Best way to travel to USA

ferf1223

it isn't something I would do but based on what you are saying, if you are willing to spend a fair amount of your time travelling and not stay anywhere very long, I suppose you could do the San Francisco, LA, Vegas thing driving between...fly to Florida...a bit of time there...fly to NYC...time there, and fly home. Probably could swap Miami and NYC depending on what brought back the best flight prices/options. Open jaw ticket to start and then book your internal flights.

If you really just want a taster and possibly to end up feeling like you saw a little bit of a lot but didn't really experience anything properly...it may be that that would be enough for you, you'll never know until you do it and are happy with it or you do it and you wish you had taken the advice to limit what you were trying to see.

Based on what you are saying, it doesn't sound like you will want to do a huge amount of driving as it will just eat up days of what time you have.

notanewuser

Did San Fran > Monterey > Pacific Highway > LA (didn't stay, just drove through) > Mojave desert > Vegas > Death Valley > Yosemite > San Fran some years ago.

11 hotels in 13 nights and 2000 miles driven. I don't think you could add much more to a fortnight's trip to be honest!

No reason to avoid the US when you have kids, by the way. It's a very easy place to be and travel around.

Murphy_The_Cat

duchy wrote: »

Ha ha first time I've ever heard Utah described as wild

It's the only place MaccyD,s had to brew me a pot of coffee as they don't have much demand for it (Provo) and let's not even mention trying to buy beer in this university town lol

I absolutely adored Utah, it was a cracking place and one that I;ll definitelt return to in the future.
The home of Polygamy Porter

ACG

Ive been doing some quick timescales:
Land in San francisco - write that day off.
2 days site seeing (3 days in total)
Drive to Las Vegas - 1 day. (4 days)
2 days there (6 days)
Drive to las vegas (via death valley) 1 day (7 days),
3 days in las vegas (10 days)
fly to Miami - 1 day (11 days),
3-4 days there - 15 days in total.

Is that rushing things a bit too much?

Murphy_The_Cat

ACG wrote: »

The problem is im 30, the gf is moaning about wanting a kid next year so the chances of being able to do anything like this anytime in the next decade is pretty slim - so I want to cram as much in as I can but at the same time I dont want to miss everything.

Appreciate what everyone is saying about flying back and forth being impractical but im not going to get the opportunity to do it again any time soon so if its well planned we might get most of it in. Im happy to knock New york off the list but I do want to go to Miami. Where theres a will and all that.

Please don't discount the US becasuse you're (hopefully) a family.
I've gone every since my children were 18 months old and they enjoy their American holidays as much as we do.

Its truly a massive country and the edict 'less can be more' is very true.

Pick an area, explore that area and then look forward to going back again.

As others have said, the US can be a very easy holiday to plan yourself, but you need to be realistic in what you are looking for. Sit down with your GF and list the things that you would want. Start with must do, would really like to do, would like to do and it would be OK if we did this.

Then have a look and see what is on your list.

If you consider an internal flight is at least a half day and possibly a full day of your holiday lost, you'll be on the right track.

A possible itinerary that has been successful for many would be flying into San Fran, driving down Pacific Coast Highway, visiting LA if you absolutely have to (it doesn't appear on many peoples 'best places' lists), carrying onto San Diego, then drive to Las Vegas.
You've then got the choice of flying home from LV, or taking a flight to Miami or NYC and completing your jolly.
Personally, I'd spend 14 days exploring California/Nevada and leave Florida/NYC for another time, but we're all different.

Start saving now, as America certainly isn't a cheap and cheerful discount destination, unless you are relying on 99cent burger meals and turnup and hope motels.

Murphy_The_Cat

ACG wrote: »

Ive been doing some quick timescales:
Land in San francisco - write that day off.
2 days site seeing (3 days in total)
Drive to Lon Angeles ? - 1 day. (4 days)
2 days there (6 days)
Drive to las vegas (via death valley) 1 day (7 days),
3 days in las vegas (10 days)
fly to Miami - 1 day (11 days),
3-4 days there - 15 days in total.

Is that rushing things a bit too much?

I cross posted with you
It all depends on what lights your candle.
Consider landing in SFO and then travelling via Bakersfield & Death Valley to Las Vegas.
This would give you the bonus of avoiding LA (which is a dump) and giving yourself more time at the LV end.
I'd prefer to carry on driving to Phoenix and then flying from .Phoenix, than flying to Miami, but if you have to go to Miami, so be it (it didn't do anything for me when I went a few years ago !)..

Driving SFO - LAS/PHX would avoid any one way hire fees, which is very welcome

pollypenny

ACG wrote: »

Ive been doing some quick timescales:
Land in San francisco - write that day off.
2 days site seeing (3 days in total)
Drive to Las Vegas - 1 day. (4 days)
2 days there (6 days)
Drive to las vegas (via death valley) 1 day (7 days),
3 days in las vegas (10 days)
fly to Miami - 1 day (11 days),
3-4 days there - 15 days in total.

Is that rushing things a bit too much?

You'll come home needing a holiday!

Slow down, enjoy one coast, or even one area on one coast. Don't underestimate distances. Even using internal flights will cost you time.

John259

ACG wrote: »

Ive been doing some quick timescales:

San Francisco to Las Vegas via I-5, Bakersfield and the Tehachapi Pass is about 570 miles, so it's marginal whether it can be done in one day. It's the fastest option but it's relatively devoid of scenery. There are several much more scenic and interesting options, but they all take a lot longer, for example:

1) From San Francisco take the Pacific Coast Highway south with overnight stops in the Monterey area and the San Louis Obispo area, then head east to Las Vegas.

2) From San Francisco head east to Yosemite Valley (for at least two nights, giving you one full day in the park), then head south via Fresno with another optional full day (two nights) in Sequoia. Sequoia will be a particularly attractive option in 2015 due to the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees in Yosemite being closed for regeneration then. Then via Bakersfield to Las Vegas.

3) San Francisco > Yosemite Valley for at least one full day > Tioga Pass (California State Highway 120) east and US395 south to Mammoth Lakes or Bishop or Lone Pine > via Death Valley to Las Vegas.

4) San Francisco > Lake Tahoe > Bishop etc > Las Vegas.

Personally I'd far prefer any of those options and forego Miami to make it possible but that's purely my opinion of course.

Accommodation in the national parks is very expensive and tends to book up well in advance but you can stay in towns outside and run in to the parks if you wish.

I guess it depends on how much you want to visit Miami. What's the attraction of it to you?

notanewuser

John259 wrote: »

I guess it depends on how much you want to visit Miami. What's the attraction of it to you?

The OP is used to clubbing holidays in Ibiza. I suspect it's the nightlife.

zagfles

John259 wrote: »

3) San Francisco > Yosemite Valley for at least one full day > Tioga Pass (California State Highway 120) east and US395 south to Mammoth Lakes or Bishop or Lone Pine > via Death Valley to Las Vegas.

This is what we did and it's a stunning drive, but be aware that the Tioga pass is closed due to snow sometimes till June! See http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

4) San Francisco > Lake Tahoe > Bishop etc > Las Vegas.

Personally I'd far prefer any of those options and forego Miami to make it possible but that's purely my opinion of course.

Yes Miami could be on another holiday, as above having a kid won't be a problem, ideal time to go may be before they start school as you really don't want to go in the UK school holidays. May or October would be good times. Florida is pretty cheap off-peak.