Some suggestions if your planning a USA touring holiday with your family

Murphy_The_Cat

I've recently come back from a Touring holiday of the Western USA with my family and I'll happily offer up these suggestions for anyone who is planning a similar trip (some/most of these won't apply if you're doing a Disney trip, or if you are doing a more adventurous road trip).

A lot of it is down to the 7Ps.

Sit down with your family and write down on a piece of paper what you would all like to do - especially the children. Its their holiday as well !

Then plan around from this point -- please bear in mind taht America is a huge place and whilst ou might be happy driving 300 miles every day, the rest of your party might prefer chilling around the pool/exploring the States on foot.

Identify the flights that best suit your requirements.
Enrol for that airlines frequent flyer service.
Book 'em.
It my experience, the advantage of booking with a 'full service' airline, that is a member of a group i.e Star Alliance, is enormous. Even if costs a few quid more, there are major pluses over a charter flight or airlines that aren't in a 'club'.
Nearer the time, make a note of all the optional routes that you could take if your flight is delayed/cancelled.
Have the helpdesk number of your airline to hand --- potentially many, many times quicker than waiting to get to the front of the line.

Get a US Sat Nav.
Find 2 or 3 things to do on each day of your holiday and preinput them into your SatNav. This can save a lot of time, aggro and fuel. You don't have to do all of them, or any of them, but it saves driving around in a new place, looking for something to do. Also, before your leave, check the opening times on all of the things that you've previously bookmarked. Seasonal opening times vary, plus, due to US Government cutbacks, some places that previously opened 7 days a week may not currently be doing so.


Book your hire car and book a biggun. There are lots of thread on MSE that offer suggestions on where to hire your car from.
Size has a quality all of ts own and being able to sepearte your sprogs into different rows can be very calming for all. Don't be put off by scary gas guzzler stories. Over a 1000 miles, a 'gas guzzler' that does 20 USmpg will only cost you an additional $40ish offer a 'standard' car that does 25 USmpg. That extra space & comfort is worth every penny.
When you get to the airport, be nice to the person at the car hire desk - most people aren't.
Ask if you have a choice of vehicle and if so, can you have a mooch around the parking lot.
Take the children with you whilst you're looking.
If you're going somehere hot and the car only has air con, dismiss it. Climate Control is king. If it has remote start, grab it - its a feature that you'll love every time that you use it.
Have the crack with the car hire people, you might be surpised what vehicle you can get with your money.
If you have a car for the day and don't like it, take it back and ask to swap it.
Did I mention, hire a biggun.
Don't forget to get your frequent flyer miles added from your car rental.
You may get offered a return the car emty of fuel option. This may make sense if your currently in a State where fuel is cheap, but you're ending up in a State where fuel is dearer. Bear in mind taht the price they quaote you will need to have the various taxes adding to it, which may make the idea uneconomic.
Set your car return time as late as possible - then before returning your car check the status of your flight. If its significently delayed, you would be able to check in your luggage and then take your car away for another couple of hours.

Accomodationwise, prebook the lot. I've found Homewood Suites/Embassy Suites to be very high quality/excellant value - especially if you take advantage of the cooked breakfasts, evening 'welcome home' meals and free bar. Be sure to enrol for HHonors beforehand as your stays can very quickly add upto a free night.
Whilst having a suite seperated by a door may seem a bit OTT, being able to put your children to bed and then being able to carry on doping other stuff has a value all of its own.
The AAA rate (eligible to AA members) is typically the best available rate, is cancellable until the actual day and only needs the international code of 328 at time of booking to secure the room.
I've got an AA/AAA card, but none of the hotels that I stayed at whilst away asked to see it.
If it suits your rquirements, assosciate your HHonors card with your frequent flyer card to get a 'Double Dip'

Print out all reservations and take them with you. You probably won't need them, but if its 1.00 in the morning, your plans have changed and your dealing with someone whos first language isn't English, the printed sheets are priceless.

Take a Tablet computer/Kindle Fire with you - very, very useful.

Take a Leatherman type tool with you.

Have a quick look at the airport plans for the airports that you are using -- eating wise, some can have very limited offerings airside.

Be realistic with your planning - don't try and do to much. A couple of lazy/lazier days can work out as good fun.

Oh and be prepared for your CC's to get a abttering !

alibongo42

A lot of very useful advice! I am also just home from a West Coast trip and would say DONT actually buy a US satnav. Download one for free before you go (we used NavFree USA and downloaded the states we required). It uses GPS, not a data connection. So if you download it in the UK, there are no further charges or any need for an internet connection while using it.

Also, check very carefully how payment works for tolls, express lanes and carpool lanes. We were given duff info by the Alamo hire car desk and ended up with a fine from the toll authority, despite believing we knew what we were doing!

Murphy_The_Cat

alibongo42 wrote: »

A lot of very useful advice! I am also just home from a West Coast trip and would say DONT actually buy a US satnav. Download one for free before you go (we used NavFree USA and downloaded the states we required). It uses GPS, not a data connection. So if you download it in the UK, there are no further charges or any need for an internet connection while using it.

Fair comment and something that I wouldn't have considered - I don't take my phone on holiday with me. It sounds like a cracking idea :beer:

ferf1223

I think it's because I'm getting old, but I actually prefer a designated sat nav...I think I like the idea of using my phone as a back-up/emergency option and may look into that...but I like having a dedicated device...just something about it seems...sturdy...or something.

we didn't buy a US sat nav, we bought US maps for our exist sat nav...best £40 we have spent on holiday stuff I can think of...5 or 6 years ago and have used the same maps since...added benefit is I can throw a gpx/POI file of all the geocaches in the area we've visiting over to it and feed my addiction in that respect. And yeah, I know I can do that on my phone too but that gets complicated.

As always thanks for the great info, Murphy.

Murphy_The_Cat

ferf1223 wrote: »

I think it's because I'm getting old, but I actually prefer a designated sat nav...I think I like the idea of using my phone as a back-up/emergency option and may look into that...but I like having a dedicated device...just something about it seems...sturdy...or something.

we didn't buy a US sat nav, we bought US maps for our exist sat nav...best £40 we have spent on holiday stuff I can think of...5 or 6 years ago and have used the same maps since...added benefit is I can throw a gpx/POI file of all the geocaches in the area we've visiting over to it and feed my addiction in that respect. And yeah, I know I can do that on my phone too but that gets complicated.

As always thanks for the great info, Murphy.

From my last trip, Walmart are now selling USA TomToms for about $109, with lifetime mapping updates included. My TomTom is slowly coming to the end of its life (I reckon that its probably about 6 years old) and its obviously not as accurate on things like Places Of Interest as it once was - but it never let us down, so it'll be going with us again next year !