I coincidently just finished an 8 week US roadtrip with two of my friends from the UK who I had met during a working holiday in Melbourne, Australia! (I'm American)

First off, you guys are going to have the time of your life on this trip. You'll be blown away by how big the country is once you're working your way through the guts of it.

We lucked out because I still had a car in storage here during the year I spent in Australia. From start to finish, we put 11,350 miles on the car and I can't imagine having done the trip without it.

While I will say it's possible to get away with coaches for a portion of your trip, you're going to be very limited to some of the day trips and excursions that you'll want to adventure to throughout your trip. that being said, depending on your age, I'm not sure how easily cars can be rented or even purchased if you're from the UK. Definitely something to look into. if I remember correctly in terms of gas (petrol), we spent roughly about $600 each and aside from a flat tire in Wichita Falls, Texas, we didn't have any car issues whatsoever.

In regards to your route I might be able to give you a couple pointers:
* Regardless of where you find yourself politically, I definitely recommend spending a full day in D.C. Despite both of my friends being from the UK, they loved seeing some of the iconic memorials, museums, and other landmarks (most of which are all in walking distance.) * On your way up to Nashville from Miami, you'll be driving your way through Atlanta, definitely make a stop and check out the World of Coca Cola museum. You guys will dig it. * After Nashville, I'd look into making your way East to Memphis. While we were there we checked out the absolute mecca of all Bass Pro Shops. It is huge. If you enjoy the outdoors, you'll love it. There's live gators, fish of all sorts, and nearly any dead stuffed animal you can think of when you're picturing the American wild. Depending on how long you're in town for, Beale Street is the obvious winner for cruising around at night. Some of the best BBQ ribs I've had were at Blue City Cafe, and right across the street we spent the rest of our night at BB King's Blues club. It was an awesome time. * If you guys are going to be in the South, you have no excuse to skip New Orleans. I would recommend staying in the French Quarter. That's where everything is happening. Although if you're going to be jetting off to Vegas directly from here. Godspeed. 3 nights in the quarter left me morally, spiritually, and financially broken. That being said, it was still one of our favorite destinations of the trip! * Your barebones West coast itinerary is looking good! There are just so many combinations and ways to do it that will make all the difference. I would look into adding Lake Tahoe, and while you're in the area checking out Virginia City. It used to be an old Silver town and prides itself on holding onto its historic roots and buildings. While it's a bit touristy, if you wanted to get a glimpse of what life in the old silver towns looked like, this was a spot that the British guys enjoyed stopping off at for lunch and a beer. * Crater Lake Oregon was one of the more beautiful places I hadn't been to on the West Coast. Definitely worth doing the drive around the rim of the crater. I think it takes about an hour and a half *Portland is definitely a place you'll want to stop for. The city prides itself on keeping Portland weird. It has an awesome beer, food, and music culture to it. Make sure to stop at the famous voodoo doughnuts while you're in town too!

I'm not sure what kind of budget you guys are looking to work with for your three months here so I'll just give you a heads up on what you'll be expecting for accommodation across the country. Unless you're in a major city, hostels aren't as common as they are in Australia, or back in the UK and Europe. We had purchased camping gear and ended up camping for about a 1/3 of our journey in between major cities. It was cheap, fun, and we all looked forward to prospecting our next campsite at the state and national parks. Not to mention some of the landmarks you'll get to see will blow you away. While we were in cities or towns, our go-to were Motel 6's. Aside from the cockroach in one of our rooms in Mississippi, they were all consistently clean, comfortable, and always open. Depending on where you are, you'll pay anywhere from $35-$80 a night for the three of you total. With them averaging to around $55, which is usually cheaper than a hostel for the three of you. Free Wifi was always a plus too.

Anyway, I can probably go on and on about this trip for hours. I'm getting excited for you guys just talking about it. If you have any other questions, and I'm hoping you do, feel free to PM me. I can show you pictures and videos of the trip if you'd like. It's a big country to tackle, and I wouldn't have had half the experience had friends, family, or complete strangers given us pointers along the way!

Cheers