Or maybe go the same route by van from LA - San Diego - Grand Canyon - Vegas. And then RV to Yosemite - San Fran and Pacific Coast high way to LA ...
Or maybe go the same route by van from LA - San Diego - Grand Canyon - Vegas. And then RV to Yosemite - San Fran and Pacific Coast high way to LA ...
Every time you rent a vehicle of any type and drop it off somewhere else, there will usually be a one-way dropoff surcharge. Plan accordingly.
If you don't rent a RV, you don't need a van, a standard car has plenty of room for a family of 4 with luggage. Our cars are pretty big here.
That will totally depend on baby gear in tow.....a stroller, or possibly a double stroller takes up a trunk, even in a larger car - then you've got diaper bag, luggage, toys, diapers, wipes - then their cooler and other stuff, like (yes I've seen people travel with their own) a pack and play.....it just never ends when you're traveling with an infant (LOL). Sans stroller, yes, a car should be fine, but with gear? Not gonna happen!Quote:
Originally Posted by glc
You can do the entire trip in the RV or the whole thing in a car/minivan, totally up to you and your budget. As GLC noted, drop fees are high, so I'd suggest one or the other, but not both. There are smaller camper vehicles you may want to consider, like B-class, to make driving and parking easier, but you give up the space. A B+ is smaller than a C, but still bigger than a parking space and the longer they are (22-24 feet is the smaller size, 32+ feet the longer ones) they more space you need to park it.Quote:
Originally Posted by mdcrawshaw
...and it's what you want, go for it.
As Michael mentioned, you need to check with the RV company about baby seats and if it's suitable to carry/secure young toddlers and if given the OK, stick to the plan you are most comfortable with. I would have thought it would be possible, but I'm not sure with 2 such young children, as I would have though the baby would have to travel in the front with the airbag switched off. [?] The other child would have to be in a forward facing seat as that's what child seats are designed for, which in a 'C' class RV would be on the Diner bench where the other adult can sit next to. I would want to know if the belt was properly secured to the RV chassis and not the furniture and that it would meet the requirements to fit your child seat securely.
I understand what has been said about Death Valley being hot but it's a natural and beautiful route between Vegas and Mammoth Lakes taking only slightly longer than taking US95. You can enjoy much of the landscape from the air conditioned vehicle and have the chance to get refreshments at Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells.
What do you think you'd gain by waiting until vegas to pick up the rv? I mentioned waiting until after you were done with LA but that's because LA is going to be very difficult to navigate in such a large vehicle. But after that point if you're going to use the rv at all, you might as well go all in. Any issue that would be a problem between LA and vegas is also going to be an issue between vegas and SF.
Since I prefer hotel stay and my husband prefers going on an RV... thought to have a balanced trip. First half staying at hotels/accommodation (4 nights anaheim, 4 nights Carlsbad, 1 night stop somewhere en route to Grand Canyon?, 1 night grand canyon Lodge, 3 nights vegas). Then the last 10 days of the trip on an RV.
picking up the RV in Vegas as we head off to yosemite. Overnight stop somewhere midway before 2 nights at yosemite. Then heading to a San Fran RV park where we can shuttle to the city. And lastly the scenic drive down Pacific Coast Highway to LA (3 nights)
By the way, you are right the RV company does not allow us to drive through death Valley.
What you could do is when you are in LV, take a day trip to Death Valley in the car/van before you drop it off and pick up the RV.
There are a few ways to get from LV to Yosemite without going through DV.