Georgia to West Coast

[asteenkamp]

I'm planning a family RV trip during summer 2007. We fly from South Africa and land in Atlanta, GA. We're planning to take the kids to Disneyworld in Orlando and then do a southern road trip to California. Is this feasible in 5 weeks? My then girlfriend (now wife!) and I last did Route 66 from Chicago to the Grand Canyon and back in 3 weeks, 14 years ago in a 10 year old Dodge Charger!

[Midwest Michael]

I think 5 weeks would be a great amount of time for this trip. That should give you a decent amount of time to explore while you make you trip across the country.

Have you given any thought to what you want to see while on the roadtrip aspect of your trip? If you take I-10 all the way from FL to CA, you might want to take a couple little detours to Big Bend and/or Carlsbad Caverns National Parks, just to name a couple things you could see.

Also, depending upon how much time you are planning to spend at your destinations, you might be able to head back through some of the National Parks in Utah and Colorado. Since you've already done the route 66 trip, this would give you a chance to see another beautiful part of the country during your visit and wouln't necessarily add that much time to your travel.

[asteenkamp]

Yes, we'd definitely like to see some of the national parks. eg Bryce Canyon - we love desert scenery! And of course we must revisit the Grand Canyon. Any ideas for campsites and other must-sees? And do we need to book ahead for campsites? What can we expect to pay for camping? (2 adults, 2 children aged 12 and 9)

[Quebec Gen]

Hi Asteenkamp and welcome to the RTA Forum!

We fly from South Africa and land in Atlanta, GA. We're planning to take the kids to Disneyworld in Orlando and then do a southern road trip to California.

I suggest you read these posts to help you get started with a couple of ideas : 1 2. Also check out these tips on what to do around Atlanta.

Any ideas for campsites? [...] What can we expect to pay for camping? (2 adults, 2 children aged 12 and 9)

Here are a few directories :
Camp USA;
Go Camping USA;
The Campground Network;
KOA;
National Parks, National Monuments and State Parks;
Bureau of Land Management campgrounds;

If you are a AAA member (USA roadside assistance), you can order free camping guides. If you enjoy camping in the "wild", I'd suggest you stay mostly in BLM's campgrounds (~15$ and less). Otherwise, the KOA campgrounds (~25-35$) are usually more crowded with kids, pools, mini-putt, RVs the whole bit. State and National Parks are a good compromise, although some places might be packed during the summer months and require reservations.

And do we need to book ahead for campsites?

This depends on a lot of factors : location, if there's a special event in the area, if it's high season, etc.

Have a fun trip!
Gen

[the_dude07]

I'm planning a family RV trip during summer 2007. We fly from South Africa and land in Atlanta, GA. We're planning to take the kids to Disneyworld in Orlando and then do a southern road trip to California. Is this feasible in 5 weeks? My then girlfriend (now wife!) and I last did Route 66 from Chicago to the Grand Canyon and back in 3 weeks, 14 years ago in a 10 year old Dodge Charger!

Have you considered going out to Disneyland in California instead of Disneyworld in Florida? A. You'd save driving time and B. Give the kids something to look forward to during the entire trip. I've never been to either, so I guess I'm strictly talking about saving a 7-8 hours in driving from Atlanta to Orlando then another 7 hours to get back on your way to the West. Just thought I'd throw that idea out there even though with 5 weeks, you probably arent that concerned with driving time.

[asteenkamp]

Yes, but the kids really want to include EPCOT, Marineworld etc...

One more thing: We would have more time in Dec/Jan (South African summer, US winter!) We were thinking, fewer crowds, but inpredictable weather and road conditions? Would it be feasible?

[kcstockdale]

I am with The Dude on this one. Check it out and talk to the kids about it. I am from Orange County (where Disney Land is) and I have been to both. Disney Land is awesome. You have Disney Land, Disney's California Adventure and Down Town Disney all in the same spot as well as RV parks and dozens of hotels that run shuttles and trams over to the Disney Center. You have Knotts Berry Farm (Snoppy and the gang) about 15 minutes from Disney. Knotts has more roller costers and it has a western theme to it. $14.99 after 4 durring the summer. Pretty cheap. They are always running specials too. Universal Studios is about an hour away from there in LA. They have all the great rides that are movie based. Like Jaws and ET. The Universal City Walk is there. Great shops and places to hang out.

How old are the kids?

[kcstockdale]

oh, i see. they are 9 and 12. I would go with Disney Land.