Road Trip from JFK taking in Canada an back to New York

Hi folks, its been a while since i've been on this forum. Back in 2012 the "roadtrip formites" helped me organise a fantanstic roundtrip from SF and back. We've now decided to take a roadtrip from JFK with the hope of taking in Canada and returning to New York for the last five nights. Our break is for 17 nights

We will be travelling in August which is unusual for us as we normally holiday April/May time. I'm aware that there will be more tourists and that prices for accommodation will be higher ;( ... so i'm looking for advice on how to make our dollars go a little further and to take in sights that will not be overly populated with us tourists.

Can anyone advise on interesting, unusual places to stay/visit off the beaten track?

We thought we would take in Boston, perhaps Finger Lakes, drive through mountains and stay in log cabin somewhere, Montreal (or would a different Canadian city be more interesting? I note that state parks will be free in Canada this year - would we be close enough to visiting some interesting ones?

We will be a family of three, my son is 15. His part of the trip will be the time in New York. He loves cities and being busy. We love scenery, peace and quiet etc. He would like to take part in activities while we are travelling as well as walking around towns etc.

I remember watching Salem's Lot when i was a kid and considered visiting - is it worth a visit?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - thank you for taking the time to read this.

You can easily do a very nice tour through the New England states and the Province of Québec before heading back down through the historic Champlain/Hudson Valley to New York City. For a sampler of some of the best sites that New England has to offer, check out the discussions linked to here. As for what to see in Canada, I will simply note that Québec City has a more French/Continental vibe while Montréal is easier to get to and has a more cosmopolitan/bilingual vibe. Finally coming down the Hudson Valley back to New York will take you by several historic and scenic spots including Ausable Chasm, Fort Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and West Point. But of course Salem's Lot is a fictional location.

AZBuck

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I note that state parks will be free in Canada this year - would we be close enough to visiting some interesting ones?

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Someone will probably correct me if I am incorrect, but I believe it is only Parks Canada (National parks in Canada) that are to be free this year 2017. I believe the state parks, which are called Provincial parks, are not included. Because of the freebie Parks Canada pass, Canada is expecting particularly high attendance this year. There are a few national parks in the Quebec area, mainly Forillon, Mingan Archipelago (Reserve), and La Mauricie. La Mauricie looks the most accessible, though I have never been there and cannot speak to it.

Donna

It is Canada's National Parks that are free in 2017, in celebration of Canada's 150th Birthday. It is all of the sites run by Parks Canada, which includes National Historic Sites. While there are only 3 National Parks in Quebec, there are quite a few historic sites around both Montreal and Quebec City.

Another option instead of Quebec might be to look at going up through Maine and then continue into New Brunswick, and possibly continuing to to Nova Scotia and/or Prince Edward Island. There are several great National Parks in that part of Canada, like Fundy and Cape Breton Highlands, and I've really enjoyed Halifax as a city.

Thanks so much for the advice guys and the links. So far I've booked 1 nights Accomodation in bar harbour. Am looking for two nights around Boston but hotels seem very expensive.
Can you tell me if airbnb is allowed in Boston? I know ther is a problem with New York. We've used airbnb all over - Dubai, Japan, wales, Newcastle and we've always had good experiences. Is there something similar to airbnb? An alternative to hotels? Have thought about camping (log cabin/yurt/tent) in the parks but will need to take along sleeping bags. Any suggestions? As we have car are there nice places a little outside of Boston where we could stay that would be more cost effective?
Thanks

Have you tried searching Boston on AirBnB?

I know that some cities have put in rules restricting it's use, mostly because of people abusing the system and turning their residential home into essentially a commercial hotel, but I can't speak specifically to Boston. Being that such rules are typically (but not always) done on a city level, even if there is an issue in Boston, I'd suspect you'd have no problem using the site to find a place in one of Boston's suburbs. Just make sure it's near a "T" stop (Boston's subway system) so you can easily commute into the city.

Thanks will take a look

Hi folks, i wonder if you could help with a car hire question.
We have booked car hire from JFK airport with Thrifty for 10 days.
A pop up box appears encouraging you to take out excess insurance at £52.50 for the 10 days. This will mean that we don't have excess to pay if the car is stolen, keys lost or car is damaged.
To take out the same insurance with Thrifty direct costs £16 per day.
However, the last time we booked car hire in America we were advised to buy additional cover in the event of breakdown etc.

In the past i have used Insurance4carhire http://www.insurance4carhire.com/usa...cess-insurance. Do the American car companies accept this type of insurance. Will we be fully covered for everything they will try to offer us?
I don't want to duplicate payment of insurance.

Any advice greatly appreciated.Many thanks

Hi, i've managed to book accommodation for our trip from JFK to Bar Harbour. YAY :)

We are then travelling to Montreal. We have two days to get to Montreal (and are staying two nights in Montreal) then travelling to New York (we have two days to do this),

Can you recommend some good places to stay with things to do for teenager (it can be off the beaten track - or non touristy), We like quirky, we like countryside, we'd like to have a go at activities....we're open to suggestions and places that are "unmissable". Accommodation that's a little different...cabins - anything really (however not camping as we won't have the equipment.

We're travelling august 2017

Thanks x

Moderator Note: Please keep all questions about this trip in the same thread.

Car rental companies are always going to encourage you to take out more insurance - as that's one of the biggest profit margin items they sell.

The first place I'd always recommend checking for insurance on a rental car is with the company that provides insurance on your personal cars at home. There is a good chance they already cover your rental and/or they will offer an affordable supplement to your existing policy.

If they don't, then I'd look at what the rental car companies offer and compare it with what 3rd party insurance companies might be able to provide. I'm not sure what you mean about the car rental companies "accepting" the 3rd party insurance - they don't really have a choice, although I suspect you'd have to pay out of pocket for any damages and then be payed back by the insurance company, but again, that's something you need to discuss with whatever 3rd party insurer you might be considering.