Summer Holiday Plans! Please Help :-)

Hi!

We are coming over for a friend's 40th in August for 14 days, and I'd love some advice from those of you who are in the know.

We will fly in to LA on day 1, and I'm thinking of driving straight to Palm Springs for four days to chill out and get over our jet lag (from UK) etc. We will then drive back to LA to spend Friday and Saturday nights (days 5 & 6) checking out the night life etc. From there it starts getting a little loose. We definitely have to be in Las Vegas on day 10, which is a Wednesday, so we've got 4 days to do stuff.

I've been to San Fran, so I'm not too bothered about getting up that far. I'd love to visit the Sequoia National Park kind of on the way to Vegas (I know it's not quite on the way!). My partner loves rollercoasters, so is there a good one anyone can recommend that is somewhere in between LA, Sequoia, and LV? We also love wine tasting, so perhaps there's a nice vineyard we could visit and stay at? Can anyone recommend nice towns to spend the night in to break up the journey from Sequoia to LV?

Sorry for all the questions!

Thanks, Jo

Hello and welcome to RTA !

Is there a reason for getting out of LA quickly and then going back there ? Have you considered just chilling in LA and then start your road trip ? Are you flying back from Vegas or LA and have you been to the Grand canyon National park or Yosemite NP before ? Sorry for all the questions but it's a little 'bitty' as things are and with 14 days you could make a really nice trip, depending on what you want.

I get the impression you're really underestimating the size and scope of LA traffic. Driving across LA to Palm Springs, then back to LA, and then back out of LA again will have you spending a lot of time sitting in your car - where you may or may not be moving.

Six Flags Magic Mountain is located in the northern suburbs of LA, just off I-5, and is arguably the best roller coaster park in the Western US.

There are lots of great wineries in California's central coast region (Santa Barbara up through Paso Robles).

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Hello and welcome to RTA !

Is there a reason for getting out of LA quickly and then going back there ? Have you considered just chilling in LA and then start your road trip ? Are you flying back from Vegas or LA and have you been to the Grand canyon National park or Yosemite NP before ? Sorry for all the questions but it's a little 'bitty' as things are and with 14 days you could make a really nice trip, depending on what you want.

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Hi - I was just thinking that I could chill and let the jet lag pass in Palm Springs then head back to LA for some nightlife once I'm able to stay awake past 9pm!

I'm flying back from LA, so will drive back and spend the last Saturday night there after Vegas. I've been to the Grand Canyon, but not Yosemite. I fancied Sequoia as have read a bit about it. Is there a nice, close town to spend the night nearby?

What would you recommendation be for the first 9 days before heading to Vegas on day 10? Thanks for your help!

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Originally Posted by Midwest Michael

I get the impression you're really underestimating the size and scope of LA traffic. Driving across LA to Palm Springs, then back to LA, and then back out of LA again will have you spending a lot of time sitting in your car - where you may or may not be moving.

Six Flags Magic Mountain is located in the northern suburbs of LA, just off I-5, and is arguably the best roller coaster park in the Western US.

There are lots of great wineries in California's central coast region (Santa Barbara up through Paso Robles).

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Yeh I guess the traffic doesn't feature when looking on Maps. It just looks like an easy 2 hour drive.

I will definitely check out Six Flags - do you know if it's worth buying advance tickets?

Is there a specific winery you'd recommend? Sorry for all the questions!

I take it you've got something specific going on in Vegas on day 10? If you started in Palm Springs, it would really make a lot of sense to go from PS to Vegas, then onto Sequoia, etc on your way back to LA. But it sounds like that wouldn't work for you.

Getting from LAX to Palm Springs in 2 hours would be a minor miracle. It will depend upon exactly when you're driving, but I'd figure at least 3 hours. It's also probably longer and more stressful than I'd want to drive after getting off a long flight.

I haven't been to any of the wineries myself, so I can't make any specific recommendations, I just know it's basically second to Napa as the top wine region of the US, so you'd have lots of choices. I have been to Magic Mountain, and while advanced tickets aren't required, it will save you some money. If you could visit on a weekday, it would probably mean a lot less time in lines too.

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Originally Posted by joward33

Hi - I was just thinking that I could chill and let the jet lag pass in Palm Springs then head back to LA for some nightlife once I'm able to stay awake past 9pm!

I'm flying back from LA, so will drive back and spend the last Saturday night there after Vegas. I've been to the Grand Canyon, but not Yosemite. I fancied Sequoia as have read a bit about it. Is there a nice, close town to spend the night nearby?

What would you recommendation be for the first 9 days before heading to Vegas on day 10? Thanks for your help!

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To be honest I don't suffer from jet lag but I doubt you would need four days to recover ! ;-) There are quiet[er] places in LA in which you could relax, a beach spot like Venice beach for example just a short drive from LAX. Personally speaking, I would be busting a gut to get out of the city and off to the natural beauty of Sequoia and Yosemite. Both are wonderful but if I had to choose, it would be Yosemite for me. However, it's your trip and we can only make suggestions for you to consider, here's another.

LA [Beach] for 2 nights to 'recover' and then head to Sequoia NP for a night [or two] and then to Yosemite for a night [or two]. Then you could exit Yosemite over Tioga Pass [CA120 which is spectacular] and stop overnight in Bishop or Mammoth. So day 8 [maybe] drive through Death valley to Vegas and and spend a couple of nights through day 10. Then you could head back to LA and 'party and Roller coaster' till you drop, or your flight leaves. ;-) It would still give you the option of a night in Palm Springs between LV and LA if you wanted to go there in particular.

If you want to get out of LA as planned then why not just return there for fun at the end of your trip before your flight, rather than driving in and out of the city traffic multiple times.

Do a little research and see what appeals to you, once you have decided we might be able to help 'fine tune' your plans.