Planning USA Trip

blindman

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.

Certainly get the Yosemite accommodation booked a.s.a.p.
Inside the park is usually horrendously expensive so possibly get a place just outside.

Maybe one on the Eastern entrance the day before and then one on the West the day after.

Fuel inside the park is also v expensive so fill up before you go in.

Another MSE tip
Depending on how many NP you are visiting it may be worth buying the the America the Beautiful pass. It can be found "cheap" from Ebay for about 1/2 price.

Used to find quite a few on the German Ebay site.

Or you can buy the full pass, then sell it on when you get back as it lasts 12 months.

That Southwest thread is a good source of info.

PeacefulWaters

Bodders11 wrote: »

Thanks, Blindman.


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


4 nights in Lads 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.

No guarantee of a repeat, but there was a business class sale out of Dublin end of April beginning of May last year that got us plane and car hire for less than £1k each.

Mammoth Lakes, Tamarack Lodge is a tip for accommodation east of Yosemite. Not cheap. An expensive treat!

Bodders11

Okay, been having a bit of a nightmare! My friend is restricted with the number of days leave he can take so it is likely that I will be restricted to two weeks. As a result, it means it will be rushed and we may not get to see all of what I had hoped to.


The current proposal is as follows:


13th September - Dublin to Las Vegas
14th - Vegas
15th - Vegas
16th - Death Valley, night at Lone Pine
17th - Arrive Yosemite
18th - Yosemite
19th - Leave Yosemite, Arrive San Fran
20th - San Fran
21st - San Fran
22nd - Santa Cruz/Monterey/Big Sur
23rd - Ventura
24th - Santa Monica
25th - LA Area
26th - LA Area
27th - Depart LA


This would mean I do not get down to San Diego, which I was very much looking forward to. The bulk of the rest of the trip is the same, although one night less in Vegas.


What are your thoughts? Is this realistic and/or achievable? I am really frustrated that it will not be 3 weeks which would have been a perfect amount of time but I don't really have an option.

John259

Have you checked your accommodation options between San Francisco and Los Angeles? There are no towns and hardly any accommodation between the Monterey/Carmel area and the Morro Bay/Cambria/Pismo Beach/San Luis Obispo area.

A wild thought - drop your friend off at LAX and press on for another week on your own.

blindman

Bodders11 wrote: »

Okay, been having a bit of a nightmare! My friend is restricted with the number of days leave he can take so it is likely that I will be restricted to two weeks. As a result, it means it will be rushed and we may not get to see all of what I had hoped to.


The current proposal is as follows:


13th September - Dublin to Las Vegas
14th - Vegas
15th - Vegas
16th - Death Valley, night at Lone Pine
17th - Arrive Yosemite
18th - Yosemite
19th - Leave Yosemite, Arrive San Fran
20th - San Fran
21st - San Fran
22nd - Santa Cruz/Monterey/Big Sur
23rd - Ventura
24th - Santa Monica
25th - LA Area
26th - LA Area
27th - Depart LA


This would mean I do not get down to San Diego, which I was very much looking forward to. The bulk of the rest of the trip is the same, although one night less in Vegas.


What are your thoughts? Is this realistic and/or achievable? I am really frustrated that it will not be 3 weeks which would have been a perfect amount of time but I don't really have an option.

Looks reasonable for the two weeks.

Next time you come you can do the bits you missed

Hope you have Accommodation sorted for at least Yosemite and maybe San Fran

PeacefulWaters

Looks fabulous.

Bodders11

One option is to continue alone for 3 nights to enable me to do San Diego. Would it be more cost effective to retain the car or utilise public transport to travel to San Diego from LA and then once in San Diego use public transport?


Accommodation between SF and LA will be at/around Big Sur and then long drive to Ventura for the next night, or at least within that area I think.


Accommodation for Yosemite and SF is the first priority as soon as we have booked flights!

Murphy_The_Cat

Bodders11 wrote: »

One option is to continue alone for 3 nights to enable me to do San Diego. Would it be more cost effective to retain the car or utilise public transport to travel to San Diego from LA and then once in San Diego use public transport?

The cost of extending your car hire for 3 days won't be much and it will save you reliance of having to use public transport.
Cost effective ??? It depends how much you were thinking of using your car/public transport in SD.
Maybe think of it as cost vs benefit.

For me, I wouldn't dream for a minute to be car less in Southern California on my holiday.

Maybe have a look at accomodation in San Diego as well. When we're going this Summer there is a big even at the same time and the room rate is (quite) a bit more than anticipated.
If you're keeping the car, staying a few miles out of the city isn't an issue.

John259

I'd advise keeping the car to get to San Diego. I don't know enough about the city to comment on whether it would be worth retaining the car during your time there, but as a general principle US towns and cities are very spread out.

Regarding accommodation for Yosemite and the Pacific Coast Highway: a reminder that you can use Google Maps to see how many motels there are in a town, for example:
https://goo.gl/maps/s2RA4tw2N1J2
(zoom in and pan round to see the details)

Bodders11

Thanks to you both. I am going to keep the car and extend by 2 nights. Won't have much time in San Diego: one afternoon (La Jolla) and evening (Little Italy), one full day at the zoo and evening (?) and then morning (?) before flight at 8.40pm. Better make the most of it!