Budgeting and planning - - there are some good helps on this particular website. Once you figure out

Destinations we intend to visit include to see the major sights, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Pacific War museum in Friedricksburg Texas but I'm also tempted to check out the Atomic Museum in New Mexico and see parts of Arizona. I'm a bit of a WW2 buff and am looking to experience some Americana from that period.
I'm a little worried if 2 weeks is enough time to see the places I want to see. Ideally I'd like to see out of the way places like Monument Valley and Pima Air Museum so there would be much ground to cover. My partner is also worried about the costs (car rental + accomodation). As someone who wants to take in the beauty of South Western USA, are there any other must sees and is the car the only way to experience it? Any advice on budgeting/planning for such a trip?
You mentioned two places that are not the usual things to see, but we've done. First was the Atomic Museum in NM. If you're speaking of the one in Albuquerque, it's superb - - plan to spend a half day there if you can fit it into your schedule. There are a number of very interesting displays, if you are interested in the history of the A-bomb and in nuclear science. My husband and I spent 4 hours there one day last July, and were so glad that we had gone there instead of making the 160 mile round trip to Los Alamos.
It seems to me that your routing could be LA to Vegas (6 hour drive via I-10 and I-15), US 95/93 down to I-40 where you pick up the route to the Grand Canyon and can swing across the Hoover Dam on your way. If you need to include the Pima Air Museum, which is at Marana near Tucson, you'd then have to swing way out of your way I-40/I-17/I-10 south, then back north to go to Albuquerque to the Atomic Museum. Then swing south again to catch the museum at Fredericksburg TX before moving into Texas.
Budgeting and planning - - there are some good helps on this particular website. Once you figure out your estimated mileage, you can use the Fuel Cost Calculator on the site. For overnights, if you are using motels, canada car rentals you can go cheap to expensive, from under $50/nite for Motel 6 and mom-and-pops, to over $150 for expensive. Food - - well, we usually budget $30 a person per day for two meals out. If you can take advantage of a hotel continental breakfast, that may save $ too. It also depends on whether you are planning canada car rentals to pack a little cooler with drinks and snacks in it - something we do all the time. It's cheaper to do that, than to stop at a convenience store and buy something every time.
I would say that the best and only realistic way to do the trip is by car. Although we don't do 'must See's' as everyone's tastes are different, there is certainly plenty for all through this area. The Southern Utah NP's of Zion and Bryce canyon, Mesa Verde in SW Colorado, Taos Pueblo in New Mexico would be a few options North of I40. South in NM you have the likes of Carlsbad caverns and White sands and there is so much more !
Search around the forums and use the planning resources in the tool bars above, such as the Map centre where you can find recommended attractions, then once you have some more ideas down we can help piece your trip together and fill in the blanks.
However, if the idea of seeing old airplanes - like those stored at the Tucson Boneyard near the Pima Museum - is what you are going for, you might instead look at driving through Mojave, where there is also a boneyard at the Mojave Airport. You could perhaps also stop at the Air Force Test Center Museum at Edwards AFB (you should probably check to see what restrictions there are to enter the base, especially as an international visitor.)
Do you have a large map of the US? I think this could be helpful for you, as you research all the suggestions above. However, one unavoidable cost on the route you have outlined, is the one way drop off fee for a rental car. Looking at your interests, I wonder if you have considered doing a loop trip? You could fly into Las Vegas or Phoenix. The extra air fare is most likely quite a bit less than the drop off fee. When you lay it all out on a map, see if this would work for you.
My partner and I just had a discussion and we're considering using public transport to get from LA to Vegas and then renting from Vegas to do the one way trip to Dallas via Albuquerque and Friedricksburg.
We do too, and what we love even more, is reading about your experiences on the road. Would be great if you could leave a report in the RoadTrip Field Reports forum, telling us all about how it all went.
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