Hi guys,
My girlfriend and I are starting a Road Trip in the USA tomorrow, we're flying into LAX and renting a car straight away. I've been planning for a long time and was hoping to get our final fine tuning done with then help of this awesome forum.
This is the google map of the trip: http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?ms...8403,14.128418
This is the itinerary for those who don't want to have a look:
19th to 22nd July - Explore Los Angeles
23rd - Visit 'Winchester' & San Bernardino NP, sleep Ridgecrest
24th - Visit Death Valley, sleep Vegas
25th to 28th - Explore Vegas
29th - Visit Hoover Dam, sleep Flagstaff
30th - Visit Grand Canyon, sleep Kanab
31st - Visit Zion NP, sleep Cedar City
1st August - Visit Bryce Canyon NP find motel North
2nd to 3rd - Salt Lake City
4th - Drive to Teton NP, sleep motel
5th - Explore Teton NP
6th to 7th - Explore Yellowstone NP
8th - Drive Beartooth to Red Lodge
9th to 10th - Drive to Browning
11th - Going-To-The-Sun Road, sleep Spokane
12th - Drive to Seattle
13th to 14th - Explore Seattle
15th to 17th - Explore Washington & Oregon, sleep Newport
18th to 20th - Explore Oregon, visit 'Winchester', sleep Mt. Shasta
21st - Drive to Sacramento
22nd - Explore Sacramento
23rd - Drive to Yosemite
24th to 25th - Explore Yosemite/Sierra NF
26th - Drive to San Fransisco
27th to 29th - Explore San Fransisco
30th - Drive San Fran to Montery
31st - Drive CA1 to Santa Monica
1st Sept - Drop off car and fly to London
The main things I'd love some feedback on are:
1) I am a huge film fan so what are the best movie-related things / filming locations to do along the way that anyone knows of? I've googled a few websites but a lot of the info is confusing - does anyone have a favourite?
2) Would you buy the Los Angeles Card or is there enough free things? It is $150 for 3 days and includes things like Universal Studios, Museums, Zoo, Sealife Centres etc and I'm sure we'd make use of it but is it really necessary anyway? Are there enough free things to see?
3) Would you buy the Vegas card? Again, it's around $150 and there are loads of activities on it but it is necessary? We've had some people tell us you can get so much free in Vegas there is no need.
4) Going by the rest of the itinerary, what do you recommend for Washington and Oregon? We like nature but are not into camping or long hikes, just the odd couple of hours every now and again. Also, we like quirky museums and anything to do with animals.
5) The budget is around $6000 for 6 weeks. We are couchsurfing in some places and have already paid for our car hire and Vegas accommodation so what do you think of that? We won't be doing any camping so advice on National Parks would be great as they look quite expensive, also what is the general consensus on Motel 6, Super 8 etc as they are fairly cheap.
6) What are the best driving guides/maps to buy?
Hope that all makes sense. Would love some feedback :) Thanks in advance!
Jon