Coast to coast, what, where, how?
Greetings to all fellow travellers!
Been lurking on the forum for a while and have gathered lots
of usefull information, thanks to all posters!!
Me and a friend have finally decided to visit the United States (males, 33yrs., Norwegians).
We are doing the old " coast to coast in a month" thing, arriving in NY the 14th of june, leaving from LA a month later.
The plane tickets are bought but regarding planning we have a lot of work to do.
We do know that we want to see Chicago, we are both architects and visiting the roots of modern steel architecture is a must.
What:
What we really want to do is to experience as much as possible of
the diversity in modern America, from the big cities to the endless agricultural grid of the midwest, from small picket fence towns to the glittering neon lights of Las Vegas, from the lone deserts to the lush forrests and so on...
Where:
The route we have in mind is NY-Chicago-Denver-Vegas-SanFran-LA.
Anyone know if this route will give us a little glimpse of what we are looking for or if it is even possible in a month? To be honest I have no idea about what to look for between NY and Chicago or between Chicago and Las Vegas. After reading this forum though it seems that the triangle of Las Vegas, SanFran and LA have a lot to offer so it is probably wise to spend enough time there? (We are not afraid of 15 hour driving sessions if that is what it takes to get us across this huge land)
How
After browsing through the usuall suspects ( Alamo,Hertz,Budget,Avis etc.)
we realized that renting a car would be a lot more expensive than we first thought, 26 days, one way fee, around 3000$ ( the one way fee alone is usually 1000$!!). Then my friend got a tip about Holiday autos, they would charge us 1800$ for the same trip, with a better car. Sounds to good to be true so I would love it if anyone has some experience with Holiday Autos to share.
Another thing regarding renting a car is the insurance jungle, if someone have information on what you actually need as an european driver in US it would be very helpfull, if that information is easier to grasp than the stuff the renting companys have on their web sites it would be even more helpfull.
Thanks to everyone bothering to read all this and to everyone
posting comments, hopefully I will be able to write a few lines after the trip as well.
best regards
Tezza
Free state maps are easy to get
Once you have decided which states you want to go through, contact the tourism offices of those states. A google search like "Missouri state tourism", for example, should take you to the state tourism office. Not only will you find a wealth of information on their websites, but they will always have contact info where you can request a copy of their free travel guides. These are usually excellent with lots of great information. And, quite often, they also send you a free roadmap of their state.
Unless you're going to do some serious exploring down forest service roads and other less traveled areas, you probably won't have need for a Gazzetter. I rarely use mine unless I'm going on forest service roads to hiking areas.
I would get the Rand-McNally for overall planning but the individual state maps are more detailed with more smaller roads shown. If you are sticking closer to main highways, the Rand-McNally atlas may really be all you need. But, if you get detailed state maps for free with your guidebook, even better!
National Parks Pass recommended
Syv gave you a good suggestion on the national parks. If you are going to go to more than 3-4 of these parks on your trip, you'd save money by getting a National Parks Pass here.
Great rates!! I would get it in writing that this covers ALL expenses so you don't get fooled by any additional must-haves when you go to pick up the car.
Hotel chains and reservations is a hot topic!
I'm a tight-wad. That's one reason why I usually camp. If I do stay in hotels, they are almost always the cheapest hotels I can find. I have stayed in many Motel 6's. I have never had a problem with them. They aren't fancy but they are clean, the TV works, the shower is hot, and they often have a pool. What more do you need? (If they had coffeemakers in the rooms instead of having to go to the lobby for your morning cuppa joe, they would be perfect, imho.) I think those negative reviewers are the type that want a champagne experience on a beer budget.
Now, I know some travelers here really need to have access to internet connections and other business-type services. If you need those, you won't find them at Motel 6.
I've stayed in nicer places. Usually when my former work would send me to conferences out of town. So I've stayed in premium hotels a lot so I can make the comparison from experience. Quite frankly, I'm never more comfortable in their beds, their pillows are never that much nicer, nor are their showers enough better, to pay those premium rates. The exception to this is if you're staying for awhile instead of just for a night. I mean, there's a time and place where a fancier, resort-style hotel is worth the money. If you're staying a weekend or more and will have time to make use of amenities. But, if it's just a place to get some shut-eye for the night, the inexpensive chains are just fine, imho.
I really enjoy searching out cute, little mom-and-pop types of hotels but, quite often, especially if I'm on a bit of a speed run, I don't have time for that.
The inexpensive chains I've stayed in the most and have always been satisified with are Motel 6, Days Inn, and Super 8. Just like anything, there might be some bad ones in those chains but I haven't found one yet myself.
As for reservations, if you think you are going to be stopping for the night in an area where rooms might be tough to get....like a touristy-area on the weekend, for example....you might want to get reservations. I will sometimes get a reservation, just in case, but keep close at hand the phone number and cancellation policies so, if my plans change, I can cancel and still get a full refund.
The only places where you might have to pay more than $100/night for a decent room are in the heart of major metro areas...usually the downtown core areas. And some remote tourist areas (the Grand Canyon, for example). The outskirts of cities, airport areas of cities, and most any other place along the way will plenty of good lodging in the $40-80/night range.
Never been charged extra for anything...
I've had 4 people in rooms at Motel 6 with no extra charge. And, yes, they were registered. Maybe not all of them do this?
And, well, I always pack my own shampoo anyway so I don't worry about using the hotel stuff. But I always use the hotel soap and I have never been charged extra at Motel 6 for their soap.
Odd.
Agree to disagree then, I guess.
I have NEVER been charged extra at Motel 6 for anything. And my rooms have always had small, new bars of soap in them. No shampoo but I travel with my own anyway so that's no biggee. You can buy travel-size shampoos for about $1 or less so this sure isn't a deal-breaker, imho.
I have never stayed at a Motel 6, Days Inn, Super 8, etc., that aren't clean, with working TVs, decent showers, etc. More often than not, they have a pool. And I've always been treated quite nicely by staff. Everytime I've stayed in a more expensive Red Lion, Westin, Holiday Inn, etc., I feel like I'm getting took. Big time took.
Of course, if I needed internet access and other business services when I travel, I might agree with you more, Mark. However, I use travel as a time to break my addiction to these things.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
ETA: I just realized that it's been about 5-6 years since my kids traveled with us as a family when we have stayed in Motel 6 together and had more than 2 people in a room. So it is possible that this is a newer policy?
If you're flexible, you'll be fine
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tezza
We are fine with paying an average of 100$ a night for the both of us, is this realistic and will we be able to find places within the price range in June/July without reservations?
Tezza,
I think the short answer is that you'll have no real problem. Some nights you'll end up in a cheap and cheerful chain, others you'll find yourself at a 50s roadside motel and if you're reckoning on an average of $100 a night, you'll be building up a decent sized pot so from time to time you can stay in a bigger, more-international style place if you need a little luxury or there's nowhere else available.
There will be times when you have to try a couple of places but you're never going to be stuck.
You might also want to ask about wood cabin lodges when you end up in the national parks. You'd probably need to check availability on arrival in the park (i.e. in the morning) but we found them available both times we asked.
And here's another thought: why not pick up a 2-man tent, a couple of fold-up chairs and a pan or two from somewhere like WalMart on the way? It gives you that extra flexibility, it'll cost you about the equivalent of 1 night in a hotel (so one night on a camp site and it's paid for itself) and you'll have it for the rest of the journey if you need it. I'm sure I don't need to advise you Scandies on the delights of outdoor living but the 3 nights we spent in the Californian Redwoods were a real highlight.
We ended up bringing ours back (American Airlines have a HUGE baggage allowance) but to be honest you could dump it - or offer it to someone? - when you reach LA as you've had your money's worth by then.
