Cross country road trip?

[02V70]

I am studying abroad in Montreal next fall and I live in California. I was planning on getting a flight there. However, it would be pretty cool to turn it into a road trip and drive there. I have never done a road trip of multiple days before, so im not really sure how the logistics would work. It is about a 60 hour drive with over 3k miles. My V70XC is in pretty good shape and it is a Cross Country, so it should be able to do it. If I finagle the seats, I can fit and sleep in the car. Is this a good idea? If I choose to do this, I would be driving back in December, and I am not sure how bad the roads will be.

I am thinking of a route like this
Any places I should visit along the way?

[volvolugnut]

I think this would be great fun! I would plan for two weeks or more for average of 250 miles per day. If you took a week the 500 mile days would be tiresome. With two weeks you can do more sightseeing each day.
Unless you are very tall, you can sleep in the back. Get an air mattress and consider nights can get cold in Canada even in the summer. Find camp site with showers every couple days or a motel.
Check for Canadian holidays to avoid surprises with closed banks and stores.Take some warm and cool clothes.
My wife and I used to car camp in a 240 Volvo and rental vans.
I would be much less excited about the trip in December - even with a southern US route.
volvolugnut

[MoVolvos]

.
In Dec. you are better off driving the lower interstate across AZ, New Mexico, TX, Nashville to NC as weather will be warmer. Have done NC to CA one time with a stop at MS State U to pickup a friend and tow his car to back to CA. This was in 1999 when I was a wee younger.

Have driven from CA to TX on 3 different occasions. Several year ago went to DC from NC in February where there was snow but not bad as the roads were well maintained. Just took a trip to Patrick Henry College last Sunday on a day trip which covered 630 miles. Due to a couple of stops and quiet a bit of track delays left home at 8:30AM and arrived back at midnight exactly. The Rest Area stops were packed full of people as with the Truck area so safer to sleep there and I'm sure there are more Rest Areas to choose from traveling the U.S.

You will likely see more population, food, fuel and choices to stop besides hotels in case you want to sleep and shower for a night or two if going from AZ, TX to NC route and then head up North.
.

[abscate]

Definitely a bucket list item.

Start a thread for it and we populate it with helpers en route, too

[Sveedy]

I've driven coast to coast 4 times ( all of them going back many decades ), and no way would I take a northern route in Dec.
Particularly if I was thinking of sleeping in my car. There's a little bump called the Rockies, and it gets down right cold up there at night. Even in the deserts it will drop down close to freezing.
I agree with MoVolvos - take the U.S.40. You'll have a good time, for sure.

[Krons]

If you’ve never been, hitting Tetons, Yellowstone, Devils Tower and Badlands is a good Northern route—Glacier would be good too). Your December return I’d play the weather, Route 66 would be a good option for that.

[02V70]

Would one of those overlanding tents work with the XC70?

[abscate]

Compare your fuel prices in and too, before you take the North route

[Krons]

Would one of those overlanding tents work with the XC70?

I did a bunch of research on the rooftop tents a while back. Roof weight limits, getting it level to sleep in, moving items in and out on a ladder, fuel economy drop and cost all swayed me away. Read numerous people that got one and ended up going away from it. Being a wagon I’d set it up to sleep in the car (rain/cold), or pack a tent.

[volvolugnut]

Do a trial sleep over in the wagon.
volvolugnut