Is it irresponsible to take a weekend vacation across the country during the semester?

I don’t think the premise of a mid semester long weekend away is a bad idea on its own. I do think you’re underestimating your costs. I would do some more research and get some solid numbers and then decide if you can afford it. My daughter has flown from DC to San Fran for a three day weekend before and did not regret it one ounce.

Don’t sleep in the car. Dangerous and illegal. How about a hostel? https://www.hostelworld.com

“I already have the syllabi” or I’ll sleep in the car and study at Starbucks, dont make this a good plan. Nor that you think 21 will work to rent a car. My kiddo had confirmation she could, from corporate, only to learn the local franchise wouldn’t release a car to her.

More than that, you sound stubborn about this, not open to the feedback. If you could peel back other posters’ stories, we’ve all had “adventures.” Yours sounds under intormed.

Any car company that isn’t “conventional” and is happy to rent to a 21 year old without taking out extra insurance is not reputable. Trust me, you are NOT going to just pay for a three day rental. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do this, but it’s not going to be as cheap as you think. Be prepared for a battle when you return your car. I’ve rented hundreds of cars over the decades and learned the hard way. There’s a reason those unconventional companies are so cheap: there’s a sucker born every minute. Not that you’re a sucker, but caveat emptor.

It sounds like you’re going to fly to LA on Friday morning and arrive Friday night. So your plan is to pick up a car at the airport at ~8pm or after (our time)? And go where? You’ve just been on a 12 hour flight that you spent studying, not sleeping, so you’ll be tired. Now you want to drive a rental thru LA traffic to a campsite at a national park 4-5 hours away and sleep in your car? Even if you get the car right away that’s a 16-17 hour day (longer if you stop for food, to stretch your legs, or use the restroom).

What are your plans for the rest of the weekend other than spending the mornings and evenings studying in Starbucks?

Nope, I took an unplanned trip during finals prep week because everything was starting to get to me. So I hopped on American Airlines, booked a flight, booked a rental car for a week, and just spent the week at New York aimlessly exploring the city and doing some casual shopping. One of the best things you can do for yourself to manage stress in my honest opinion.

It’s not irresponsible to take a weekend trip in college. What you do with your weekends is your own business, just don’t neglect your school work and you’re fine.

Car camping is totally normal - you wouldn’t want to sleep in your car in downtown LA but heading out to the desert or the mountains you can find lots of safe places to sleep overnight in the national forests. If you plan in advance you can even get a camping spot reservation for your car.
https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

Yosemite is probably too far for a weekend trip but there are tons of places to visit closer in to LA. Both north and south have great beach camping, Angeles National Forest is close in, Joshua Tree is super popular for desert hiking and star gazing.

The best bet for cars is to wait last minute and book on Hotwire or Priceline. Plan on paying around $30-$35 per day including taxes.

Alternatively, if you want to see some of LA and not the surrounding area, forget the car rental and book an AirBnB “shared room” in Santa Monica, Venice or one of the Beach Cities (Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach are close by). It’ll run you about the same and might be less work for just a fun getaway weekend.

Most NYC tourists do not rent cars (especially for a week) when visiting the City (its with a capital “C”), especially tourists under age 21. Finding post #25 quite hard to believe.

And as for a “free” voucher, no harm in using it if one can cover the cover travel costs. Is the 12 hour travel your total travel round trip? Is it direct or does it involve a plane change? With cross country travel, E-W, one makes up much of their travel time in the time change.

@austinmshauri hit the nail on the head. My question wouldn’t be if you can do this but why you would want to. It sounds downright unpleasant. On a $150 budget you’re going to be sleeping in a subcompact eating fast food for 3 days.

Are any of your friends from high school studying in Southern California ? If yes, then ask to spend a night in their dorm room.

OP, put some planning into your time on the ground in LA. If you want to camp, do it closer to LA. Go to Crystal Cove state park or to San Clemente state park. Close, legal, safe, beautiful. Think of 5 things you want to do (that are free?) while you are there.

Also, plan an alternative route back to Florida should ‘something’ happen to your scheduled flight. If a flight is delayed or cancelled, the traveler who knows another flight or alternative airport is the one most likely to get back. There are 5 airports in the LA area and you need to just keep moving east

I would NOT sleep in a car in the woods…I do watch a lot of crime TV, but better safe than sorry!

@anesthesia , I vote for “do it”.

While unplanned mishaps may occur, I’m not a doom-and-gloom guy who foresees the worst happening. Maybe you’ll get a flat tire. Maybe there will be a terrible thunderstorm while you’re sleeping in the car. Maybe your plane will be delayed for six hours and put a dent in your plans.

You’re young. You have a “free” ticket that makes this trip possible. It shouldn’t interfere with your classes. Do it. It sounds like just the kind of thing 21-year-old college students should do.

When I was about that age, I made a snap decision one night at midnight to make an 11-hour drive to NYC with two friends. I had $200. They had $30 between them. After plans to couch surf at the apartment of a relative of my friend fell through, we ended up sleeping in the car on a cold fall night, parked on the street in front of the aunt’s apartment building. On the top-10 list of “worst night’s sleep ever” for me. Then I had a flat tire in Brooklyn. And a couple of other minor mishaps happened. But, I had a great time, am glad I did it, and would do it again if I wasn’t old-ish and fogey-ish. I would lean toward trying to find a cheap place to sleep, but if this is the type of trip you would not otherwise be able to afford, don’t let sleeping in the car be the reason you cancel the trip – if you’re truly okay with the idea in the first place.

Send us a postcard!

This is one of those times where being in a frat or sorority really helps. You could crash at one of the houses, usually for free. Some have pretty nice guest rooms. Some would even feed you.

Try to earn some more pocket cash between now and then. That should make this more doable.

Some of the beach camping spots have had trouble lately.

Look, we all had adventures. On cross country drives, we’ve slept at rest stops (one was funny- everyone parked was in the rest rooms washing up and brushing their teeth.) Or, in the parking lot of an all night diner. My brother hitchhiked across country with two friends. Others backpacked through Europe and slept in fields. All great.

But OP is talking going solo and appears not to know his safety net or local geography. Big difference.