Mexico and Route 66 Adventure

While doing my year abroad in Madrid during this academic year, I have shared a flat with two Mexican students who live in Queretaro, Mexico. It has always been an ambition of mine to travel around a Spanish speaking country which is not Spain itself, to see how the language and culture differ from western Hispanic customs. Having been invited to visit these Mexican friends I would very much like to be able to take up this offer to continue a friendship made during my year abroad. After visiting the friends I intend to travel around Mexico for a further week to experience the vast range of landscape and culture that the country offers, including a visit to Mayan ruins and a journey down the ancient silver trail of Mexico. Given the proximity of Mexico to the United States, I consider this an ideal opportunity to combine the trip and complete another dream of mine; to travel across USA on the historic Route 66 taking in 8 or 9 States and seeing some incredible sights and landscape. I consider this combined trip to be a truly once-in-a-lifetime possibility, made partly possible by the friendships which I have forged on my year abroad. I do not get the chance to travel particularly frequently with my family, and am looking to fund this trip through a mixture of finding a part-time job, and the generosity of donations to help make this dream come true. The target specified would go most of the way towards being able to hire a car to make driving from Chicago to Los Angeles possible. Thanks!