Planning USA Trip

Bodders11

John259 - thanks for the suggestion, but I think I'd like to be in the city during the evening so this option is probably not realistic.


Jackieblack - good suggestion, I'll see how it impacts the hire fee, but hopefully would still offset the cost of the flight.


Regarding baggage, I have accepted the fact I'll be paying charges. I will definitely be carrying one large suitcase (up to 23kg), so will just deal with this but thanks for the advice on laundry which will come in handy as I don't plan on bringing 23 pairs of socks/boxers!


Blindman - excellent thread. That will keep me quiet for a little while!!

Crispy_Ambulance

John259 wrote: »

One possible solution for San Francisco is to stay in a motel on US101 north of the Golden Gate Bridge (in Corte Madera, etc - map https://goo.gl/maps/tSY8mEKv5sw ), then use the ferry from Tiburon to get into the city and back again. You get a scenic boat ride across the Bay as a bonus (wear something warm, because it can be cold on the water).

That works well for a day trip provided you don't want to stay in the city too late into the evening. It's probably questionable though if you want several days in the city.

I've read elsewhere that you can get accommodation in the city with free parking but I've no personal experience of it.

Key money saving concepts in the USA are to stay in motels not hotels, stay outside big cities except Las Vegas, and stay outside national parks.

I found San Francisco expensive for accommodation when I was looking, unless you wanted to stay quite far out. If you want free parking, it is worth looking at Lombard Street - there are quite a few independents, so you won't find them on Expedia etc. We stayed at the Cow Hollow Motor Inn which has free parking and was a good price. It's a great location as you can walk to Chinatown or Fisherman's Wharf and it is very near the buses (which are excellent).

John259

Regarding San Francisco, you could stay outside and use the BART system to get into the city:
https://www.bart.gov

blindman

John259 wrote: »

Regarding San Francisco, you could stay outside and use the BART system to get into the city:
https://www.bart.gov

Have you actually done this?

Please give examples of when you stayed and how long it took to get in\out and how you coped with having to stay on the city all day as it's impractical to pop back to the hotel?

(You could stay at LHR to visit the city but it would not be practical.)

Look at Priceline for cheaper 3 and 4* options (I've done this :cool:)

Bodders11

Thanks, Blindman.


Our itinerary has once again changed, but I feel as though this is now final:


4 nights in Las Vegas 17 nights in California. New York has been scrapped for this trip to devote more time to California!


So flights:


Dublin to Las Vegas - 15th September


LA to London - 6th October.


I will be booking my flights next week.


We will be hiring a Ford Mustang car!!


Plan is to pick up the car in Vegas and do Death Valley and then Yosemite and on to San Fran and then head south from there eventually ending up at San Diego.


I really cannot wait I think I'll book accommodation for certain places, particularly the first few stops (Lone Pine, Yosemite and San Fran) and then just see what happens with the rest.

torbrex

Death Valley and Yosemite are 2 days minimum each, SF is at least 3 full days and even at that.......
San Diego will be about 3 days as well and that does not count for travelling time or any stops you make along the way such as Sequoia NP or LA.

I did not post sooner as you had not settled on an itinerary, I have travelled extensively round that same area/route, the driving is relatively easy as long as you don't get lost like I did :eek: but you have to remember that although the roads are good, it is a long way between the different points.

Bodders11

torbrex wrote: »

Death Valley and Yosemite are 2 days minimum each, SF is at least 3 full days and even at that.......
San Diego will be about 3 days as well and that does not count for travelling time or any stops you make along the way such as Sequoia NP or LA.

I did not post sooner as you had not settled on an itinerary, I have travelled extensively round that same area/route, the driving is relatively easy as long as you don't get lost like I did :eek: but you have to remember that although the roads are good, it is a long way between the different points.

Thanks, Torbrex, your experience will undoubtedly help. We are currently looking at some of the road trip suggestions offered on the Visit California page. I appreciate I will not be able to see and do everything. First few stops I think Death Valley will be one day, Yosemite two days and San Fran two/three days. Once we get there, I think San Diego will be two days for us. That gives me around 10 days to get from San Fran to San Diego and see everything in between (heaven help me!!). Let's hope I don't get lost!!


This will develop over time and I'll update the thread as and when it does so you can comment and advise on days/timings, etc.

torbrex

I have travelled across and around America since 1999 and one bit of advice I got at the beginning has stuck with me all the way, 'It's a big place, don't try to do too much at one time' and any time that I've tried to do too much, I have missed stuff that was just round the corner but I was too focused on my plan that I never saw it

Now that I have done all 50 states, I will think about those places that I missed and start again

Murphy_The_Cat

Bodders11 wrote: »

Thanks, Blindman.


Our itinerary has once again changed, but I feel as though this is now final:


4 nights in Las Vegas 17 nights in California. New York has been scrapped for this trip to devote more time to California!


So flights:


Dublin to Las Vegas - 15th September


LA to London - 6th October.


I will be booking my flights next week.


We will be hiring a Ford Mustang car!!


Plan is to pick up the car in Vegas and do Death Valley and then Yosemite and on to San Fran and then head south from there eventually ending up at San Diego.


I really cannot wait I think I'll book accommodation for certain places, particularly the first few stops (Lone Pine, Yosemite and San Fran) and then just see what happens with the rest.

I'm dead chuffed for you that you're doing things the way that you are.
Enjoy your planning.
You'll have an absolute ball.

John259

Glad you decided to drive from Las Vegas to San Francisco.

Lone Pine is fine. Depending on what permutations of stops you plan between Las Vegas and Yosemite, Bishop and Mammoth Lakes are also good towns.

If possible, try to give yourself some time to stop at the points of interest along the Tioga Pass Road: Tuolumne Meadows, Tioga Lake and Olmsted Point.

Accommodation in Yosemite is expensive and usually needs to be pre-booked. Staying outside (on the western side) is an option provided you're happy to drive (on very scenic and good quality roads) into the park. FWIW I've always stayed in Merced for Yosemite but that's too far away for some people.

Have you discovered the US National Park Service web site? There's loads of good practical information on there, including detailed park maps:
Death Valley https://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm
Yosemite https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm