Road Tripping in the USA!

OllyM said:
Where did you go? LensCrafters? :eek:

I'm planning on driving around New England in a few weeks, via upstate NY then up to Acadia National Park. Nothing really planned yet though, I should get on it!
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Yup, I needed 1 hour measure to make really as I had to leave Boston. Will just have them re-lensed when I get back to the UK. $150 for the eye tests (one shop wanted $850!!!!) and then frames were $240 and the lenses the rest! Sharp prescription but off centre blurred. Crappy lenses so have just written it off as one of those things and moved on. Insurance will cover it off as I said.

All we planned was a flight and 3 nights in the Lenox Hotel in Boston which we both like. We left there this morning, collected the car from a few blocks away and drove to Stowe which is lovely with plenty to keep us busy for 2 days then we head across to the coast for another 2 nights in Camden Maine. I booked this hotel last night, it's easy enough to do even in the busy times as long as you can be flexible. We had considered upstate NY as the NASCAR is on at the Glen on Sunday but I decided not to bother so we have canned the Canada plan and will bum around for a week in nice little boutique places and soak up the sun as we stroll around looking and doing stuff.

https://www.fieldguidestowe.com/rooms/ (in the King Suite as I type this)

The pictures on the website are bloody confusing as the they are all mixed up!!
 
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Got pulled by the 5.0 :)

60 in a 35

Let off as it was his first day on the job and he was struggling to process the UK documents :D

Jammy
 
So me and two of my best friends have now booked our flights for our US road trip. Arrive in LA second week of October. Grab a car then the only plan is to head up the coast through Big Sur, to San Francisco, across to Yosemite, down through Death Valley to Las Vegas for the Grand Canyon, then back to LA possibly via San Diego, all over the course of two weeks and using AirBnB for accommodation.

My only real "must see/do" plans are spending some time in Yosemite, hiking maybe, seeing the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam and perhaps Alcatraz while in SF. Everything else is a bit "see where we end up". Quite excited, going to be a bit of an adventure.

Not really sure why I'm posting here other than to share the experience and see if anyone has any suggestions for stuff to check out on that rough route. This will be my first time in the US, so it's all new to me. Suggestions welcome :)
 
Rifte said:
I am literally just finishing off a US Road trip (incorporated with business I had over here).

1)LA to Vegas (incredibly uninspiring, didnt help I did it on a Friday so there was traffic leaving LA and traffic heading into Vegas. Also didnt help that a friend of mine reminded me that most of the Friday LA to Vegas flights are a stripper bus for the weekend ladies)
2)Vegas to San Francisco via Death Valley and Yosemite (great trip)
3)SF back to LA via the coastal route (Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara etc). This drive was epic! Probably the best bit of driving I have ever done in the US.

Didn't use a rental car, I borrowed my friends M3.

In respect of a phone SIM (Ultra Mobile) I picked up a $85 package from LAX. 2GB data at 4g, then unlimited 3g data. Also a lot of free international calls to various destinations, the UK being one of them.
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Sounds like we'll be doing what you've done, but in reverse :)
I am definitely looking forward to driving up the coast to SF.
 
Conscript said:
So me and two of my best friends have now booked our flights for our US road trip. Arrive in LA second week of October. Grab a car then the only plan is to head up the coast through Big Sur, to San Francisco, across to Yosemite, down through Death Valley to Las Vegas for the Grand Canyon, then back to LA possibly via San Diego, all over the course of two weeks and using AirBnB for accommodation.

My only real "must see/do" plans are spending some time in Yosemite, hiking maybe, seeing the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam and perhaps Alcatraz while in SF. Everything else is a bit "see where we end up". Quite excited, going to be a bit of an adventure.

Not really sure why I'm posting here other than to share the experience and see if anyone has any suggestions for stuff to check out on that rough route. This will be my first time in the US, so it's all new to me. Suggestions welcome :)
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If you've not booked anything yet, I'd consider doing the whole thing in reverse (LA, San Diego, Vegas (inc GC, Hoover Dam), Death Valley, Yosemite, San Fran, Big Sur, PCH, LA) as you'll then be on the 'correct' side of the road when driving down the PCH.

Hoover Dam is cool and only about 45 minutes drive from the Vegas strip. Alcatraz is well worth the trip, but book well in advance.

Camping / accommodation in Yosemite sells out quick and is expensive so keep that in mind. It's also much much cheaper (like 1/3rd of the price) to stay in Vegas during the week (Monday to Thursday nights) rather than Fri, Sat or Sun. I'd suggest staying in a proper hotel on the strip in Vegas, location makes a big difference and the hotels are worth it.
 
Cheers, I'll pass that on to the guys I'm travelling with.
We're only really looking to stay in Vegas for the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam - the city itself doesn't really appeal to me, but of course it would be silly not to at least see it.

Points noted about Alcatraz as well - one of my friends was very interested in seeing it...I wouldn't be devastated if we didn't get the chance to have a mooch around, but I'll certainly try and get us booked up.
 
Conscript said:
Cheers, I'll pass that on to the guys I'm travelling with.
We're only really looking to stay in Vegas for the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam - the city itself doesn't really appeal to me, but of course it would be silly not to at least see it.
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We don't gamble, go clubbing or go on heavy drinking sessions and really enjoyed Vegas. Once you ignore the gambling, clubbing and drinking you find a place with some really cool hotels, great places to eat, loads of cool stuff to see and do.
 
I wouldn't go as far as loads of cool stuff to see and do. Granted there are some things to do, but technically a lot of them are outside Vegas but within travelling distance :D
 
Fr0dders said:
I wouldn't go as far as loads of cool stuff to see and do. Granted there are some things to do, but technically a lot of them are outside Vegas but within travelling distance :D
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We were in Vegas for 4 nights about a month ago and did no gambling or clubbing. We went out in the car only once and that journey was about 10 minutes (we've already been to the South rim of the GC and Hoover Dam, and were going to the north rim later in the trip). We managed to fill all of our time and really enjoyed it.
 
Holiday to USA

Hi guys.

I'm looking to arrange a custom holiday in America next summer.

The plan is for 3 weeks. Fly to Miami, 2 days there, then drive Orlando for 7-10 days at Disney etc.

Then a road trip to Vegas across America, and spend the last 3 days in Vegas, then fly back to UK.

Is there anywhere that could organise this as a package, who is ATOL etc covered.

I would need a car hire place that allows collection of vehicle in Miami and drop off in Vegas 3 weeks later. Car needs to be something yank muscle style, maybe a new mustang v8 5.0 or similiar.
 
I've added your thread to the big road trip thread as that appears to be the main focus.

How many people will you be travelling with? Mustangs are fun and worth doing once at least but if you're opting for a convertible then you might struggle with luggage or indeed with seating if you're trying to fit adults in the back.

From Orlando to Las Vegas is over 2,300 miles so it's a pretty sizeable trip to be doing in a car and the one way fees are likely to be huge - have you considered flying then picking up a car while in Vegas instead? The cost might well be less and it means you'll not be sitting in a car for well over 30 hours worth of solid driving. If there's something you particularly want to see on the way then maybe it makes some sense to drive but otherwise it's a lot of effort to get across a huge country.
 
Just me, my wife and our son (14)

I drove from Stoke to the south of France (Saint Tropez) last year, and back again 1 week later and really enjoyed that, It was 1100 miles.
 
Ace Modder said:
Hi guys.

I'm looking to arrange a custom holiday in America next summer.

The plan is for 3 weeks. Fly to Miami, 2 days there, then drive Orlando for 7-10 days at Disney etc.

Then a road trip to Vegas across America, and spend the last 3 days in Vegas, then fly back to UK.

Is there anywhere that could organise this as a package, who is ATOL etc covered.

I would need a car hire place that allows collection of vehicle in Miami and drop off in Vegas 3 weeks later. Car needs to be something yank muscle style, maybe a new mustang v8 5.0 or similiar.
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I urge you to fly from Florida to somewhere and then continue in a new car. The reasons for this:

a) One-way from Florida to Vegas is going to be extortionately expensive
b) Quite a lot of what you'll drive through on this route is going to be meh. You'll see much more by skipping these bits and focusing on the bits where it's proper good.

Perhaps fly from Orlando to Colorado and drive from there to Vegas? Giving you more time in the more beautiful and stunning parts.
 
Florida to Vegas in that timescale will seriously suck. You won't get to stop anywhere to enjoy any of the places you are driving past. The distance is staggering and you'll miss some of the best bits of the US by rushing across country. You wouldn't go to Paris for the week and then think "Actually, I might drive to Moscow whilst I'm here as well" - even though it's a shorter distance then you're considering!

The one way fees will also be very expensive - imagine a £400 rental with an additional £500 one way fee expensive! It will be 100x quicker, cheaper and better to fly this route.

Also 3 people in a Mustang will be tight. Especially over that distance. I wouldn't do that.

Go and do the Florida bit as one holiday, then fly to Vegas and do that before flying home.
 
How does this look as a base?

Day 1: Los Angeles
Day 2: Los Angeles
Day 3: San Diego
Day 4: San Diego
Day 5: San Diego
Day 6: Las Vegas
Day 7: Las Vegas
Day 8: Las Vegas
Day 9: Death Valley
Day 10: Yosemite
Day 11: San Francisco
Day 12: San Francisco
Day 13: PCH - Santa Cruz
Day 14: PCH - Montery
Day 15: PCH - Pismo Beach/Santa Barbara
Day 16: PCH - Santa Barbara
Day 17: Los Angeles

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Looks excellent.

The second day in Yosemite is up to you really, do you prefer exploring a city like San Fran or hiking / natural beauty like Yosemite - there is no right answer.

Las Vegas to Yosemite will be a long long day - leave at 8am and arrive in Yosemite at 8pm if you do all the cool stuff in Death Valley and on the way through. It's perfectly do-able, just a warning!

You're spending a good amount of time on the PCH which is great, personally I wouldn't stay in both Santa Cruz and Monterey - they are very close and I can't see you needing two days to cover both.

When are you going?
 
[TW]Fox;29887547 said:
I urge you to fly from Florida to somewhere and then continue in a new car. The reasons for this:

a) One-way from Florida to Vegas is going to be extortionately expensive
b) Quite a lot of what you'll drive through on this route is going to be meh. You'll see much more by skipping these bits and focusing on the bits where it's proper good.

Perhaps fly from Orlando to Colorado and drive from there to Vegas? Giving you more time in the more beautiful and stunning parts.
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This.

I've driven from Atlanta to Vegas. We tried to drive from Nashville to Vegas in one go as we were short on time but decided to stop in Flagstaff, Arizona (we took a weird route because we wanted to go through Monument Valley in Utah. Looking at it now, our Satnav took us a stupid way) as we'd been on the road for about 36hrs straight by that point. But anyway, I have pictures that are about 10hrs apart and they look identical. There is literally nothing. Every so often you'd come across some little Texas Chainsaw Massacre style town and we spent an hour or so overtaking a train that was running parallel with the road. That was about as exciting as it got.

I've always said that if I do something like it again, we'll fly across the middle. There's a reason they call them the flyover states.
 
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