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We are planning a trip with our 2 kids (16 and 12) out west next summer. I'm trying to make plans early. Our thought was to fly to a destination west and rent a car for the return trip. We are anticipating about 10 days or so. While we don't want to rush everything, there is SO much that we do want to see.
My first question, recommendation on where to fly in to and then what should we plan to see? I will take any advice you want to share. Thank you so much!
Mary
Welcome to the RTA Forum!
The answer to the question on where you should fly to depends completely on what things you want to see most. "The West" is a huge place, and there is so much you could do, and so many places you could start, you really need to narrow things down at least a bit.
I mean, if you want to focus on the Grand Canyon and the many amazing park of Southern Utah, you might look at Las Vegas. If you want to explore Yellowstone and Rushmore and the Badlands, Salt Lake City might be a good place to start. If you've got your heart set on seeing the ocean, then you'd probably want to start in LA or San Francisco. There's no right or wrong answer at this point, just what you and your family want.
I will say, you might look at just doing a straight fly/drive and do a loop around your favorite spots in the west. It would give you more time out west, and likely wouldn't cost you any more. In fact, it might even be cheaper, once you factor in the high costs of one-way plane tickets and one-way car rental fees.
Flying both ways makes a lot of sense with your time constraints. Spirit Air charges no premium for one-way flights, although they nickel and dime you to death for baggage and seat selection. A loop starting in Las Vegas or Salt Lake is great idea, or start in Vegas or Phoenix and end in Salt lake. Destinations to choose from include Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Goblin Valley (do their geocaches), Arches, Dead Horse, Monument Valley ... If you want adventure, explore the Sanrafael Swell area
Be aware that it will be cold at very high elevations. Roads in Rocky Mtn Ntl Park could be closed due to snow in early June. That's why Utah might be a good choice so early
Something to consider is trying to snag a one-way motorhome relocation deal. Camping World (rvrental.com) sometimes needs to move RVs between Las Vegas, LA, Salt Lake, Denver etc for less than the cost of a car rental and no one way fee. Of course, they do get 9 mpg! Still, it is worth considering. I've seen deals for under $10 per day! I snagged a deal from Orlando to Miami several months ago and had a ball.
We've created a subsection on RTA that discusses Fly-n-Drive roadtrips. Flying to one destination and then using that city as a hub for a loop road trip. There are a few listed from Las Vegas and other cities in the west. Click here for the list.
There's also a link on that page about using Allegiant Air for setting up a Fly-n-Drive and you really should look at that option to see if their flights might work for you. Like Spirit Airlines, the rates make road trips very affordable.
Mark