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West Coast USA Trip Planning

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  • bagand96
    bagand96 Posts: 6,542 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I would also add that for transatlantic flights it's quite often cheapest to book when BA and Virgin have their sales which are coincidentally usually at the same time.

    If you were going to consider premium cabins then looking at business class starting outside of the UK can see excellent value.  Dublin/Amsterdam/Jersey are popular starting points.  But you also have to factor in the "positioning" flight and maybe a hotel the night before.

    BA Holidays are worth looking at where you bundle in a hire car and/or a hotel with your flights.  Can sometimes work out very good value - especially at the moment when car hire is so expensive.  The advantage of this is also you can pay a deposit rather than pay the flights upfront.
  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 14,666 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Just to add to others comments about taking an RV from the US into Canada....you will then also be taking it from Canada to the US when you cross from Yukon to Alaska.  

    Also a quick google shows Vancouver to Anchorage to take 38 hours of driving.   So how much do you plan to do each day?  It might not be too bad once you are north of Prince George as all you'll be looking at is scenery.  Trees, more trees, and some more trees.  Oh look a lake!  Now I love nature and all of that but it might be a tad boring.  Then again it may make you happy to drive 8 hours a day.  So 5 days driving nearly 8 hours a day without stopping to enjoy the trees out of a total planned of 4 weeks (aka 28 days).  Plus the distance from LA or wherever up to Vancouver.  

    Frankly I'd be dividing the trip up.  USA bit for a couple of weeks.  Bus from Seattle (great place, love their oysters) to White Rock BC. (location of the world's best sand castle competition in my opinion, sadly now a thing of the past). Car hire to toodle about Vancouver and Vancouver Island (absolutely blooming marvelous).  And then maybe a cruise up to Alaska.
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  • madswitcher
    madswitcher Posts: 31 Forumite
    Second Anniversary 10 Posts
    edited 1 July 2022 at 8:22PM


    Flights: book these ASAP as you will get the best deal.  6 months ahead is about optimum. I always go Virgin Atlantic and if you book a seat in Upper Class (somewhere between Business class and First) you can get a very good deal and will feel it worth while by considering it as part of the holiday and get pampered on.  Virgin are more fun that BA in my experience and focus on the 'Customer experience' such as dedicated check in at Heathrow. I always book with Virgin Atlantic directly.

    Hotels: I always stay in one hotel group - IHG - that run the Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express chain.   This allows you to accumulate loyalty points for the next trip and stays in the UK so make sure you join their loyalty card scheme.  The Holiday Inns are predictable and good quality.  The Holiday Inn Express are more like a bed and breakfast but still good quality and a predictable standard.  Again book these ASAP after joining the hotel chain loyalty club and do it via the their web site as you can control the whole process and cancel more easily if needs be.

    Cars - never book these far in advance: I always book at the last moment and have seen prices drop to about 50% ( >£2K to < £1k) for a 3 week rental over a 6 month period.  Car rental companies do not want to turn down business and drop their prices in some weird way, particularly in the last 2 weeks before pick up dates.. I use AVIS car rentals and have never had a bum car hire. Also, get a medium/large car as they are more comfortable for long trips.  Hiring a sports car makes you stand out too much.





    Some of this doesn't really wash in the post COVID world....especially with car rental which is exceptionally high as the car rental companies offloaded car stock during the pandemic and haven't been able to get their fleets back to pre-pandemic levels.

    Car rental is generally cancellable until pickup so book as early as you can and then switch if prices do drop (they won't).

    I'd also stay sticking to hotel chains is a false economy too as the best hotel rates generally do not accumulate loyalty points and the savings outweight that disadvantage.
    Well from my experience over a 45 year period (which includes 8 or so years retired) and the fact that I am doing exactly what I stated - flying next Thursday - it does 'wash' in post Covid.  Avis have dropped their prices from over £2k to £996 by booking on-line for a 'large' car for a 20 day hire (which I have just done today)  As you said, prices have gone up, but as I am now retired, I want to get the best bang for my buck.
    Booking a car through an airline means that they want to have their cut as well.  For example, booking a car through Virgin Atlantic would add about £250 to the cost of a car hire compared to doing it directly with a car hire company.

    My Virgin Atlantic flight was about £1,600 when I booked it over 6 months ago and it is now up to about £8k.  As I stated, it is good to consider the flight as part of the vacation which is not siting in the back of the 'plane with your legs wrapped around your neck.  Being able to use an airport lounge and sleep comfortably on a plane makes a world of difference.

    Hotel loyalty points vary from franchise to franchise, but as well as the point about loyalty, I was also making a point about predictability, quality and value for money if using hotels in the US which I have done for over 45 years as I used to work for am American computer based in Irvine close to Los Angeles and made over 120 trips there.

  • bagand96
    bagand96 Posts: 6,542 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Booking a car through an airline means that they want to have their cut as well.  For example, booking a car through Virgin Atlantic would add about £250 to the cost of a car hire compared to doing it directly with a car hire company.


    Whilst that might be your experience with Virgin it may not ring true for all circumstances (ie. BA). The potential savings to be made with BA by bundling car hire are well documented. Often the car hire can work out almost free. Even seen people saying the cost of flight+car is cheaper than the flight only price.
  • I think you're also missing out some wonderful stuff in Oregon/Washington State, which are some of the most picturesque places in the US
    "Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"
  • sammynunes
    sammynunes Posts: 66 Forumite
    10 Posts First Anniversary


    Flights: book these ASAP as you will get the best deal.  6 months ahead is about optimum. I always go Virgin Atlantic and if you book a seat in Upper Class (somewhere between Business class and First) you can get a very good deal and will feel it worth while by considering it as part of the holiday and get pampered on.  Virgin are more fun that BA in my experience and focus on the 'Customer experience' such as dedicated check in at Heathrow. I always book with Virgin Atlantic directly.

    Hotels: I always stay in one hotel group - IHG - that run the Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express chain.   This allows you to accumulate loyalty points for the next trip and stays in the UK so make sure you join their loyalty card scheme.  The Holiday Inns are predictable and good quality.  The Holiday Inn Express are more like a bed and breakfast but still good quality and a predictable standard.  Again book these ASAP after joining the hotel chain loyalty club and do it via the their web site as you can control the whole process and cancel more easily if needs be.

    Cars - never book these far in advance: I always book at the last moment and have seen prices drop to about 50% ( >£2K to < £1k) for a 3 week rental over a 6 month period.  Car rental companies do not want to turn down business and drop their prices in some weird way, particularly in the last 2 weeks before pick up dates.. I use AVIS car rentals and have never had a bum car hire. Also, get a medium/large car as they are more comfortable for long trips.  Hiring a sports car makes you stand out too much.





    Some of this doesn't really wash in the post COVID world....especially with car rental which is exceptionally high as the car rental companies offloaded car stock during the pandemic and haven't been able to get their fleets back to pre-pandemic levels.

    Car rental is generally cancellable until pickup so book as early as you can and then switch if prices do drop (they won't).

    I'd also stay sticking to hotel chains is a false economy too as the best hotel rates generally do not accumulate loyalty points and the savings outweight that disadvantage.
    Well from my experience over a 45 year period (which includes 8 or so years retired) and the fact that I am doing exactly what I stated - flying next Thursday - it does 'wash' in post Covid.  Avis have dropped their prices from over £2k to £996 by booking on-line for a 'large' car for a 20 day hire (which I have just done today)  As you said, prices have gone up, but as I am now retired, I want to get the best bang for my buck.
    Booking a car through an airline means that they want to have their cut as well.  For example, booking a car through Virgin Atlantic would add about £250 to the cost of a car hire compared to doing it directly with a car hire company.

    My Virgin Atlantic flight was about £1,600 when I booked it over 6 months ago and it is now up to about £8k.  As I stated, it is good to consider the flight as part of the vacation which is not siting in the back of the 'plane with your legs wrapped around your neck.  Being able to use an airport lounge and sleep comfortably on a plane makes a world of difference.

    Hotel loyalty points vary from franchise to franchise, but as well as the point about loyalty, I was also making a point about predictability, quality and value for money if using hotels in the US which I have done for over 45 years as I used to work for am American computer based in Irvine close to Los Angeles and made over 120 trips there.

    My point about car hire was that you can normally cancel up until the day of the rental without penalty so there is NEVER any advantage of booking late. Far better to bank a price and move your booking if it drops.

    I'm guessing that you used a hotel loyalty scheme with work paying? In which case I see the point, I don't care how much a room costs if someone else is paying......however, even in that instance you can get better "payback" by using cashback sites. 
  • I'd say that your 3300 mile estimate is VERY conservative. I've done a 4-week road trip from Seattle to LA, via Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Las Vegas, and that trip was about 3300 miles. I took the option of camping/motel as the RV option was too expensive. 

    Also, don't stop at Anchorage! Continue round Alaska, e.g. Denali National Park.
  • tafelmoneysaver
    tafelmoneysaver Posts: 260 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 2 July 2022 at 8:06AM
    I think you're also missing out some wonderful stuff in Oregon/Washington State, which are some of the most picturesque places in the US
    Agree, don't forget to stop in Oregon!
  • hollie.weimeraner
    hollie.weimeraner Posts: 2,155 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 2 July 2022 at 1:22PM
    You may have already done this but Trip Advisor road trip board is a great source of information which I found invaluable for my West Coat Trip a few years back. Yosemite needs to be booked well in advance and depending what time of year you're travelling if you go from Mammoth over Tioga this can get blocked. We left Yosemite with 35 degrees but saw snow over Tioga when we travelled to Mammoth.

    Additionally, as others have said I don't think you have enough time to do everything and enjoy it.  We did SF, Pacific Highway, Monterray,  Cambria, Yosemite, Mammoth, LV and Grand Canyon.  1700 miles and 3 weeks and we thought it was just right.  You have double the mileage so would suggest at least 6 weeks.

  • scaredofdebt
    scaredofdebt Posts: 1,663 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Thanks all.

    Nothing is set in stone, plenty of time to plan it all.

    The budget can be quite generous as I am taking a lump sum but would rather keep costs reasonable if possible as we need money left over to do some work on the house.

    Time can be extended if required as my employer has said I can take unpaid time if needed so it could be up to 8 weeks, not sure a road trip that long might not get a bit tiresome though.

    I was looking at a 4 berth RV as it is likely to be just me and my wife, possibly our son who will be 10 then.

    I will look at renting a car and stopping in hotels, possible do a week or so in an RV and hire cars (or planes) for some of the journey.

    Will consider a round trip including Oregan etc.  I am looking at probably doing this during the summer, maybe August/September.

    Thanks again!

    (Scrub LA then!)

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