Aussies to West Coast

Hey there people.

Firstly a big congratulations for this forum. A plethora of information and I have invested many hours into researching our trip.

We bit the bullet a couple of weeks ago and booked airfares to LA from Sydney Australia. It was a 'kids fly free deal' so it was too good to refuse.

Due to this spontaneous decision, we will be on a moderate budget.

We are there for 14 days from late April into May 09. Family consists of two adults (early 40's) and two kids, 10 and 7 years old.

I am one of those folk who need to be mobile and am generally impatient so I think I will hire a car for the duration. (14 days). Besides, transfers from LAX to Anaheim seem to be about 2 days car hire!

Here is our suggested itenary. (By no means set in concrete)

Day 1 Arrive 6.30am. Quick look around LA to Hotel
Day 2 Disneyland and surrounds
Day 3 Disneyland and surrounds
Day 4 Disneyland and surrounds
Day 4 Day tour to San Diego (from anaheim)
Day 5 Drive to Vegas via Barstow outlet stores.
Day 6 Vegas
Day 7 Vegas
Day 8 Vegas
Day 9 Travel to Death Valley O/night stop
Day 10 Travel to Lake Tahoe O/Night stop
Day 11 Travel to San Fran
Day 12 San Fran (Day tour and alcatraz)
Day 13 Travel Big Sur and coast road...closer to LA
Day 14 Hollywood attractions, fly out at 10.30pm

My questions.

1. Should day 9 and 10 be replaced by an eight hour drive straight to San Fran to guive us more time at another attraction?

2. Are the kids too young to appreciated Death Valley etc, or will it be too boring after being at Disneyland / Vegas.

3. Is 3 days too long at Disneyland and surrounds?

4. Others have suggested a 'clockwise trip' Does this version look ok?

5. Is it a waste of time having a rental car all those days when it may be sitting idle (especially at Disneyland and San Francisco)

Please suggest any alterations to this itenary / trip. Internal flights seem out of the question due to budget.

Much appreciated

CC.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

1) I wouldn't. Your itinerary is already heavily weighted with time in cities. This drive is your one real chance to see some of the landscape for which the southwestern United States is justifiably famous.

2) That's a hard call, but I think they'd enjoy some of the shorter nature walks through parts of the valley. Also be sure to check at the visitors center or park headquarters about the Junior Ranger program.

3) I would say three days is too much to spend exclusively at Disneyland, but you can break up those three days with visits to other attractions in the Los Angeles area such as the La Brea Tar Pits, the Fun Zone in Newport Beach, some wildlife areas, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and others.

4) The only place where making a clockwise vs. counter-clockwise loop matters is in driving along the Pacific Coast Highway/Big Sur. For this stretch, it is better to be heading south (counter-clockwise, the way your itinerary is now set up) so that you're on the sea side of the road, making pulling off and getting back on the highway easier when stopping at the parks, pull-offs, and rookeries.

5) Los Angeles and the surrounding area is built on everyone having a car. It is a sprawling city with many freeways, but not the world's greatest mass transit system. It is one city where I would feel absolutely lost, or at least stranded, without a car. You may want to park the car while you're in San Francisco, a much more compact city, but that would hardly warrant the hassle and extra expense of trying to arrange two different rentals, both with one-way drop off fees.

AZBuck

Brilliant suggestions!!

I didnt think about the fact we were predominantly doing cities with no drives (except to Vegas)

Should I swap Lake Tahoe for something else around Yosemite?

Hi CC,

My only concern with your iternary is the last two days... you are not leaving yourself any time for unexpected hold ups.

If this were me, I would have two days at Disneyland and take two days to travel from SF to LA. You will still have day 14 around Hollywood, before you fly out at night.

There is a lot to see between SF and LA, and two days would not only give you that bit of lee-way just incase, it would also give you some more time to see the many sights along this magnificent road.

Every bit as spectacular as The Great Ocean Road in Victoria.

Lifey in Melbourne

p.s. The young ones will love Death Valley especially if you take a little time before the trip, to read about its features, its history, geology, etc. enabling you and them to understand what it is you are experiencing.

Thanks Lifey..

Funny you mention the Great Ocean Road. The missus and I did it in one day. We left Cobram, got to the end, turned around and stayed at Melbourne over night. 5am till 10pm trip!!!!

Good advice..thanks

More than I would ever recommend anyone to do... you can't have had much time to stop anywhere and really take it in... like Lorne, Airley's Inlet and the lighthouse, Loch Ard Gorge, and walk down to where the shipwrecked survivors scrambled ashore 200 years ago, and of course, the twelve apostles.

Why were you in Cobram? I grew up in Yarroweyah, went to school in Cobram and high school in Numurkah.

A small world indeed! (And last weekend I was in Sydney.)

Believe it or not..we saw it all...the 12 apostles, london bridge loch ard gorge, shipwreck survivors graves..to name a few. Admittedly, it was drive, get out, gaze quick photo, back in the Car. The original plan was to get to the end turn around and stay at Lorne or Apollo Bay. Someone forgot to tell us that the Monday before the Melbourne Cup is a public holiday in Victoria..hence no accomodation. Had to drive all the way to Melbourne.

Im from the Central Coast NSW, Parents live at Cobram. They went on their own golfing road trip and never came back. Thats where the kids were dropped off before our GOR adventure.

Still Planning, researching, googling,

One thing has got me stumped. I want to get to San Fran from Vegas with two o/night stops. Research tells me that Death Valley is only a couple of hour out of Vegas, but Yosemite is almost double the travel time for the next day. Is there a way to cruise through death valley, see the sights, then stop exactly half way between Vegas and Yosemite? Does such a town exist?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CC OZ

Still Planning, researching, googling,

One thing has got me stumped. I want to get to San Fran from Vegas with two o/night stops. Research tells me that Death Valley is only a couple of hour out of Vegas, but Yosemite is almost double the travel time for the next day. Is there a way to cruise through death valley, see the sights, then stop exactly half way between Vegas and Yosemite? Does such a town exist?

---

Hi CC OZ,

Firstly, has your research led you to the fact the Tioga pass [hwy 120] into Yosemite will almost certainly still be closed this time of year?

If so you will already know that to visit Yosemite you will have to go South after Death Valley around the bottom of the Sierra's and approach the valley from the South through Oakhurst. This will put you around Bakersfield for a stopping location and a small detour to the Lake Isabella area is popular.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Hi CC OZ,

Firstly, has your research led you to the fact the Tioga pass [hwy 120] into Yosemite will almost certainly still be closed this time of year?

If so you will already know that to visit Yosemite you will have to go South after Death Valley around the bottom of the Sierra's and approach the valley from the South through Oakhurst. This will put you around Bakersfield for a stopping location and a small detour to the Lake Isabella area is popular.

---

Yep the contingency plan is to go around. But if this occurs, Im tempted to skip Death Valley and head around the fast way to Bakersfield or Fresno to then have more time at Yosemite.

Still contemplating.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CC OZ

Yep the contingency plan is to go around. But if this occurs, Im tempted to skip Death Valley and head around the fast way to Bakersfield or Fresno to then have more time at Yosemite.

Still contemplating.

---

Yeah, it's all about making choices and out of the above two it's a tough one as they are both totally different landscapes but somehow share the same magnificence.
So the question, is would you contemplate losing a day in Disneyland area or Vegas? I know I would ;-)

Happy planning.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Yeah, it's all about making choices and out of the above two it's a tough one as they are both totally different landscapes but somehow share the same magnificence.
So the question, is would you contemplate losing a day in Disneyland area or Vegas? I know I would ;-)

Happy planning.

---

We will probably lose a day in Disneyland at this stage. I hope two days is enough. We are staying across the road, so they will be loooong days and nights.

But now the big question is where do slot the extra day between Vegas and San Fran?

How is this fpor a suggested Itenary

Day 1 Leave Vegas for Death Valley. Stay over night in DV

Day 2 Leave DV and head towards Yosemite and stay at ???

Day 3 Leave ??? and head to Yosemite stay overnight at Yosemite.

Day 4 Leave Yosemite and head for San Fran.


OR

Should we just drive Death VAlley to Yosemite in one day and have two days at Yosemite?

OR

Have an extra day at Death Valley?

For Death valley lodging you could stop at Stovepipe wells near the sand dunes, as the other option [Furnace creek] is probably to soon from Vegas, or as previously suggested you could head towards the Lake Isabella area, but a sunset in the desert is worth stopping for.

I would either head for Yosemite for the 2 nights and have time to relax and enjoy it or if I were to stop in between I would take a detour through Sequoia NP on the 198 [the Generals highway] to see the giant trees. With this option it will keep you on the go, and although it is very scenic it is a slow, twisty mountain road.

Ok,

Final itenary is getting pretty close to being locked in.

Day 1 Arrive 6.30am. Quick look around LA to Hotel
Day 2 Disneyland and surrounds
Day 3 Disneyland and surrounds
Day 4 Day tour to San Diego (from anaheim)
Day 5 Drive to Vegas via Barstow outlet stores.
Day 6 Vegas
Day 7 Vegas
Day 8 Travel to Death Valley O/night stop
Day 9 Travel to Yosemite (or Bakerfield.Fresno) via Sequiona NP
Day 10 Yosemite, then travel to San Fran
Day 11 San Fran (Day tour and alcatraz)
Day 12 Travel Big Sur and coast road...closer to LA
Day 13 Coast road, Malibu, to Santa Monica/Venice Beach
Day 14 Universal studios/Hollywood attractions, fly out at 10.30pm

Day 8,9 and 10 worry me for driving hours/times. Is it too cramped? Any advice welcome...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CC OZ

Ok,

Final itenary is getting pretty close to being locked in.

Day 8,9 and 10 worry me for driving hours/times. Is it too cramped? Any advice welcome...

---

For my money, I'd be inclined to spend a day less in LV and an extra day in Yosemite. But then, I'd rather be in nature than a glitzy city. LV locals may disagree. :)

Quote:

---

Day 8,9 and 10 worry me for driving hours/times. Is it too cramped? Any advice welcome...

---

8 AND 10 are no problem at all, and 9 is doable with around 450 miles to cover which can be done in 8 or 9 hours going to Yosemite. I would leave Sequoia this time or you won't have the time to get from there to Yosemite and then on to SF while spending any quality time in Yosemite. If you can't find an extra day then I would actually enjoy the drive through DV and continue out the other side before stopping the night as previously suggested. That would mean arriving in Yosemite by lunchtime and having till the following lunchtime before leaving to SF.

Ok folks,

the first 2/3rds of the trip is pretty much planned.

The final trek is getting from San Fran back to LA in 3 days. But here is the catch. We want to be within a two hour drive of LA on the last night. That way we can drive to LA in two hours to do Universal studios that day.

So we are after recommendations for a nice beachside place to stay the second last night, then another place to stay 2 hours from LA the last night.

Recommendations?

PS. We are taking predominantly the coast road from San Fran.

I would spend the first night in San Simeon. It will be a pretty full day getting there from SF. Then, the next moring I'd take a Hearst Castle tour and head to Santa Barbara for the night. That's only about a 4 hour drive.

Getting closer now...7 days until we fly out.

Just sorting out the last few days. How is this for an itenary

Day 12 Leave San Fran. Stay at Monterey

Day 13 Leave Monterey, Stay at Pismo Beach

Day 14 Leave Pismo, Drive to West Hollywood

Day 15 Universal studios, other Hollywood stuff. Fly out that night.

Does this sound OK? What are some attractions to see on the way down? We will probably do Monterey Aquarium, Hearst Castle,

I recall reading somewhere there are 'big trees' on the way down?

Remember, 10 year old an 8 year old kids to be entertained...

The big trees are quite a ways north of San Francisco, if you're talking about the famous Redwoods, that is.

Remember you will need to return your rental car and check in at the airport, probably at least 2 hours before departure. Maybe more for an international flight. And LA traffic can be quite congested. I'm not local to LA so I have no idea how long it takes to get from Universal to LAX. Please allow yourself ample time.

I guess I'm the only one here who is thinking "only 2 days in Disneyland??!!" I'm a big kid when it comes to that place. To get the most out of two days, the Main Street area of the park opens up an hour earlier than the rest of the park. So get there an hour early and then check out the map for the rides. Position yourself as close to the major rides you want to do and then run like heck when they open that part of the park. You can easily get a good ride or two in before the lines start getting really long. Anytime there is a parade, the rides are shorter. We usually bang out a few rides during the parades. You can often see at least part of the parade from the ride line anyway. And the crowds really clear out after the night time show is over so, if you stay after that, you can easily bang out a few more rides with fairly short lines.

This time of year is probably a slower time and they aren't open as early/late so some of these tips may not work as well for this time of year.

Enjoy! I think you're gonna have a great time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PNW Judy

Remember you will need to return your rental car and check in at the airport, probably at least 2 hours before departure. Maybe more for an international flight. And LA traffic can be quite congested. I'm not local to LA so I have no idea how long it takes to get from Universal to LAX. Please allow yourself ample time.

---

If you are flying into Sydney, the flight will most likely leave around 23:00 hours. You need to check in (at least) three hours before that. The queues here can be long and arduous.

From my experience, getting the car to the rental place by 18:00, then wait for the shuttle bus to the airport - none of the rental places are actually right at the airport - and deal with the queues and security at the airport, you will not have much time left to even check out the airport shops. And remember, there are two security checks to go through, just as there were in Sydney.

On a week day, I would leave at least 45mins to get from the Hollywood area to LAX, traffic holdups are not rare.

Better to be there early than late.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PNW Judy

I guess I'm the only one here who is thinking "only 2 days in Disneyland??!!" .

---

Judy, I don't think I could take two hours of it.

Thanks for the replies.

For some reason I thought there were big trees between San Fran and Monterey???? Must have dreamt it.

We fly in at 6.30am Day 1 and plan to head straight to Disneyland so we will technically be doing 2 1/2 days there. We plan to stay long days into the night as we are staying nearby.

The rental car has to be back by 6pm to LAX. We fly out at 10.30pm. We were planning on leaving Universal studios about 4pm to head to the airport.

4 to 6 pm is the absolute worst time to drive in LA. Hopefully 2 hours will be enough.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by glc

4 to 6 pm is the absolute worst time to drive in LA. Hopefully 2 hours will be enough.

---

So if we do Universal studios early, then head toward Santa Monica, around 2-3pm will we avoid traffic issues?

By the way...thanks for all the advice...rest assured I will post a full summary including pitfalls for future reference.

And...if anyone wants advice on a east Australia road trip..more than happy to provide advice.

I have always wanted to see Australia!

I look forward to your trip report when you get back.

Wish I could answer your question but I'm unsure when the traffic jams start in the LA area.

The traffic is pretty bad all day - what you might want to do is get some local advice when you are there (taxi or limo driver, or hotel concierge?), or hopefully someone who lives there might see this. The 405 freeway is one of the heaviest traveled roads in the world.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CC OZ

Thanks for the replies.

For some reason I thought there were big trees between San Fran and Monterey???? Must have dreamt it.

---

You weren't dreaming. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is near Santa Cruz.

On Day 14 you may want to stop by Solvang or Santa Barbara on US-101.

Solvang is a Danish-themed town with wonderful touristy kitsch. I love that place. If you go by Santa Barbara it's nice to stop at the pier for lunch. Ventura is not quite as nice a place to stop, but I recently stopped there for lunch on the pier at fish restaurant with a Scandinavian name and enjoyed it. Erik Eriksson's? Olaf Olafssons??

I had no idea there were Redwoods that far south. Good to know.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PNW Judy

I had no idea there were Redwoods that far south. Good to know.

---

The park isn't heavily promoted. There are also redwoods further south in Big Sur, but the stands aren't as large as those in Del Norte County. If you don't have time to drive that far north, they're certainly worth a visit.

Big Sur Chamber of Commerce web page about the redwoods

Hi All.....

Well we are back.

As promised, here is a quick roundup of our trip.

Day 1 through Day 4.
Flew in to LA, picked up hire car. Drove straight to Walmart Anaheim to pick up our mobile phones, esky (chilly box) and other supplies. Booked into accomodation early and headed for Disneyland. Did the Disneyland thing for 3 days which I thought was enough, although the kids may argue.
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...09disk1010.jpg
Day 4 we drove to San Diego to Sea World which was brilliant, then drove back to Anaheim. Didnt get to see anything else in San Diego because of a crammed schedule.
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...09disk1198.jpg

Summary and tips. Very happy to have the rental car from the start to do general shopping and get around. Driving on the right side took a bit of getting used to . At every intersection I would say to myself "Hard right" or "long left" to know where to point the car when I was turning. This helped enormously. It seems everyone just keeps up with everyone regardless of the speed limit, especially on the freeways. Between LA and Vegas I cruised on 80MPH plus just keeping up with the traffic. Also, dont expect anyone to get out of the fast lane. You have to go around them.
Grocery prices at Food 4 less was very cheap compared to Aus.
Good decision to drive to and from San Diego on a tight schedule. Saved on packing up time and reduced the driving time to Vegas.
We bought 3 critical items from Walmart Day 1. Mobile phones from Net10 for $30. A toasted sandwich maker for $9 and a chilly box (esky) for $13. These three items saved us literally hundreds of dollars over the next two weeks and were fantastic!!! More of that later.

Day 5 to Day 8.

Drove to Vegas via Barstow. The outlet centre at Barstow was disappointing as with the current Australian dollar, we didnt see any bargains at all. Continued on to Vegas for the first afternoon night. What a great town!!! We walked the strip and saw the sights. Everything was bigger and better than I thought. Only one night I snuck down to play the tables. Won about $400 and left. It was good to be in front. Drove out of town to head to Oakhurst near Yosemite. On the way we stopped at the outlet store a few milesout of Vegas. This store was brilliant with very cheap prices. Much cheaper and better than Barstow.
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...09disk1247.jpg

Travel tips.
Visit the outlet centre south of Vegas. Also, unless you are staying at MGM grand, I wouldnt bother with the monorail. It taked about 10 to 15 minutes to wind through the MGM to get to the monorail, and then at the end its a fair walk from the monorail back to the strip. Try the shuttle bus instead.

Day 8. Left Vegas and headed for Oakhurst via Mojave, Bakerfield, Fresno.
This drive took us about 6 hours plus. Interesting sights along the way. The wind farm near mojave was impressive. Otherwise it was a very easy drive. Again, sat on about 70-80mph the whole way. Pulled into Oakhurst. What a very nice town! People were very friendly and it had the cleanest and nicest supermarket I have ever seen. Very enjoyable stop over after a longish drive.
TIP. Would greatly recommend staying at Oakhurst. A short drive to Yosemite.

Day 9.
Left Oakhurst and headed to Yosemite. This was my favourite part of the trip. Yosemite was the only place that knocked me off my feet with awe. The views were spectacular and the weather perfect. The snow in the upper areas was cool on our sunburn from the previous days at Disneyland and Seaworld. We drove through Yosemite and headed to San Fran in one day. We did a few trail walks and had lunch in the valley with squirells as spectators under neath one of the fabulous waterfalls. Brilliant!! Off to San Fransisco.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...ATRIP09029.jpg

Day 10 to 12.
What a fantastic town San Francisco is. Even though it poured rain on and off we saw a lot. We did a tour which took us everywhere, then the next day we went exploring through the city. We fell in love with this town and will go back for sure.

Travel tip.
Dont pick up a cable car ride from the wharf. It takes over an hour to get on. Get a bus near the top of the crookedest street (Lombard st )and pick the cable car up on the way through. You may have to hang out the side, but this is fun!!!
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...ATRIP09132.jpg

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...ATRIP09274.jpg


Day 12.
Off to Monterey. A bit of rain on the way hampered some of the sights, but it was clear at Monterey. Did bike rides along Fishermans wharf and the Cannery and did the 17 mile drive that afternoon. It was very misty and we did not see much so we thought we would do the 17 mile drive again the next morning as a warm up to Big Sur. Nice town.
Travel Tip. Rent a bike and do a ride along waterfront.

Day 13.
Day 13 turned out to be appropriately unlucky. After the end of the day we nicknamed Big Sur as "Big Blur" We saw nothing. I mean nothing. A pea soup fog/mist covered to entire Big Sur. It finally cleared a little where we saw elephant seals on a beach. Im not even sure how far down that was.
Whilst we were disappointed, we understood that nature is nature.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...ATRIP09347.jpg

Drove to Pismo beach. I am so glad we stayed at Pismo beach and not San Luis Obispo. Nothing against SLO, just that Pismo is right on the water and the motels along the cliff are fantastic with great ocaen views. We walked along the pier and ate out in town.
Travel tip.
Dont attempt to do the highlight of your trip on Day 13.
Do stay at Pismo Beach.
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...ATRIP09417.jpg

Day 14.
Drove to LA. Stayed at Hollywood only 3 minute walk from Kodak theatre etc etc. Did the walk of fame thing in about 30 minutes. Got sick of people trying to give me their own rap CD, then asking for money for something I didnt want. We then drove around Hollywood Beverly Hills, Rodeo drive, out to Venice Beach. Very interesting place. Some interesting characters out there, and an eye opener for the kids. Plenty of homeless, but none causing trouble. More people trying to give me 'free' rap CDs.
Travel tip.
Dont think you have to stay right at Hollywood to do all the sights because all the sights can be done in about an hour. Unless you are doing Universal studios, you can stay elsewhere and maybe even tack on the Hollywood part of your trip as a day trip from Anaheim if you are doing Disney.
Also, when rap singers shove CDs in you face, simply tap you ear and say "Im deaf" in a high voice.

Day 15.
Did a whirlwind day at Universal studios which we finished about 4pm. We drove straight to LAX which took exactly an hour. Dropped off the car, shuttle bus to Airport with plenty of time to spare for a 10.30pm flight. Better to be late than early. Climbed aboard one of Qantas's finest A380s and back we are home.
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...ATRIP09546.jpg


General Tips.
PHONES.
We picked up 2 phones from Walmart for $30US which allowed 300 minutes free calls. (Net 10) We were able to call each other and also make international calls to landlines back home (couldnt work out making international call to mobiles). At then end of the trip we had a combined 200 minutes left. We literally couldnt use all the credit. We began handing the phones to people at the airport to ring loved ones just to use up the credit.
By all means take you mobile from home to make text messages, but the value in these phones was great.
CHILLY BOX (esky)
We filled this with drinks, cheese, ham, and other food to make toasted sandwiches when we could be bothered or were too tired to go out to eat. This was invaluable.
TOASTED SANDWICH MAKER.
See above.
DRIVING.
As stated earlier, just keep up and you should be fine. Remember...hard right, long left.
FOOD.
The portions are huge!! After 15 days we still were ordering too much. And entrees in America are what we call main meals in Australia. Appertisers are what we call entrees.

Oh well thats about it. We did what we set out to do.

And finally huge thanks to THE GREAT AMERICAN ROADTRIP FORUM. The research and advice I received to plan this holiday was invaluable. Hopefully this report can impart some advice to others setting off on a whirlwind trip of California/Nevada.

Welcome back CC OZ, good to see you here !

Thanks for popping by with the update and tips, Sounds like you had a great time !

Thanks...I'm so glad you had a great time.

Come again!

Great report!

You make my own "backyard" sound interesting!

I'm glad to read you and your family enjoyed your trip. And thanks for the tips-- I don't usually visit outlets, but I may drop by the one outside of Vegas to see if there are any deals.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shirohniichan

Great report!

You make my own "backyard" sound interesting!

I'm glad to read you and your family enjoyed your trip. And thanks for the tips-- I don't usually visit outlets, but I may drop by the one outside of Vegas to see if there are any deals.

---

We found Billabong, Quicksilver and Addidas gear very cheap!! (And two of them are original Australian companies!!)

thanks for the tips cc oz, it's great that you enjoyed your west coast holiday, we're going there in september as well on a nearly identical itinerary as yours, though we're doing la/hollywood/universal studios for the first 4 days, drive to anaheim and do disney for 3 days, then drive to las vegas and stay there for 4 nights. After vegas we're going to san francisco and stay there for 3 nights, then back to LA. we're still debating (another family is with us) whether to drive or fly from las vegas to frisco and frisco to LA. Just wanna ask bout few things though:
* did you hire a van? (cuz there are 8 of us altogether), what car rental company? any tips bout car hire/extra costs that needs to be clarified(gps,insurance,petrol etc)
* any good stopovers on the way to vegas (lunch,shops, etc)
* driving tips, anything to avoid

I used to drive on "the wrong side" years ago back in Phils. i'll just have to re-adjust my brain again when i get there.

cheers,

And the Roadtrip America forums!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dennis_of_perth_oz

thanks for the tips cc oz, it's great that you enjoyed your west coast holiday, we're going there in september as well on a nearly identical itinerary as yours, though we're doing la/hollywood/universal studios for the first 4 days, drive to anaheim and do disney for 3 days, then drive to las vegas and stay there for 4 nights. After vegas we're going to san francisco and stay there for 3 nights, then back to LA. we're still debating (another family is with us) whether to drive or fly from las vegas to frisco and frisco to LA.

---

If you have the time, definitely drive. There's some beautiful country in-between those cities. You'll want at least two days for each drive.

Quote:

---

Just wanna ask bout few things though:
* did you hire a van? (cuz there are 8 of us altogether), what car rental company? any tips bout car hire/extra costs that needs to be clarified(gps,insurance,petrol etc)

---

Questions about car rentals can be tough to answer as prices vary so much, even with the same company. It all depends on the type of vehicle, the pick-up/drop-off locations, and the dates of travel. Your best bet is to visit the websites of the major car rental companies, plug in the information, and see what the quotes are. As an international visitor, you will typically get some pretty decent rates. In fact, you might check with booking your car through a local travel agent as we have heard many international visitors state that they get better deals that way.

You can hire a bigger van for eight people but you'll really want to scope out the space available for luggage and ensure that there's sufficient room for your needs.

You will want to coordinate with your local car insurance agent to determine what kind of insurance you'll need to purchase, if any, to be appropriately covered.

Quote:

---

* any good stopovers on the way to vegas (lunch,shops, etc)

---

Barstow is almost half-way and usually makes a good place to stop. Some interesting Route 66-type stuff around there but I can't make a specific recommendation.

thanks pnw_judy, that was a really quick response, regarding driving to frisco from vegas, we're going to talk it over this weekend and hopefully finalize the itineraries and book the accomodations.

cheers

We're willing and able to help you plan your trip to make it the best it can be.

Feel free to start a new thread about your trip. You're likely to get more responses.