It’s official, we’re in LOS ANGELES! There were times I thought I might never get to say those words; most recently while we were in the middle of our 32 hour road trip across the country. I have lots that I want to say about moving to LA and our experience here so far, but this post is going to specifically cover our cross-country trip because I got so many questions about where we stayed along the way.
I wanted to fully document this trip in a fun way, so I chose locations that would make great photos, and I’m so happy with how our Moving to LA photos turned out. I’ll break down each location below with links to Airbnbs/hotels, too!
There is a different route that shaves about 2 hours off the total drive time from Chicago to LA, but it goes directly through some pretty windy mountain areas, and we felt better about driving our moving truck through a flatter area, which is why we opted for this route.

We drove for 4 full days and left a very short, 2 hour drive the morning of our move. And I’m so glad we did! It would have been wayyyyy too much to get up extra early and do a full days worth of driving before spending a full day moving. Here’s the itinerary we followed:
- Day 1: Chicago -> Springfield, MO (7.5 hours)
- Day 2: Springfield -> Amarillo, TX (8.5 hours)
- Day 3: Amarillo -> Holbrook, AZ (7.5 hours)
- Day 4: Holbrook -> Palm Springs, CA (7 hours)
- Day 5: Palm Springs -> Los Angeles (2 hours)
Day 1
This day was probably the most hectic, because it was our move-out day from Chicago. We already have our moving truck packed, so in theory, we just had to box up our air mattress and hit the road! But, in reality, it felt like there was still a lot that needed to be done before closing the door behind us for the final time.
Eventually, we got out of the city and onto the road. And we slowlyyyyy made our way to stop #1, Springfield, MO. We love using Airbnb and opt for a rented property as much as possible, so we were really happy when we discovered Urban Roots Farm. If you’ve never rented an Airbnb, you can get $65 off your first booking by clicking here!
Urban Roots is a little farm right in the middle of downtown Springfield. The owner is super sweet, and can be found nearby taking care of her gardens. There’s even a little farm stand where the food is sold. It’s super charming.




Day 2
We got up early and got on the road again, because every mile closer to LA was exciting to me. If we had to sleep somewhere, I wanted it to be as close to California as possible. Our next stopover was Amarillo, TX in a cute little country cottage that we also found through Airbnb. It was on a quiet street with plenty of room for our truck, but just a few blocks from everything we needed; Chipotle for dinner and Starbucks for breakfast. All the essentials.



Day 3
This part of the drive was the most mountainous section of our trip. It wasn’t unmanageable or anything, but there were about 4-5 hours that were filled with literal ups and downs. It was beautiful, but I think my husband would have preferred to stay on flat ground with the his over-sized truck. But the mountains didn’t keep us from our next crash pad, which happened to be a wigwam!
Wigwam Village Motel #6 is an iconic stop for anyone passing through Holbrook. Aside from the full motel property, travelers were stopping at all hours for photos and to take a peek around. The inside was surprisingly cozy, and there was enough room for us and our pups to spread out.
You actually have to call or send an email to reserve a night in a Wigwam, so no online booking here! But you can get all the details through their website.
Holbrook doesn’t seem to have a ton of restaurants regularly, and in the midst of a pandemic, there were probably even less. So, we ordered a good old Pizza Hut pizza and played card games until we had soaked in enough of wigwam life.







Day 4
This was my second most anticipated day because it meant we were finally crossing over into California! Plus, I’d never been to Palm Springs and I was really excited to get to our hotel, grab a drink and dinner by the pool, and relax a little before the big moving-in day!
Our drive was uneventful and the only thing I really saw was cacti… for 7 hours. Needless to say, it was quite the quiet drive, which is always a good thing when you’re on a road trip.
We stayed at Saguaro and it was bright and colorful; exactly as I’d imagined. Unfortunately, we missed a lot of the daylight, but we did get to grab an hour and a meal by the pool before crashing into bed. The weather was amazing, the property is great, and the staff are more than accommodating. I definitely want to plan another visit, especially when this madness is behind us and the hotel events are in full swing again.




I’m not Clark Griswold; I’ve never had the desire to cross the country by car. But, we had fun making a little getaway out of it, and our final destination was our new home in LA! So, it was most certainly worth it! Plus, we got to add some adventure into a year that’s been travel-less for the most part. Be on the lookout for more things Los Angeles living soon! Updates coming ASAP!
Some items from the outfits I’m wearing above.