This page has a detailed day by day plan which you can follow if you choose to go on the road trip.
On the first day of the road trip, I recommend you get up early and start packing your items. If you leave early and beat the traffic, the drive to Universal Studios will take 2 to 2 and a half hours. At Universal Studios, the gate price is $139 for people 10 years and above and $133 for people under 10. I recommend you spend 6 to 8 hours there so you can enjoy all the rides. It's a good idea to leave before it gets dark, so I recommend you leave sometime around 4:30 pm. Then drive to Palm Springs, which could take 2 to 3 hours, depending on the traffic. As you arrive at Palm Springs, you could stop in any booked hotel, but if you want the overall budget to be under $2,000 then I suggest you stop at Caliente Tropic Resorts which is priced reasonably. The nightly rate for this hotel is $80. So stop for the night and get some rest.
On the second day of this road trip, I suggest you wake up between 8 and 10 AM. Then go and get prepared for the next drive. Get in your car again and drive to Coachella Valley Preserve. Coachella Valley Preserve has many trails, so that is where you spend time. You can spend as much time as you want but I would recommend you spend 2 to 4 hours. You can donate a little bit to Coachella Valley Preserve if you want. After you are finished touring Coachella Valley Preserve go back to your hotel, pack everything and check out of the hotel. From here you drive to Joshua Tree National Park which will take 45 minutes to 1 hour. The fee to enter this national park is $30. Once you arrive at Joshua Tree National Park, wait until it gets dark and get out a pair of binoculars or your telescope, or enjoy the stars with your naked eye. You can spend as much time as you want, but I suggest you spend 45 minutes to 1 hour. Then get in the car and drive to Mojave Desert, which will take 2 to 2 hours 15 minutes. Then stop at a hotel and wind up for the day. While you may stop at any hotel, if you really want the budget to be under $2,000, then I think you should stop at Best Western California City Inn & Suites with a nightly rate of $117. Enjoy the night and get some rest. Tomorrow is a long drive.
On the third day of this road trip, I suggest you wake up between 9:30 to 11:30 AM. Next go and do all your preparations*. Go back to your hotel in case you are out, and pack your belongings. Afterwards, get in your car and be prepared for the second longest drive of the road trip. Starting at Mojave Desert, drive to Sequoia National Park which is approximately 6 hours. To enter Sequoia National Park, you will have to pay a $35 fee. Once you arrive at Sequoia National Park, check into the hotel and rest for the day as you would be pretty tired from the long drive. While you can stop at any hotel, due to costs, I suggest you stop at the following AirB&b. Click here to view it. The AirB&b is 45 minutes from Sequoia National Park and the nightly rate is $80.
On the fourth day of the road trip, I suggest you wake up between 8:30 and 11:00 AM. Then go and do all of your preparations before heading to the Giant Forest. While you can spend as much time as you want in the Giant Forest, I suggest you spend 3 to 4 and a half hours. When you visit the Giant Sherman Tree the line will be long, so wait patiently. Don't forget to take pictures. Once you are done, go back to your hotel or AirB&b. Spend the rest of the night relaxing and take some rest. You did a lot of touring and waiting in line.
On the fifth day of the road trip, I suggest you wake up between 8:00 and 10:30 AM. Then go and do all your preparations. Once you are done with your preparations, get in your car and drive to Yosemite National Park. Yosemite National Park will take 2 and a half to 3 hours from Sequoia National Park. The fee to enter this national park is $35. Once you arrive at Yosemite National Park, walk around Yosemite Valley and spend a good 2 to 3 hours there. Then go to a cabin or hotel. For your budget I have recommended a certain cabin. Click here to see the cabin/studio. Stop here and get some rest.
On the sixth day of the road trip, I suggest you wake up between 8:00 and 11:00 AM. Then go and do your preparations. Once you are done with your preparations, go and hike the mist trail. Once you reach the top of the mist trail then enjoy the site of the Nevada Falls. I suggest you spend 2 hours hiking up and down and enjoying the top of Nevada Falls. Then go to your car and drive to Sacramento. That will take 2 hours and 45 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes depending on traffic. Then check into your hotel. While you can stop at any hotel, I recommend Hilton Garden Inn Sacramento Airport Natomas. It costs $127, but it has great reviews. After checking into the hotel you can go and do part or the whole of the Loch Leven Lake Trail. Enjoy the scenic area. I recommend spending 2 to 3 hours before it gets dark and you head back to the hotel. Enjoy the night and get some rest.
On the seventh of the road trip I suggest you wake up between 7:00 and 8:00 am. Then go and do all of your prearations. Once you are done with your preparations, head out for California State Capitol Museum. Before heading out, take all your belongings so you do not have to come back to the hotel. Once at Capitol Museum, spend 2 to 4 hours there. As you finish touring the museum, get in your car and drive to Monterey Bay. That will take approximately 3 hours. Once you arrive at Monterey Bay, get on the whale watching trip which you booked in advance and look out for whales! The boat trip will probably be 1 hour long. The price for this trip is $60 for adults and $48 for children 3 and above and about $15 for children under 3. After you finish your whale watching trip, go and check into a hotel. I suggest you stop at Rodeway Inn near Downtown Monterey. The nightly rate for this hotel is $104. Enjoy the night and get some rest. Tommorow is a very long drive.
On the last day of the road trip, it is suggested that you wake up between 9:00 and 11:00 and get ready for a very long drive. Get in your car and drive back to San Diego (your starting point). The drive will take about 7 hours, so it is the longest drive in the road trip. You finally made it home. I hope you enjoyed this 8 day road trip!
In this website, you will see me not giving meal times. Meals can be during any time. You can have food from wherver you want. If you really want the budget under $2000, then here are my recommendations. For breakfast, I suggest you buy half a gallon of milk everyday, and pack cereal or oatmeal for the entire trip. For lunch and dinner, you can eat at a restaurant, however, try to eat at reasonably priced restaurants. Once or twice you can even try fast food for lunches.
*preparations on this website means your morning routine like getting ready, packing if required and having breakfast