America West Coast

Always_Harassed

Would like to go to West Coast of America and either see National Parks or the Rockies. Either an escorted tour or Fly Drive. The brochures that I have looked at so far seem very expensive. Have looked on line but sites seem to want more specific information and I don't have an exact itinery.

Which tour companies are good for this type of holiday and what time is cheaper to go. Dates are flexible June - September.

Thanks in advance.

Jasper27_2

I think it's cheaper to plan you own fly drive but brochures are good for inspiration and ideas for routes. If you want something all done for you have you tried either of these

http://www.connectionsworldwide.co.uk/index.asp

http://www.holidays2usa.co.uk/

Depending on where you decide to go weather may be a factor but out of season is usually cheaper, could you go May or October instead?

neilbond007

Always_Harassed wrote: »

Would like to go to West Coast of America and either see National Parks or the Rockies. Either an escorted tour or Fly Drive. The brochures that I have looked at so far seem very expensive. Have looked on line but sites seem to want more specific information and I don't have an exact itinery.

Which tour companies are good for this type of holiday and what time is cheaper to go. Dates are flexible June - September.

Thanks in advance.

spend several hours looking at the different places you want to go and make your own itinerary. book the flights to suit. ditto the hotels.
i've done fly drives on the east and west coast and always booked flights, car hire and hotels completely independently.
it's a bit of hassle but you're not "stuck" to an itinerary that someone else created!


PS - The rockies aren't that close to the coast!
PPS - I always use https://www.airline-network.com for cars. i've never fond cheaper.

omelette451

I'm not sure where but I read recently that Amtrak offers excellent tours on its scenic rail routes across the States, including up the West Coast. If you don't want to drive and don't fancy a full-blown excursion maybe investigate this further?

Pssst

Ive done self planned fly drives on East and West coast. I sort out my own itinerary,book my own flights and low cost hotels,always book my car hire with https://www.alamo.com (not co.uk) as they are great value/service. Its the way to go,total freedom

SP123_3

Book your own flights, rent a car and do it yourself. Use the tours in the brochures as guidelines as they give a good idea of where to go, but then just book accommodation directly. I did this trip a while back, started in Las Vegas, then went to Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon (north rim), Page, Monument Valley, Arches and Canyonlands, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, Salt Lake City. It was a lot more fun and we booked as many or as few nights as we wanted for each place. I was away for a month and there was only one day which was a big drive (12 hours to Jackson Hole), and with 2 drivers, easy roads it was a doddle.

johnoz

Over the years, we've done both diy, pre-packaged and combination, across a lot of the USA and Canada.

Worth doing the research, as sometimes diy is not always the cheapest option.

Some lodgings / hotel chains etc are cheaper to book through an agent as they have discounts, up to 50% compared to "off-the-rack" rates.

Also, some accommodation is block-booked well in advance through agents, making it very hard to book it yourself less than a year in advance (eg Yellowstone Lodge, Yosemite Lodge).

You may find an agent can also get you cheaper flights to the US than booking on the internet yourself ... not always, but sometimes, particularly if you are tied to specific dates.

We've often put a route together, picked accommodation, then asked an agent to price up ... they will sometimes resuggest different accommodation as they can get better discounts.

Then compare to what you've found online before making a decision.

TravelBag, JustAmerica etc can do this type of thing. And always check the accommodation reviews out on tripadvisor first!

I'm sure you'll have a great time!

Always_Harassed

Thanks for these suggestions will be doing my research into these suggestions.

WolfSong2000

omelette451 wrote: »

I'm not sure where but I read recently that Amtrak offers excellent tours on its scenic rail routes across the States, including up the West Coast. If you don't want to drive and don't fancy a full-blown excursion maybe investigate this further?

I spent 5 days on an Amtrak train in 2006 getting from Atlanta to San Diego (had to go up to Chicago, DC, etc, then down through New Mexico and Los Angeles). The scenery is breathtaking and it's a great way to take everything in, but get a sleeper carriage! I didn't because of the cost (mind you I book it last minute) and after 3 nights of sleeping in a train seat followed by the last night huddled on a bench in the viewing carriage (woman next to me had fallen asleep across my seat and I didn't have the heart to wake her).

Anyhow, I digress...assuming you opt for the sleeper carriages I can see you having an amazing time traveling by train. I also traveled along the coast from San Diego to Santa Barbara and it was really, really pretty . If you're in California, it's worth taking a detour to visit Yosemite, as well...absolutely gorgeous - like something out of a picture book. I was totally blown away!