Last minute advice for our USA trip

steveouk

Hi there,


We are going to the USA on our honeymoon in just over a week and we have most things booked and sorted now but wondered if anyone could help with a few quick questions.

• What should we do about using our mobile phones out there? We have researched the costs and it is not worth using them on our current contracts. Should we buy a sim card to use within the USA then a phone card for phoning home - to use from pay phones etc?! We will need to have a phone with us as we are doing a fly drive and also need to call ahead to come places etc.

• Also I am really not sure about spending money I keep research and adding up but it seems we need a hell of a lot like $100 a day for 3 meals for 2 people and snacks and drinks have I got this wrong? I don't want to allow too little and find we have to scrimp on our honeymoon so I would rather budget a fair bit then be careful as we go along like and it may just be we want a small cheap lunch and an expensive diner so it evens out!

• Fuel we are doing around 800 miles in a one way half circle from san fran via Tahoe and Yosemite to vegas. So although fuel is cheaper out there we are still going to need a fair bit for our hire car which is an SUV.

Anyway hope these questions are not too much and thanks in advance

John259

steveouk wrote: »

3 meals for 2 people and snacks and drinks

It can vary enormously, all the way from simple picnic items purchased in supermarkets, up through fast food (not just burgers and chicken, but also breakfasts, Mexican fast food and submarine sandwiches), waitress chains such as Denny's (similar to our Little Chef), more upmarket and specialist restaurnant chains such as Sizzler (steaks) and Red Lobster (sea food), and finally fine dining. As a very rough rule of thumb, if you allow the same amount as you would for the same type of restaurant in Britain that's very likely to be plenty.

Prices displayed in restaurants in the USA always exclude sales tax. The same is true for accommodation and in shops. However, prices displaced for gas (petrol) include sales tax.

No tips are required in fast food restaurants. Tips are the norm in any US restaurant with waitress service.

ferf1223

steveouk wrote: »

• Also I am really not sure about spending money I keep research and adding up but it seems we need a hell of a lot like $100 a day for 3 meals for 2 people and snacks and drinks have I got this wrong? I don't want to allow too little and find we have to scrimp on our honeymoon so I would rather budget a fair bit then be careful as we go along like and it may just be we want a small cheap lunch and an expensive diner so it evens out!

It's all completely relative to where you plan to eat...we budget $100/day for the two of us for non-Vegas US trips and on average it's more than enough - in some cities it might not be...I would be surprised if many people eat 3-meals a day in the US (we don't and aren't known to be particularly light eaters). Portions are quite large. Also you can hit a supermarket to stock up on drinks and snacks and the like - most US hotels will have an ice machine so a cheap styrofoam cooler filled up each day will keep quite a bit cold for the road trip.

Free breakfast is not uncommon at many US chains (again, not Vegas)...it's not the best breakfast anyone will ever have but it's usually edible. Have you checked what your hotels offer?

Food in Vegas is also completely relative in terms of pricing...from really cheap to eye-wateringly expensive...many would be fine with an average of $100/day or less...most days we are, some days we blow right through that but on average it's fine...there are a lot of vouchers for buffets and the like out there but not all are free and depending on how long you are in Vegas may not make sense to buy a membership to LVA or the ACG for some of the better vouchers.

John259

steveouk wrote: »

Fuel

This web site has some average US gas prices:
http://www.gasbuddy.com

For the MPG I can only suggest searching online for the fuel mileage figures of a few of the models in the range you're renting.

ferf1223

John259 wrote: »

waitress chains such as Denny's (similar to our Little Chef)

I have lived here well over 10 years and have still never been to a Little Chef (every time we pass one I get excited about it and my English husband says "absolutely not, keep driving") but as I understand it Denny's is offended by the comparison.

ferf1223

also - do you really need an SUV? when we have had one it didn't have a luggage screen so we wouldn't have wanted it for a road trip where we were in and out of the car a lot...it will likely use more petrol as well.

John259

ferf1223 wrote: »

I have lived here well over 10 years and have still never been to a Little Chef (every time we pass one I get excited about it and my English husband says "absolutely not, keep driving") but as I understand it Denny's is offended by the comparison.

Yes, you're probably right. I was thinking of the similarities in the serving systems and the general range of menu items, not the quality of the food or the service.

steveouk

found info about "gas" and the standard suv does approx 15-20mpg and 22 gallon tank so at $4 a gallon it would be $88 and around 800 miles to drive is two tanks of fuel as the car is provided full up.

steveouk

Well we have an SUV now so its too late to change it! If we do it again we will look more into it!

torbrex

Hit a Walmart as soon as you can and that will be your snacks sorted for the whole trip.

Breakfast at Denny's and no need for lunch, about $30 for 2.

MPG in all cars over there is terrible so allow extra for fuel, more than you normally would. Make sure that you keep topped up as there can be quite a distance between stations if you are on the back roads.

Phones I can't help you with, I've never used one on any of my trips across there, I've never had the need to either phone home or phone ahead.

ferf1223

steveouk wrote: »

found info about "gas" and the standard suv does approx 15-20mpg and 22 gallon tank so at $4 a gallon it would be $88 and around 800 miles to drive is two tanks of fuel as the car is provided full up.

In case you don't already know, most petrol stations in the US are pay at the pump or pre-pay...I have never managed to use my UK credit card at the pump as none of the US zip codes I have tried to enter work - I have tried all the suggestions I have read and none have worked for me...so normally I have to go in, guess how much petrol I need and pay first. If you overpay you can go back and get the refund. I'm normally too annoyed at the process to bother with that and usually go a bit under what I think we need.

And on the petrol gauge there is probably an error that points to the side of the vehicle you fill from...I only learned this in the last few years from someone on the Vegas thread and it's come in so handy and saved many moves to the other side of the pumps.