What Papers will I need? What are the Speed Limits?.... and more

Explore Our Guide for Inspiration...

An overview of each State and its Main Attractions

Tips for planning your Road Trip

>> Tips for a Great Road Trip

This page is full of resources, and tells you:

young couple dance by their van with paper cups in their hands on the road next to a lake — Travel Insurance buys peace of mind

Try our Route 66 planner tool

Route 66 shield in blue, red and white against sky with clouds

Get your kicks on your Route 66 vacations

Try our Route 66 vacation Tool to get a first outline of your trip.
Use this tool to refine your initial trip idea.

Choose different start and end points for your vacations and it will give you:

The distance between both points
The time needed to drive that distance.
Links to the main towns on your itinerary and links to hotels along the way.

Download our Road Trip planning eBook

Here is what you will find inside our book:

How to calculate your budget
When to travel
How to define the length of your trip
Getting to your Road Trip
A Check list
Don't forget the Side Trips!
What to Pack
Plan it or go with the flow?
Hotel bookings

>> Get Free eBook

Define your trip

With an better idea of what you want to see, do and visit, the length of your journey, and the starting, ending, and waypoints of your trip, you can begin looking into the other aspects to start defining your road trip: