How much can I do in 3 months (with 4 kids)?

Hi,

We are an Australian family of 6 (mum, dad, boy 13, girl 10, boy 6 and boy 3) We are arriving in the US in early September and plan to drive an RV around for 3 months.

At the moment our plan is to start in L.A and drive to Florida to end our trip at Disney world (via Utah and Colorado) but I am disappointed about missing out on New York/Chicago, the Rockies, Niagra Falls etc so I was thinking about flying into New York instead and taking the train from New York to Chicago, then onto Seattle, and then hiring the RV in Seattle and driving down the west coast then onto Florida. Am I being a bit ambitious? is that too much? Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

Thanks in Advance,

Vanessa

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

It really is a case of How much do you want to do ? With 3 months you could do an entire loop of the country quite comfortably, say starting and ending in NY and not having to worry about one way drop off fees. You could head east along a Northen route and then head down the West coast and then back east to Florida along a southern route before heading North again. I would certainly plan on visiting the Northen parts early on in the trip, as winter can come early to the Rockies. Of course, renting an RV for such a long period of time will be extremely expensive and what you finally decide will also have to fit into your budget. An RV can be a great way to travel if it is a 'Lifestyle' choice, but as said, expensive and not so City friendly.

Your idea of visiting the east coast and then flying west is also a very good idea. If you want to visit the Rockies then you could fly into Denver and do a complete loop from there and cover much of the West before heading to the east coast. These are the things you need to work out and then we can help you to 'Fine tune' your trip and answer any specific questions. To help you decide you will find Lot's of info throughout the forums and road trip planning sections in the tool bars above, including a whole section on RV'ing

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

It really is a case of How much do you want to do ? With 3 months you could do an entire loop of the country quite comfortably, say starting and ending in NY and not having to worry about one way drop off fees. [/URL]

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The only problem I see with this plan is they are starting in September and will be heading back to NY in early December when they can run into snow! I'm not as familiar with camping on the East Coast, but I've heard that a lot of the campground are closed for the season.

I can really see starting in Denver and doing a western loop and flying back to NY to work their way down to Florida.

Is this trip for this September?

Utahtea

Thank you both so much for your replies, this website is fantastic, a lifesaver.

Yes we are arriving in September this year. We were suddenly presented with an opportunity to travel for a decent amount of time but not much time to plan it!

I am still thinking of flying in to NY and doing the northern states while it is still warm enough and making my way south (first through Montana, Wyoming then Colorado and Utah and Nevada and then hitting the west coast and then through Arizona and across to Florida. (not a particularly direct route!) Any thoughts?

I am a bit concerned that I will need to spend too much time driving and not enough time being somewhere and enjoying it but not sure how to figure out how much driving this involves. I know it will probably be the only time our family get to take a trip like this together and there is so many fabulous places in the US to see, I don't want to miss out on too much either.

Thanks again for your great advice,

Vanessa

Yes, you will want to do Montana, Wyoming and Colorado first to do it while the weather is still nice. You could do northern Utah and Northern Nevada then make your way to California. Then you can cross back though Southern Nevada and Southern Utah which should be fine weather wize even though October with maybe the exception of Bryce Canyon. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon might be closed but the South Rim will be fine.

If you have specific destinations in mind, we might be able to help with the routing.

Utahtea

I think I know the main places I would like to visit. After a few days in NY - Niagara Falls, Yellowstone, Grand Teton National park, Mount Rushmore? Glacier National Park, the grand canyon, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Rocky Mountain National park, Yosemite, Highway 1, San francisco, L.A, the meteor crater in Arizona, monument valley, Santa Fe......from there to Florida we dont have anything particular, would be cool to see Texas, cruise on the mississippi river, eat in New Orleans.....

Thanks!

Get a good paper map of the USA and see if you can map all of those things you just listed. I see you coming across the USA on either I-80 or I-70 (or a combination of both) to do the places in the north FIRST, before the winter moves in. Then head south (maybe on I-15 to I-40) to go to the Grand Canyon. Then go even further south to do Houston, New Orleans, etc.


Once you get a good idea of the routes that might work for you, come back here and we can help you fine-tune.

I think you're on the right track, not using an RV in either Boston or DC. Both cities have good public transportation (as does NYC, if you're interested). I can understand the need for an RV if you're trying to rent 2 rooms every night ... the cost might even out if you're doing your own cooking, too. (I loved our RV's, though we are "tween RVs" right now.)



Donna

Your short time frame is not helping you at all. On top of that you have to take into consideration the needs of the whole family. A daunting task.

But the first thing I would do is make an extensive and detailed list of all the things you want to see... all the things you are considering. Then, as mentioned above, get a good wall sized map. Not sure where you are, but I got a National Geographics map (one of the best) at Map World in Melbourne. I find this large map excellent. It has all the cities, major routes and all natural attractions on it.

Use your list to mark all the places on your map, and see how the route lays out. There will be attractions and places you will have to delete. In three months, you simply can't see it all. (So far I have spent some 20 months in the US, and the list of places I am yet to see gets longer, rather than shorter.) I would definitely make sure you get to see Yellowstone and surrounds, as well as Rocky Mountains, as soon as possible after arrival. Winter can come early.

It is a pity you want to end up in Florida. I could see this trip working for you by starting in Seattle, Yellowstone, etc. to the Rocky Mts, Rushmore and everything along the way to NY. Then work back to the west coast via a southern route through all the great national parks and ending in LA. You could still make Disney in Florida, or choose to go to Disney in LA instead. It is the only way I can see you hitting Yellowstone and the Rockies before winter comes, as well as see the autumn leaves in the northeast.

Lifey in Melbourne

Thanks for the replies. I have a map out now ( not the best but will do for now) and have started marking our must sees. Orlando is definitely the odd one out.

Life magician, I think your idea of starting in Seattle sounds great and a bit more manageable, It really does cover most of the places we want to see and if the family is still really keen for disneyworld we might be better off flying there. Am going to look into flights RV availability - thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

Here's another thought.

You could divide your trip into three one month bites. Take a month from Seattle to NY; a month down the east side and in Florida (there is so much more than just Disney); and a month working your way back to LA, via all the great national parks.

The only snag I see is, that you could run into campgrounds shutting down for the season in the east. And of course, you need to check if you can get an RV for that long.... and that many miles.

Lifey

Whereas you would need a couple of lifetimes to 'see it all', I still think that 3 months is a good amount of time to visit and is something I [and many others] can only dream about, so a "Short time frame" as mentioned by Lifey is relative in more ways than one.

I also agree that paper maps are essential when planning and while travelling, they give you a better overall picture of the terrain and attractions etc. However you will find on line mapping tools a big help in your planning and such a thing can be found in the 'Maps' link above. The Map centre lets you customise routes and find attractions and will help you to figure out distances.

As I mentioned earlier, it is up to you how much you want to do and how you divide your time. Putting it into monthly sections as suggested above will help you to break it down and perhaps seem less daunting. For instance if you want to spend several days or a week in any one place [New York for example] that will take a chunk of your time from that part of your journey. If on the other hand you want to spend a couple of days 'here' and 'there', but keep on the move [say in Colorado/Utah] you can cover more ground. These are the type of individual choices that only you and your family can make based on your style of travel. For example, a 10,000 mile trip around the country over 90 days is a little over 110 miles per day, 2 to 3 hours of travel every day depending on the roads you are travelling, or for each 3 days you spend in one place, you would follow up with a full [but comfortable] day on the road.

That's the beauty of the road trip, you get to choose, to create your own dream trip, and the planning is a big part of that fun/dream. Get the Kid's involved in the planning so they have a vested interest in the trip, if they feel part of it, the whole family will have a lot more enjoyment.

Keep asking questions as you go and enjoy the planning !

Thanks Southwest Dave, I really appreciate it.

When I plotted to points on the map, most of them were in the western third of the States, if that makes sense. The only major places out of this area are New York city and Niagara Falls. Based on that, and the fact that it seems we can't hire an RV for the time we want from Seattle, Portland or Chicago I have come up with a new plan and would LOVE to hear what you guys think.

Fly into LA on the 5th of September, look around for a few days and then hire the RV on the 8th and head up to San francisco, stay a few days and then go through Oregon and head towards Glacier National Park. Not sure what to do on the way but want to make it there by around the 20th of September. (am totally making this date up, not sure if that will give us too long or not, will use the map tool later) After about 3 or 4 nights there will head south to Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Park (6 days altogether?) Still unsure weather to keep going to Mt Rushmore or if I am running out of time and should go straight down to Colorado to visit the Rocky Mountain National Park. After that will go to Arches, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Zion and Las Vegas and then visit Arizona. From Arizona we would drive to Florida (A bit more driving in this part of the trip, a bit less stopping, depending on time) to arrive in Orlando by about the 8th of December. After a week there we could fly to New York and stay in a serviced apartment for a week and also do Niagara Falls. a bit longer than 3 months but don't really need to rush back to Australia until January to get settled in before school starts.

I am very much looking forward to hearing your opinions, thanks again for all your help.
(getting VERY excited!)

Vanessa

Personally, and if it were a viable option for you, I would consider flying into Seattle, Salt lake City or Denver and get the northern most parts of your trip in the west done with first. The weather is unpredictable and nothing is guaranteed as you can get early winter storms that then can clear again later on, but as you head into Yellowstone and RMNP towards the end of Sept and into October you will be right on the 'edge' of the season. I would tend to think of starting out in Denver and then RMNP, [Rushmore?] Yellowstone, Glacier and then west and south before heading towards, Vegas, Southern Utah, Grand canyon etc and east. Of course budget is always something to consider and comparing the combination of flight and rental costs from different areas might help you to make that decision.

Been thinking about this trip.... and even before you posted the above post, these were my thoughts. Much the same as what you have already discovered. Just that I would not drive the RV across to Orlando. I'd take it back to where you pick it up and avoid paying a one way fee.

If you were to plan the western part as a six to eight week trip the family will have experienced the great feeling of an RV, and you will have covered all of the outdoor attractions which are on most people's 'must see' list. I would then fly east, and do the rest without an RV. The east is nowhere near as RV friendly, and it will be late in the season, which adds more difficulties.

Here's my take, but you decide for yourself. I would fly to Chicago, spend time there. Maybe rent a car to do some sightseeing out of the city. But in the city you will not want a car. It is a hassle.

I would then take the Amtrak to NYC. If it is anything like the train from LA and SF to Chicago, or the train from Seattle to Chicago (all of which I have travelled), it will be a great journey, and another experience for the children. In NYC you will not want a car, nor in DC, nor in Boston (if you are going there.). You could always rent a car in Newark (or elsewhere in NJ, much cheaper than NY) and go to Niagara Falls. It can be done in a few days, but with doing some sightseeing along the way - Boston, Erie Canal, Finger Lakes and the autumn colours, to name a few - it could easily become a week long round trip.

Bus it or train it to DC. Then you can either decide to drive all the way to Orlando or fly, and rent a car in Orlando. Besides Disney there is the Kennedy Space Centre, the Everglades and the Keys. Of course they are only the hilights. You might find though, that by then the kids will be well and truly fed up with being cooped up in a car, and you might spend a lot of your time, just going to the park, by the pool or simply enjoying walks.

Even though you will be staying in hotels and motels, when using a car, it is no reason to always eat out. Carry your own box of cereal, buy some milk, fruit and yoghurt at the supermarket and breakfast is done. A loaf of bread some butter and filling from the supermarket, can make a box full of sandwiches. Disposable plates (as much as I hate them) come in handy at times like that. And even in the evenings, if you have a room with a microwave and fridge (many hotels have these), you can whip up a simple nutricuous meal for the family. A sandwich maker also comes in handy in hotels. So long as you don't have a fire to cook on, hotels will not mind you doing these things. I have never had a problem.

And then you can make the once or twice a week eating out, a specialty. Don't forget that there are also many places where you can buy take away meals, not the fast food type, but nutricious family meals.

Another good thing is to go to a charity shop - Goodwill is the best known, and is everywhere - and buy a handful of cutlery and some cups/mugs. It is usually very cheap, and you can always donate it back again at the end of your trip. I buy all those type of things at Goodwill.

Enjoy the planning, it is so much part of the trip. And see if you can involve the children in it as well. Helps to make it their trip too.

Lifey

For planning purposes, the Going-to the-Sun Road through Glacier is scheduled to close on September 18 this year. If you want to visit Glacier, that should be one of your first stops.

Dear Southwest Dave, I have contacted the RV rental company and the RV is available from Denver so am trying to go from there. Thank you so much.

Dear Lifey, you are a dream for me because I really don't know anything about the states besides movie scenery and John Denver songs (and that is what has been guiding my decisions)and I have a very short time to plan our trip. I really hoped someone who knew more about the States than me would just tell me what they would do - so thank you.

So my main question now (hello and thank you glc!) is - is Glacier NP worth going to after the Going-to-the-Sun road is closed (two medicine camp ground?) or should we drive quite quickly up the west coast and go to Glacier before the road closes and then go south to Yellowstone and onto RMNP.

Seriously, what did people do before this fabulous site? Thank you all so much for taking your time to help us out - amazing.

Vanessa

I would say to hold Glacier NP for another trip. That's the main road into the place where all the good scenery is (IMHO). Or get there FIRST before the road closes 9/18.

What did people do before the Internet? I admit to being old enough to remember: we consulted real maps, looked at books and periodicals in the public libraries, and/or subscribed to travel magazines that were paper. My parents planned a 6-week round trip from our home in the Chicago suburbs, out to California via the Grand Canyon and other places, and returning home, in 1967. It was all done by paper maps, books, and magazines. :-) But definitely, the Internet, especially this site, saves a lot of time (and paper).



Donna

Thanks Donna! I better get the maps out and figure that one out. I absolutely love the look of Glacier NP but I know, can't do everything. So hard though, so much to see in the US.

Vanessa

Keep your plans flexible and keep track of conditions - it's always possible that an early season storm could close the GTSR before September 18, but it will definitely not be kept open later due to the reconstruction schedule. Technically, September 18 is the last day it will be completely open.

Just thought of something else - you probably can't take your RV across the GTSR - it has a 21 foot length limit, 8 foot width limit, and 10 foot height limit. However, there is a free shuttle bus system.

As to GNP and the GTTSR, everything is 'worth' seeing. It depends so much on your schedule and mood at the time. Like glc says, why not keep it all flexible. When I was at GNP it was early July, and the road was not open, so I am yet to see that..... someday.

Another thought which came to mind when I read Donna's response to 'what did we do before.....'

Not sure which State you are in, but if you are a member of RACV, NRMA, RACQ, or equivalent, make sure you bring your membership card with you. Your membership of your local automobile club gives you access to free maps and tourist information at the AAA. I would suggest, that while in Denver you make a visit to the local AAA office and pick up maps of all the States through which you will be passing. Also pick up their free campground book for each State you will be visiting in the RV. These free resources can be invaluable along the way. And there are bound to be many evenings which will be occupied pouring over the maps, mapping out the route and destination for the next day / week / month. (Most campgrounds have a book exchange, where you can leave campground books and maps which you will no longer need. That is if you don't want to take them home.)

And if you make sure you pick up the maps of the Eastern States in Denver as well, then you can do all your planning for that leg of the trip, on cosy nights in the RV.

Furthermore, I like to get a road atlas, such as Rand McNally or AAA, and at the end of each day, mark all the roads on which I have travelled. This then becomes my trip souvenir, and is very helpful when recalling the trip with family and friends - even months later - enabling them to 'see' where you went.

Lifey

You may find this page from the NP site of interest. You can find a lot of useful info like this around the site. Glacier is still on my 'to do' list and would love to travel the GTTSR, but if I had the time available [like you] and if the weather [forecast] wasn't too bad, I would certainly head that way, road open or not. The place looks truly amazing and I am sure you will find so much on the way in and out of there. We travel by RV and generally in Oct/Nov and love it. Yes, it can get cold, yes you run the risk of some disruption, but when the snow covered mountains glisten in the sun against a blue sky and there are no crowds to be seen, it more than makes up for it ! With elevation you can go from nightime temps below minus 10F to daytime temps of above 90F in a day or two as we did between Bryce canyon and Death valley. [That's why layered clothing is a must.] Starting out in Denver on the 5th would give you a chance of getting to Glacier in time and by remaining open to change and getting up to date weather forcasts you could make choices from on the road as mentioned above.

If you have the time [and inclination ;-) ] here are two such trips that cover a lot of the west where you might pick up some tips and get a little insight. Click here and Here.

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Originally Posted by wanessa

A bit longer than 3 months but don't really need to rush back to Australia until January to get settled in before school starts.

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Vanessa, are you aware of the 90 day limit stay, on the visa waver program? Do you have visas to be able to stay more than 90 days? I'd hate you to do all this planning, and then find on arrival in LA, that you will not be able to stay as long as you would like.

Lifey

Thanks Southwest Dave

thank you for that link! It really made me feel much better about including Glacier in my trip. It sounds amazing and I can't wait to get there.

Dear Lifey, we have our visa interview next week when we get back to Australia (we currently live in Hong Kong but are leaving after 7 years) I have definitely left it a bit late but I have so much going on so fingers crossed!

Vanessa

Oh my goodness, Vanessa, you deserve a medal.

You mean to say, you are in the middle of packing up and organising moving back to Australia..... after seven years? And planning and researching an extended trip to North America? And all, with four young children!!

What else can I do to help?

Lifey

Hi Lifey and everyone

Sorry I have been out of touch, we moved back to Australia and haven't had access to the net.

Out trip has changed slightly since I first posted. We started to worry that the trip was too long for the kids so decided to reduce the USA part of the trip to 3 months and then go skiing in Canada - something we were always doing at the end. Then we found out Canada is included in the 90 visa (oops!) so we are hanging around in Sydney in a hotel for a while so we can still catch some hopefully good snow at the end of our trip and instead of flying up to Canada we are going to Lake Tahoe.

I realize I am getting late for parts of Glacier and Rocky Mountain National Parks but am trying to be flexible due to out new timing issue ( and not too disappointed) and am just going to go to them anyway and see how we go - I would love to say I will do them next time but not sure there will be a next time, not for a while anyway.

Thank you so much everyone for your great advice - will definitely let you know how we go ( not to mention ask for your advice along the way!)



Vanessa

That must be something new, Vanessa. But then, so much has changed in the last 10 years. In Sept 2001 I went over the border into Canada, Vancouver, and managed to get another 90 days.

Mind you, I am not surprised. It was common to go over and after ten weeks or so, spend a week or two in Canada, and then get another 90 days on return to US. Yeah! much has changed.

Hope your new itenary works out well. It would be really helpful for other travellers, especially those, who like you, will be travelling with children, if you could take some notes (and photos) and post a report, either as you go, or on your return. Actually, some of the children may like to have their say as well. I for one will be most keen to read a report of your trip.

Lifey

Have a great time! Last year we took our 5 kids (youngest only 16 months) on a 8 week trip to the US. 5 of those weeks we hired a car. It was a great experience and very easy to organise. I have travelled a lot and I think the US is the best place in the world to take a large family. Everything is so big; cars, roads, hotels, even meals.. Personally I couldn't think of anything worse than driving an RV around, they are just so big and well hotels are pretty cheap. We just bought an electric steamer and an electric fry pan and cooked our evening meals in our hotel room. That said I have never driven an RV before, although I have driven a 9 seater van around the UK and that felt like I was driving a bus. So long as our hotel had a pool then our kids were happy.

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Originally Posted by chironbe

Personally I couldn't think of anything worse than driving an RV around, they are just so big and well hotels are pretty cheap. .

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Choosing an RV is rarely a cheaper option than a car and Motels, [unless you are a larger group] it is something that some find to be an enjoyable and rewarding way to travel. This should be the main factor when deciding what's 'best', and then see if you can afford it. ;-)

As we always say around here, RV'ing is a personal 'Lifestyle' choice and not for everyone, it is the same reason we don't do 'Best route' or 'Best attraction'. One persons pleasure, is another persons poison as the saying goes.

Hi Lifey,

I will definitely post a report at the end of our trip, I am sure reading about our mistakes along the way will be very entertaining!

Hi Chironbe,

Its funny, I am more excited about the RV than just about any other part of the trip, having said that I have never done anything like this before and really have no idea of what we are getting ourselves into. Alot of people look at us like we are mad when we tell them so maybe they know something I dont!

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Originally Posted by wanessa

... having said that I have never done anything like this before and really have no idea of what we are getting ourselves into.

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Vanessa, that is what I like best about your plan. You are prepared to go out there and make your own discoveries of what you like and what doesn't work for you and your family.

As mentioned above, I could not imagine driving one of those monsters. But then, this is about your trip, not mine, nor the above poster's. How dull it would be if we all liked the same and did the same. I can see one of two outcomes....

Fantastic, can't wait to do it again. Or Never again!

Lifey

ha ha ha Lifey, you are so right!

I have just been reading Southwest Daves trip to the Grand Canyon and beyond and it is calming my nerves a bit - a really great trip. Getting very excited!

Hi Everyone,



Well we are here and already I have realised that we are really really slow! I suppose part of it is the jet lag but everytime we start to drive the kids fall straight to sleep and have been up till midnight each night(don't worry, in there beds not making too much noise). The other thing I have realised is that although my husband, myself and older son are dying to see the amazing scenery that America has the other 3 are desperate to stay where we are now for another night because the RV park has a jumping pillow! I also quite like staying more than one night.

So with this in mind I am trying to change our vague plan to limit the driving to 3 hours max every second day.

Just to confuse things, a couple months ago I booked 2 nights in Yosemite basically because they were available, on the 28th and 29th of September. We are currently in San Luis Obispo and I would like to go as far as Crater Lake , but am wondering if I need to scrap Yellowstone or RMNP or both to make this trip enjoyable for everyone in the family?

Can anyone suggest a vague route from here, staying in Yosemite on the 28/29th then to Crater Lake -( possibly Yellowstone?) , then south to Utah and onto the Grand Canyon ? We need to return the RV by the 23rd of November.

Thanks in advance for your advice.


Vanessa

Hi Vanessa,

Glad you have made it over there safely, and are now on your way. You know, I am not surprised to read that you are going much slower than originally planned. Travelling with children the ages of yours, is not something to rush. And I would have to agree with you about staying more than one night in a spot. Though, to keep a little bit to the original plan, you may not be able to do that all the time.

Onto your specific question. I can't see anywhere if you were planning to drive the Pacific Coast Highway. If not, I would head for Yosemite from SLO. If you would like to drive the PCH, then you could head to Yosemite from the Carmel / Monterey area.

I take it you have picked up some good maps of the area / the state, or a road atlas. You really are going to need that. Don't try to do it on the gps. It won't give you the overall picture. Besides, maps and an atlas show which routes are the scenic routes, as well as where the parks are along the way.

If you are not driving the PCH, you could take your time, follow 41 to Fresno, and into Yosemite. At a mere 250 miles, you could do that in a lazy two days driving.

If you would like to drive the PCH, it is an easy day's drive, or two lazy days driving to Monterey. From Montery to Yosemite, is another 250 miles, which can easily be done in a day, but you might like to take two days.

So with 10 days, you have ample opportunity to stay more than one night in places. However, I would watch the progress, and make sure you don't fall behind.

Lifey

You could also consider Sequoia NP, as an alternative to the coastal route, or 'as well as' ! With regards to the rest of the journey, perhaps just see how it unfolds and go from there.
Hope you are having a great time and will look forward to updates or any further questions you may have.

Thanks guys!

Hi Everyone,

We are in Las Vegas at almost the end of our RV part of the trip. We have driven through California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana (briefly), Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico (Yosemite,Oregon, Grand Canyon and Santa Fe were definite highlights for me). It has been amazing and I just want to thank you all for your help. The RV has been great, having said that I need to get out of it now! We are definitely planning on coming back (without our kids!) in the future.

Thanks again,

Vanessa

Great to hear you're having an amazing time! I'm looking forward to hearing more, and seeing some pictures, if you have them!

Wow!! Hasn't time flown. And look at all the ground you have covered. So glad it has all worked out for you. I can't wait to read all about it, and see the photos. You might like to start a thread with all your experiences here. Your experience of travelling with the family will be a great help to other roadtrippers.

Take care, and enjoy the rest of your trip.

Lifey

It looks as though you adjusted well and balanced your pace out nicely !

Thanks for the update and just like Lifey, I too look forward to reading more about your adventure. I hope when things settle back down you can find the time to share your memories.

Enjoy the remainder of your trip !

Dave.