NYC to LA via Chicago, Vegas & SF

[Subman]

And one final thing for now:

I will reply to all of your brilliant suggestions/advise individually when I've learned a little more about each of them myself..

I do have one more question for now though, and it's about money : (

We were hoping to complete the whole trip for around £6000 ($9600 at the current exchange rate, at which we have already bought some dollars) for the two of us. The flights and the car rental will probably take away just under a half of that. So we would have maybe $5000 for the petrol/tolls/hotels/food/etc.

Does that sound reasonable, or are we kidding ourselves? We could spend more, but in that case our wives would surely start to voice their opposition to the whole trip... So we're looking to keep the costs down.

Thanks again for all your input!

Subman

[AZBuck]

If, after paying for the flights and car rental, you've got $5,000 for two people for three weeks, you should be able to travel in quite a comfortable style. When my wife and I travel, we generally go through about $1,000/week (maybe a little bit more) for the two of us including petrol, lodging and food. You're going to have more than $1,500 for the same expenses. Enjoy.

AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

I agree, your budget is pretty healthy. Fuel is really cheap compared to the UK and if you think of other expenses in dollars being equivalant of the cost in pounds here in the UK you should get a rough idea of costs. For example a £70 hotel here will cost you $70 there for similar quality and the same with food, we just have the advantage of the exchange rate making it better value. Our recent trip came out at about $100 per night for lodging in a double/twin room and lots of them came with a continental breakfast and included quite a few nights in or around National parks where lodging is more expensive. The most expensive was a $155 and the cheapest around $49.

[glc]

There is no way to predict petrol prices this far in advance, but right now they are averaging anywhere between $2.75 and $4.50 a gallon. Considering the average rental car is going to get anywhere between 25 and 35 miles per gallon, you can do some rough math. I would say worst case, 20 cents per mile. Your trip could be in the 5000 mile range, so you can figure petrol for the whole trip will be under $1000.

[Subman]

Great news on the money front - looks like you guys think it should be enough!

My only concern is taking a large amount of cash with us, in case it gets stolen. But from my (limited) experience of visiting the US, it seems like a 'cash country' - debit and credit cards seem to be used a lot less than over here. And using those would of course mean incurring a lot of unnecessary bank charges for us. And travellers' cheques just seem like an inconvenient solution.

Do you have any tips on how/where to store your money during your time on the road? The idea of walking into some bar with $5000-6000 cash on your person is a little terrifying to say the least..

Oh and I've just ordered the Randy McNally 2014 Road Atlas - can't wait to get stuck into it! So far, using Google maps only, the trip looks like it should come in at under 4000 miles.

Thank you!

Subman

[Charlie H]

My only concern is taking a large amount of cash with us, in case it gets stolen. But from my (limited) experience of visiting the US, it seems like a 'cash country' - debit and credit cards seem to be used a lot less than over here. And using those would of course mean incurring a lot of unnecessary bank charges for us. And travellers' cheques just seem like an inconvenient solution.

Do you have any tips on how/where to store your money during your time on the road? The idea of walking into some bar with $5000-6000 cash on your person is a little terrifying to say the least..

Not certain where you got the idea that credit cards are not widely used in the U. S. but the fact is that they are very widely used. In fact, most hotels/motels will require a credit card at check-in even if you're paying cash. Except in very rural areas almost all gas stations allow you to "pay at the pump" with a credit card. I would shop around for a credit card with a low foreign transaction fee and use it. Perhaps some of the Forum's European members could offer some adivce.

Walking in to a bar with a $5,000 "roll" would not only be terrifying but downright foolish. Traveler's Checks are not widely used these days and I'm sure it's due to the advent of credit or debit cards.

[AZBuck]

When I travel in the U.S. I start out with about $200 in cash. That is mostly for tips and small purchases. And I never go through even that amount when traveling for weeks at a time. Almost all my purchases - lodging, petrol, food (both restaurants and groceries), and entrance fees - go on the credit card. There really are very few businesses in the U.S. that will not accept major credit cards. Visa and MasterCard are the most common with Discover and American Express somewhat less commonly accepted.

The advantages to putting most of your spending 'on the card' are obvious: You don't have to carry cash. You get a record of all your purchases. If you've got a card like ours, you're spending earns you points toward free airline tickets. And if stolen, a simple call to the card issuer will make it useless to the thieves and severely limit your liability.

Now, what about the "unnecessary bank charges" you mention. The fact is that those are bank/issuer dependent and far from being universal. My own two major cards charge no such fees, even when we're traveling abroad. So, it looks as though it might be a good time for you to go shopping for a new credit card. I'm not sure about the UK or Europe, but here there are several issuers who will be more than happy (if your credit rating is good) to give you a card that earns points or cash-back, has no foreign transaction fees, offers supplemental rental car insurance, is part of a network that lets you withdraw funds from ATMs almost everywhere, etc., etc., etc.

At worst such a card should cost you about $100 (£60-65) per year or less. If you shop around you could very well find such a card that waives that fee for the first year. There's absolutely nothing stopping you from using that card for 360 days and then canceling it. As you shop, remember that all Visa and/or MasterCard programs are not the same. Terms are set by the issuing bank, not the credit card company. So if you don't like the terms and conditions from one bank, try another.

One last thing. Before departing for the US, be sure to call all your credit card companies and tell them that you plan to be traveling abroad - where and when. Otherwise you might find that your card has been canceled due to 'suspicious activity'.

AZBuck

[glc]

There are a couple issues - our POS terminals and ATM's for using debit cards are set up for using a 4 digit PIN, and when using a credit card at a gas pump, you are frequently prompted for your 5 digit (US) zip code for the card billing address. You may have to enter the gas station store to use a foreign card if the pump reader is set up like this.

I would bring at least one standard credit card (Visa or Mastercard) and think about buying a prepaid card when you arrive.

[Charlie H]

Subman - I got this information from a friend from Belgium who travels extensively in the US and thought it might be helpful.

"All my credit cards charge me nothing when using the card abroad aside of their exchange rate not being the best possible (where applicable - EURO ...) - but any other way to convert money is equally bad or even worse - banks do it at the same rate -if not worse- and charge transaction fees for getting you foreign cash.

The credit card companies makes their money off of what they charge the merchants and if you don't pay off the balance on time in what they charge you in interests. Not on charging the cardholder for transactions.

The only thing not to do on my credit cards is to use the cash advance: that's terribly expensive. So do not use the card in an ATM to get cash - use your ATM card for that - it too will charge you not the best exchange rate and maybe a use fee of a few dollars -the machine will warn you it's charging that-.

I almost never get US dollars in cash at my bank. I just take along what I have left from last time and fill it up on the road. The transaction fees and bad exchange rates for getting cash, the hassle to only get smallish denominations etc. make it not worth it. If it's really little I have left at home, I do get some as I've learned US immigration seems to think of you as suspect if you've very little cash on you. But granted I had very little that time they picked me out for the 3rd degree interrogation (by a lady who had all the right attitude to be a drill instructor in some armed force) .

I use:
- ATM card (Cirrus network) in ATM machines to get cash of about 200 dollars at a time - that's all I carry in cash. I need to remember that my banks think the USA is unreliable when it comes to skimming cards (don't ask me why they trust former USSR republics better). So I need to tell them to unlock the USA on the cirrus network before I leave home.
- Credit card with a limit (Visa or MasterCard) to buy things when it needs to be simple (groceries, restaurant) or when I know the transaction might fail (pay at the pump scheme)
- Credit card without a limit (American Express) to pay for rental cars, motel rooms and things that take (large) holds on a card or run up serious amounts. I only use it where I expect the merchant to be able to call the credit card company when/if they are instructed so I can keep my card's fraud level in good standing. I avoid the unlimited credit cards on things like pay at the pump for a simple reason: the anti-fraud on the card does not like interrupted transactions and if the pump decides to refuse my 4 digit zip code ... I cannot complete the transaction.

I know I'm probably using far more cards than the average European, - keep in mind that I've been -for business- in the US a lot. Most of the precautions are based on experience and a strong dislike of having to call my bank at home to get them to fix things.

Oh a tip: as a European, don't waste time on e.g. supermarkets trying to "sell" you a credit card: they do a credit check and can't complete that as you have no credit history they can consult. "no thanks" is what makes you waste the least time."

[Lifemagician]

Enquire at your local banks for a foreign currency cash card. I hear they are available there, as well as in Oz. They are also widely available at money exchanges. These cards can typically hold up to 10 different currencies, all at the same time. You buy your cash when the exchange rate is in your favour, and keep loading it onto the card until your departure. When using the card - which can be used at eftpos terminals - and when drawing out cash, there are no charges at all. Although you can use a cash card to pay for accommodation and rental cars, they still require a credit card for security. The best way to carry large sums of money! When I do carry cash, which is often, I have one of those pouches which you wear underneath your clothing.

At pumps where a zip code is required, you may find that there is a number in your post codes which can be used. I find that although we have four digit postcodes, by adding a zero before the code, it is accepted everywhere a five digit is required. However, with a cash card, this will most likely not be an issue. The worst that could happen is that you pay at the desk inside.

Lifey