Trip of a lifetime...

jackieblack

nonnatus wrote: »

WOW. An amazing amount of help there - thanks! Lots of reading to do...

So I think the West Coast is where I want to head but teen daughter has a longing for Seaworld and all things dolphin / whale. That seems to be restricted to the East coast and florida though? Is there anything "dolphin" on the West Coast?

As Torbrex says, there is a SeaWorld in San Diego and many places along that coast where you can go whale watching. We went whale watching in Monterey Bay, which is supposed to be one of the best places for all sorts of sealife. We saw lots of dolphins swimming off the shore while we were driving along and there is a beach (somewhere around Cambria IIRC) which has a colony of Elephant Seals.:)

zagfles

jackieblack wrote: »

Several years ago, on the first trip to Florida of a friend of mine, they were staying with her husband's parents in a villa that the parents had rented. The parents had flown out a week or so previously and were picking my friend and her family up from the airport (Miami).
When they completed the landing cards on the plane they realised they didn't know the address of the villa and once they arrived were denied entry because they couldn't give the address they were staying at. They were taken to a room and questioned about where they were staying and why they couldn't give an address. Eventually they were allowed to contact the in-laws, who were waiting for them in the airport, to find out the address and complete the cards. Only then were they permitted to enter.

Thanks - I guess it comes down to discretion on the part of the immigration officer. Did they have sufficient funds to pay for accomodation etc? Did they have the return flight booked? Maybe they thought they were going to work illegally/not go home etc.

AIRI they ask for the address you'll be staying at (rather than specifically the first night) so guess you could put any address you'll be staying at, so eg giving them the last night's accomodation would probably do if pre-booked?

I've been in the same situation several times entering the US, ie either being picked up at the airport and not knowing the address of friend/relative I'm staying with, or having pre-booked the first night hotel but not knowing the address, or simply having no accomodation booked at all. Never had a problem just writing the city on the address section of the landing card, or perhaps the hotel name.

But guess it's worth playing it safe and not raising any suspicions in the immigration officials...

callum9999

Yeah - with US immigration officials it's best to be as specific and prepared as you possibly can be and not just stick to the bare minimum that the rules say you need to have!

Though that's good advice for anywhere really. America is renowned for it but Australia made my second entry a real hassle! They seemed to think I was trying to get in to work illegally or something.

zagfles

callum9999 wrote: »

Yeah - with US immigration officials it's best to be as specific and prepared as you possibly can be and not just stick to the bare minimum that the rules say you need to have!

Though that's good advice for anywhere really. America is renowned for it but Australia made my second entry a real hassle! They seemed to think I was trying to get in to work illegally or something.

Both times I went to Australia I didn't have any accomodation booked at all (backpacking - but with a tourist visa, not a working visa). Only hassle I had was they are very strict about taking food in, I made sure I didn't have any but they gave me hassle over some chewing gum I had!

markwilkinson

Did something very similar myself in 1992. Flew into Seattle with car hire booked and the first nights hotel booked. Woke up the next day and headed off for 2 weeks. Sometimes we booked accommodation ahead, other times we just turned up and got rooms. We headed north into Canada so not relevant to your trip but it's a great way to holiday!

enjoy.

callum9999

zagfles wrote: »

Both times I went to Australia I didn't have any accomodation booked at all (backpacking - but with a tourist visa, not a working visa). Only hassle I had was they are very strict about taking food in, I made sure I didn't have any but they gave me hassle over some chewing gum I had!

Oh yeah - I got stopped by a dog handler because the dog reacted to me. The only scent I had on my was that of an apple I had in my pocket between planes (and disposed of before I got to Australia) - so they are very well trained! Thankfully they just accepted that story.

But the second time I went a supervisor was called over and I had to stand there for 10 minutes explaining all my plans and how I was fully aware I'm not allowed to work etc. Maybe it was because I had a work visa the year before that had since expired (I was only on a tourist visa this time), they thought I was at risk of recommencing a job or something.

claire16c

zagfles wrote: »

Good advice in this thread.

Is the "first night booked" rule new, because I've certainly been allowed to enter the US without booked accomodation for the first night - they ask for it on the landing card, I just write the city. An immigration officer queried it once, but it wasn't an issue.

Don't be afraid to haggle at hotels/motels, they expect it, unless they are full (or expect to be) they will almost certainly offer you a discount.

Nope its not new. Been having to write that down for years. Of course whether or not you actually stay in that place is another matter.

My Dads friend once wrote the address but didnt have the zip code. The immigration guy was like 'Whats the zip code' And after going back and forth a few times with him saying I dont know, the immigration guy made it clear - without saying so - to just make one up for gods sake lol!

Last year I had a complete moron of an officer though, he told me I should be writing down the address of where I was staying in one months time ( I landed at honolulu and so had the address of where I was staying there, - I was then going to be travelling to LA in around 4 weeks). I didnt want to get into an argument and tell him he couldnt read his own forms, but all I can say is have an address ready :rotfl:

Although its now all on your ESTA form so at least you know before hand what to fill in!

I think Disney is good for a day if your teens have never been there. If youve been to Florida then I wouldnt bother though. Do Six Flags instead.

VJsmum

cubegame wrote: »

It's a great way to spend your holidays. We do it every year. It's very easy to book it yourself as you only need a flight, a car and one night's hotel really. My top tips are:-

- Plan yourself a vague route so you at least have an idea of where you should be on a certain day.

- Don't be scared of the distances. It's easy to drive 400 to 500 miles in the USA in a day if you need to.

- Get a big car! For three, an SUV is probably the most suitable. You will curse your vehicle every day if you need to struggle to get all your bags out every night and in every morning.

- If you're going to National parks, add up the entrance fees and see if it's cheaper to be the America The Beautiful pass at $85 (last time I checked)

- Don't be afraid to find a bed for the night late (even after 10pm). We usually stop to eat and then drive a bit more. The later you walk in, the better price you will get when haggling. As you say, bookng is not usually necessary as there are plenty beds. However, be aware of public holidays and you will need to book ahead to stay in Yosemite or other National Parks.

- Look out for motels with free breakfasts. Although you never know what you'll get this can often save quite a bit of money. We have seen some really pathetic offerings over the years though as well as some wonderful spreads!

- Use Gas stations as a refuelling stop for yourself and not just gas. Unlike the UK, US gas stations have a plentiful supply of drinks and snacks at cheap prices.

- Do take a Sat Nav as a backup. It can save you hours and hours of frustration.

- Do take a Laptop/netbook. This will allow you to book hotels ahead if you really need to (can be handy for city centre hotels).

- Read. Road Trip USA is a good book which is summarised at www.roadtripusa.com

Hope that helps.

Basically this ^^^^^

I think cubegame is me - as this is exactly what we do in the US and we have been numerous times. I would also recommend "Lonely Planet" guide books - they do some specifically geared to american southwest and one for california. The recommendations are rarely wrong.

michele-p

Hi, we did a similar trip for our honeymoon a few years ago, and loved every minute of it.

Our itinerary:
Day 1 Fly into San Franciso, which we loved. Try to do the evening Alcatraz trip, as it gets very spooky, must be booked in advance. we stayed at the Argonaught Hotel on the wharf, tram stops right outside.

Day 2 in San Fran

Day 3- pick up car, visit Napa valley

Day 4 drive to Carmel, via highway 1, pebble beach etc. Stayed at Tickle Inn - wow!

Day 5 drive to Yosemite. We were just outside the park, at the Yosemite View Lodge which was fine. Maybe try a bit of adventure and book one of the campsites like Camp Curry, for the kids it could be great.

Day 7 - Drive to Death Valley - stayed at the Inn.

Day 8 - Drive to vegas. Obvioulsy with teens you are restricted, but can still see the sights, and the Canyon etc, Hoover Dam. We stayed at New York New York, novelty factor of the rollercoaster whizzing past!

Day 11 long drive to LA. - we stayed at Villa Del Stelle, a fantastic apartment, and nice to just chill out, be able to make your own snack etc.

In La you'll have Disney, Universal and the usual sites. To be honest we weren't that impressed with this part, but I'm sure for a family it will be a great end.

We flew home from LA.

Wherever you end up you'll have a fab time. I'd love to go back!

zagfles

michele-p wrote: »

Hi, we did a similar trip for our honeymoon a few years ago, and loved every minute of it.

Our itinerary:
Day 1 Fly into San Franciso, which we loved. Try to do the evening Alcatraz trip, as it gets very spooky, must be booked in advance. we stayed at the Argonaught Hotel on the wharf, tram stops right outside.

Day 2 in San Fran

Day 3- pick up car, visit Napa valley

Day 4 drive to Carmel, via highway 1, pebble beach etc. Stayed at Tickle Inn - wow!

Day 5 drive to Yosemite. We were just outside the park, at the Yosemite View Lodge which was fine. Maybe try a bit of adventure and book one of the campsites like Camp Curry, for the kids it could be great.

Day 7 - Drive to Death Valley - stayed at the Inn.

Day 8 - Drive to vegas. Obvioulsy with teens you are restricted, but can still see the sights, and the Canyon etc, Hoover Dam. We stayed at New York New York, novelty factor of the rollercoaster whizzing past!

Day 11 long drive to LA. - we stayed at Villa Del Stelle, a fantastic apartment, and nice to just chill out, be able to make your own snack etc.

In La you'll have Disney, Universal and the usual sites. To be honest we weren't that impressed with this part, but I'm sure for a family it will be a great end.

We flew home from LA.

Wherever you end up you'll have a fab time. I'd love to go back!

Ours was very similar - worth taking in a few ghost towns on the way particularly if you like Westerns. There's one between Las Vagas and LA (Calico I think) which they've spolit a little by paving the main street, and there's Bodie which is near Yosemite IIRC, not a traditional dusty swinging salloon doors one, but one with all kinds of things lying around like old tin cans, houses you can look into with loads of stuff still there (nothing seems to get nicked as there are big signs everywhere detailing fines and probably more significantly superstitions about bad luck if you take anything - the visitor centre is full of letters from people who's motorhome veered off the road after nicking a tin can etc!)

Death valley is stunning (really) it's not he barren wasteland you might imagine. There's an artist's drive you can do with multicoloured rocks everywhere but watch your car's temperature gauge on the bendy uphill bits!

If you want to stay in Yosemite you really do need to book well in advance, it was the one place we tried to book and it was full 5 months ahead! We stayed in El Portal on the outskirts.

The Grand Canyon is a long drive from Vegas, we didn't have time to drive it so took a flight from Vegas which went through the canyon and landed at the south rim where we had a few hours.

Bryce Canyon is also worth seeing if you have time, seriously weird stalagtite(/mite?) like things (google it).