Road Tripping in the USA!

Thanks all for your suggestions and comments. Very valuable. I will surely come up with some more questions as I get stuck into the reservations. And a special thanks to Born2sk8 with his detailed suggestions on places to visit/amend and hotels. The suggestion about Yosemite and Death Valley rather than Monument Valley was intriguing and will think about it. In Vegas we had heard a good review of the Trump Hotel, a good monetary value and at the end of the Strip. We do not need the gaming and buffets in our hotel there and can easily walk up to Caesars and Bellagio for buffets and entertainment.
 
sesevans said:
In Vegas we had heard a good review of the Trump Hotel, a good monetary value and at the end of the Strip. We do not need the gaming and buffets in our hotel there and can easily walk up to Caesars and Bellagio for buffets and entertainment.
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To be honest I would avoid the Trump hotel for a flying visit, its nice and a decent price but its takes an age to get anywhere on the strip from Trump. Don't underestimate how long it takes to get anywhere in Vegas, just crossing the road can take the best part of 5 minutes. Walking to MGM grand from Trump (over 2 miles) takes about an hour and that's without stopping to look at anything, if your exploring, popping in and out of casino's and looking in shops and stuff it could take all day to get down there.

I would really be looking at staying in the middle of the strip if your just staying for a couple of days.

For the same money as Trump you could stay somewhere like Vdara which is right smack in the middle of the strip next to Ballagio. I've not stayed there but it is in a decent location and reviews well.
 
You must walk really slow. We stayed at the MGM Grand and our suite was as far from the elevators as you can get and it took 5 mins tops to get from the room to the strip.

TBH, I'd avoid Vegas completely if I was going on holiday with my kids. I felt like I was constantly walking a gauntlet of people trying to shove business cards for escorts into my hands when I went. A friend of mine went with his wife and kids and said that they still came up to him, even when he was pushing a push chair.
 
No, its Vegas. Its crammed full of people who are not really in a rush to get anywhere and above 35C most of the year. Being able to walk anywhere at full speed is a completely unrealistic expectation.
 
I didn't have any issue getting around, maybe I went when it was quiet although it certainly didn't feel like it. It certainly doesn't take 20mins to get from the MGM Grand to the strip regardless of how many people are there as it's right on the strip.
 
Just FYI for anyone who doesnt want to use their smartphone for satnav in the US (due to charges or coverage - e.g. out in the boonies) there's a seller called 'American Sat Navs' or 'stayingsunny' that sells slightly older model Garmins (e.g. 2360) with US maps preloaded for c.£50 (not much different from installing a US map on a UK unit). They come with brand new charging cables and windscreen mounts.

I have just received mine and it's been recognised in Garmin Express and is currently downloading the latest maps and software.

I will report back after my trip.

Could be a sensible solution for others. :)
 
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looking for advise on a trip i'm going on in july.

after 4 nights in ny, we fly to vegas for 2 nights then pick up a car and have it for a week. must see's are grand canyon, death valley, yosemite, san fran, la.

i can't work out which route is best though. we fly back from vegas to ny at 6am and i don't really want to go to the grand canyon first as we then double back to head to death valley. i'm thinking may be do the grand canyon last?

any tips would be welcomed...
 
cm1179 said:
thanks but a flight isn't an option
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Why isn't it? There are various package tours operated from LV to the Canyon which include a 40 minute flight, 2-3 hours of tours to various viewpoints and a flight back. It is by far the best option if you are short on time.

A week isn't very long to do what you want to do even without going to the Canyon, if you are going to use up the best part of 2 days of that week driving to the Grand Canyon and back you've even less time. You can't fit in Vegas to San Fran to LA back to Vegas and the national parks into a week anyway - it's simply not enough time. Generally people would spend 2 weeks doing that rather than 1.
 
SAN fran to Vegas is a good 10hr drive using the fast roads and stopping for loo, fill up, food.

Similarly LA is 4.5hrs.

Don’t underestimate the distances involved with these places.

I would also suggest a flight to the canyon. Hellicopter and land in canyon for food.
 
Thread cleared up, this is a great thread for many and this isn't the place to come in and derail it with political nonsense. No, not here. You can discuss that in the relevant GD and Speaker's Corner threads. Back on topic as the good @EVH has suggested.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Why isn't it? There are various package tours operated from LV to the Canyon which include a 40 minute flight, 2-3 hours of tours to various viewpoints and a flight back. It is by far the best option if you are short on time.

A week isn't very long to do what you want to do even without going to the Canyon, if you are going to use up the best part of 2 days of that week driving to the Grand Canyon and back you've even less time. You can't fit in Vegas to San Fran to LA back to Vegas and the national parks into a week anyway - it's simply not enough time. Generally people would spend 2 weeks doing that rather than 1.
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Thanks for the heads up on the flights from Vegas to the Canyon. We have 11 days as I mentioned previously to drive from Palm Springs/Palm Desert to Grand Canyon (6 hours), had thought of 2 nights in GC, drive to Vegas (4 hours) for 2 nights (one on the Strip and one at Hoover Dam), fly from Vegas to SF for 3 nights, drive and spend 2 nights in Yosemite before driving 4.5 hrs to Monterey/Carmel (1 night) before a long 6 hour drive via the Big Sur on to Santa Barbara (2 nights).

Saving one or two nights by avoiding a hotel in the Grand Canyon and doing the day trip tour would give us more time for leisurely driving/staying at Yosemite, Monterey and Santa Barbara.

How does that sound? From a previous post I have dropped the idea of driving from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley.
 
This looks like a great thread full of information, but I've kind of left my US car hire to the last possible minute, I hope it's not too rude to ask questions that have no doubt been covered before.

I'm a bit confused about insurance for car hire. Am I right in saying that when you hire the car you are insured as part of the agreement? No further cover would be essential? So I can assume the price paid on the website is the total provided I don't take any extras?

I'm aware of excess waivers and how they can cost more than the car hire itself. With that in mind, does anyone have any recommendation for car hire excess insurance companies? I've looked at a few and all seem to be much of a muchness in terms of cost.

Also, any need for breakdown cover?

Thanks!
 
If you book via the UK website of one of the big companies (Hertz or Alamo are recommended) then you get everything you need (insurance, excess waiver) as standard. Dont bother with any of the additional services like enhanced breakdown or other insurances. Be careful with companies like Enterprise that cater more to the domestic market where insurance may not be included (domestic drivers use their own insurance for car rentals).
 
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