Help booking a USA tour

Craig_Charles

Hi

4 years ago on our honeymoon we went to New York, LA and San Fran. It was a 2 week package holiday that cost us around £2500 for both of us everything included. Booked though holiday hypermarket

This year we have a budget of around £3000 in total not per person and would like to go back to New York as we didn't get enough time there, but would also like to go to a few more new places like Niagra Falls and Grand Canyon and maybe even back to LA and San Fran

A lot of companies like Expedia let you create a package but are you being charged an arm and a leg for them arranging it all?

It seems hard to imagine having to try and book so many flights yourself, some of which from international airports is there any easy way if you wanted to book it all seperately to keep the cost down?

I could handle just booking if it was one place return flights to New York and then arrange a hotel and transfers but don't know where to start to arrange the rest.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

ferf1223

You can go to somewhere like kayak.co.uk and choose the multi-city option...prices are usually fairly reasonable as long as the flights are booked on the same airline or ones that codeshare with each other...it may be that when you've looked at Expedia you've selected flights that aren't on the same or partner airlines - then it gets really expensive.

You could do what you suggest and book the international flights on their own and then sort out everything else...but you'd potentially run the risk of everything going wrong if your international flight to NY was delayed and you were due to catch a connecting flight shortly thereafter. Much less risk if you have a few days in NYC at the start and end of the trip to account for this.

Internal flights can be found cheap using kayak or southwest.com (depending on the cities you'll be flying in and out of)...but it's totally doable. I would love to plan something like that - but I like doing the research.

Many times US hotels are cheaper if booked direct and not through a UK 3rd party...not always, but a lot of the time.

Craig_Charles

OH SWEET!!!

Loving that site Kayak! Did not know about it and things are already looking do-able!!! Thanks for the helpful reply :T

Craig_Charles

OK so yes it looks like the most logical method would to be get a 2 week return flight to New York, use it as a base but fly out from there

Return flights to NY from Manchester for 2 people was about £800

Then:

NY-LA - £200
LA-SF - £115
SF-NY - £230

Which would make total flight cost for 2 people, including all taxes £1345 and keeps us well in budget! To stay in the same hotels as we did last time
would make the total holiday price around £2700! It was £2500 4 years ago so can't really complain at that

If we didn't return to NY though and flew straight to Manchester from San Fran it adds another £1000 to the flights!!!

realised

Also try trailfinders.co.uk. Although i've had no experience of it myself, I know someone who had their last trip to california organised on there.

ferf1223

Craig_Charles wrote: »

OK so yes it looks like the most logical method would to be get a 2 week return flight to New York, use it as a base but fly out from there

Just remember that if something goes wrong with your first flight out, there's a risk you wouldn't be covered for all the internal flights, etc.

You could minimise the risk on hotels by booking direct - normally very good cancellation policies...but if you book all flights on one ticket, the airline will have to sort it out if there's an issue with one flight...if you book the transatlantic separate to all the internal flights, the airline(s) involved won't have any duty to fix it for you. If your plan is for a few days in NYC at the beginning and the end then less risky of course.

Also check southwest.com (and possibly jetblue.com) as they don't appear on third party search engines unless something has changed.

Also consider luggage allowances...with that many flights you'll want to minimize additional charges for extra cases.

cubegame

Have you thought about making your holiday more targeted? Have a look at what people on here have done for road trips........

By the time you've messed around in airports for half your holiday you'd be much better thinking about driving around the west and doing the same in the east the next year......


Oh and I couldn't find any dates where stopping off at New York on the way back would mean it being cheaper than straight to MAN............

You will have to add about $40 per person for baggage on internal flights as well.

Craig_Charles

OK didn't get the multiflight bit and was looking at doing it all seperately with diff airlines, but yeah good point just looked to do it all with American Airlines:

I selected to go straight back to Manchester from San Fran and it changes at New York anyway


AMERICAN AIRLINES
211
MAN Manchester
May 14, 2011
11:10 AM
JFK New York
May 14, 2011
02:00 PM
757


AMERICAN AIRLINES
303
LGA New York
May 18, 2011
06:45 AM
ORD Chicago
May 18, 2011
08:10 AM
M80

AMERICAN AIRLINES
1063
ORD Chicago
May 18, 2011
09:00 AM
LAX Los Angeles
May 18, 2011
11:25 AM
738


AMERICAN AIRLINES
1563
LAX Los Angeles
May 23, 2011
04:40 PM
SFO San Francisco
May 23, 2011
05:55 PM
738


AMERICAN AIRLINES
12
SFO San Francisco
May 28, 2011
09:15 AM
JFK New York
May 28, 2011
05:59 PM
762

AMERICAN AIRLINES
210
JFK New York
May 28, 2011
07:05 PM
MAN Manchester
May 29, 2011
07:25 AM
757



Total cost is £ 1246.18 but not including baggage

jackieblack

Have you thought about driving between LA and San Fran?
It's a beautiful stretch of road, Hwy 1, the Pacific Coast Highway.

cubegame

Craig_Charles wrote: »

OK didn't get the multiflight bit and was looking at doing it all seperately with diff airlines, but yeah good point just looked to do it all with American Airlines:

I selected to go straight back to Manchester from San Fran and it changes at New York anyway


AMERICAN AIRLINES
211
MAN Manchester
May 14, 2011
11:10 AM
JFK New York
May 14, 2011
02:00 PM
757


AMERICAN AIRLINES
303
LGA New York
May 18, 2011
06:45 AM
ORD Chicago
May 18, 2011
08:10 AM
M80

AMERICAN AIRLINES
1063
ORD Chicago
May 18, 2011
09:00 AM
LAX Los Angeles
May 18, 2011
11:25 AM
738


AMERICAN AIRLINES
1563
LAX Los Angeles
May 23, 2011
04:40 PM
SFO San Francisco
May 23, 2011
05:55 PM
738


AMERICAN AIRLINES
12
SFO San Francisco
May 28, 2011
09:15 AM
JFK New York
May 28, 2011
05:59 PM
762

AMERICAN AIRLINES
210
JFK New York
May 28, 2011
07:05 PM
MAN Manchester
May 29, 2011
07:25 AM
757



Total cost is £ 1246.18 but not including baggage

If you package it up with a Transatlantic flight then baggage should be included.......

I agree on the Pacific coast highway though. We did Seattle to San Diego last year in two weeks. Magical!!

I'm meant to be there now, but we had to cancel because my OH injured her ankle. We should have flown to Denver on Saturday to drive around and up to Yellowstone.......

realised

jackieblack wrote: »

Have you thought about driving between LA and San Fran?
It's a beautiful stretch of road, Hwy 1, the Pacific Coast Highway.

+1 I have done this and the views are absolutely breathtaking