That definitely sounds much more doable.
Did you get hold of some maps or a road atlas? That will show you how many other attractions along those routes at which you may choose to make stops.
A good atlas, as adviced above, will probably last you many decades, and it's value cannot be overestimated.
Lifey
Please realize that the only route to use, to get from LA to SF in one day, is I-5. If you had been planning to see the coastal route, it's a 2-day trip. That's because it's a 2-lane road, very curvy, but very scenic too. I-5, not so scenic, but it will get you there in a day.Day 9: drive to San Francisco
Day 10: Yosemite, sleeping in Fresno (or nearby)
Day 11: Drive through Yosemites, sleep in a hotel in the desert
Day 12: drive to Las Vegas, Las Vegas trip
Day 13: drive to LA drop car
Yosemite to Las Vegas is also a pretty full day on the road. If you are traveling and overnighting on a weekend, you will want to find lodging reservations.
Las Vegas to LA is usually around a 4-5 hour trip, as long as you aren't trying to do it on a Friday or a Sunday. Then it might be 5-6 hours.
Donna
better*
Yes, this plan is much improved. However, there are still a few things I'd suggest and/or you need to keep in mind.
If you're planning to drive from LA to SF in one day, that means you're not going to have the opportunity to drive along the scenic Pacific Coast. Based on how little time you have planned in SF, I'd suspect you'd want to stick to I-5, the fastest way to make this trip - even that will be about 7 hours, plus traffic delays.
Since you say this trip will happen in spring, that means it's most likely the Tioga Pass will be closed, and that means there is no direct way to get from Yosemite across the sierras to "the desert." You're going to have to go around the Sierras, via the Bakersfield area.
With your timeline, I'd suggest you spend the night of the 9th in SF, and then spend most of the 10th day in the city, leaving for Yosemite in the afternoon. Spend the 10th just outside of Yosemite, say in Mariposa (or even inside the park if you can afford it). Spend the 11th touring Yosemite, and stay just to the south of the park, think Oakhurst or maybe as far as Fresno (It will take you about an hour to drive just from the Yosemite Valley to the towns outside the park like Mariposa and Oakhurst, The Valley to Fresno is 2+ hours). The 12th, drive to Vegas (another 7-8 hours). The 13th explore Vegas, and head back to LA in the afternoon. You might look to fly directly from Vegas to Toronto, which would save you some much needed time, although it could cost more, especially for the car rental.
just a quick update
the day to day planning phase is on hold for now, as now I realized that I missed a very important step:
I have not asked question about the trip yet. The plan you see above is really a generic plan, but I think it is time to ask some question from myself/google of the likes of:
What do I want to see in LA/SF/LV? What things these cities holds that are interesting for me?
Is there any event around that time that I want to watch?
Who do I want to meet? I will be on the other side of the globe, I might as well make it useful
What opportunities I can get there for my university? for example being and exchange student in UCLA, or other universities, and I would be able to visit those personally
And other questions over the next few days. I think I get myself a logbook, where I can write down my ideas and questions and wishes, so I can spend time useful.
It also might mean (probably will) that my original plan will not work out, but at least I have now a general list and idea that 8 hrs /day driving is not a viable option
I will be back in a few short weeks with a post with actual details
Visa requirements.
Be sure you mention all these things when you apply for a visa or visa waiver program. If you should be one who is stopped for inspection (happens to all of us sooner or later), and documents to this affect are in your luggage without having mentioned them on your papers, you stand the risk of being refused entry.Originally Posted by NefosUK
Tourism means tourism..... not doing research on universities. Contact your local embassy to be sure.
Lifey
So a veeeery late update
First of all the bad news: this did not happened... yet
Long story short, my life changed a lot.I am about to set up my first small business (it will be a webshop) so realistically i could not afford an US trip yet. But, I got an Italian girlfriend, and I made an Italian trip to test!
It was my first time abroad "alone" (eg not with parents or a group) and I was surprised how amazing it was. I had some rough plans, and I was able to go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted, and it made the whole week a joy.
Secondly: car renting and driving. I rented a Citroen C1 ( it is a tiny tiny tiny car, pretty much i was able to touch the rear window from my driving seat) and I drove it 1000 miles in 4 days. There were days when I drove 6 hours. (3 hours daytime and 3 hours nighttime). And I loved it. Most miles were done on motorways, that was interesting with this tiny city car, but I enjoyed both the driving and both the luxury of travelling. Also it was not too expensive, £100 with "premium package" (it was £20 and made my deposit £300 and the excess below £500) and it was an experience. Certainly I would rent a car again if i go abroad. I took the train a few times as well, and they are good if you want to go between 2 big cities, otherwise car was the way to go.
So just to recap and close it down: My life is going crazy in the best way possible, so that means I have no idea what will happen with me in the near future. US trip WILL happen sometimes in the future, if I will have both the money and the time. Thank you very much for everyone for helping, I will let you know how things progress with my US trip.
PS.: if you can, do a road trip around Italy. I was around the Northern part and I had the best week of my life and it was not even terribly expensive
I'm sorry that your trip does not happen. Fortunately, you should have other years down the road where you can make it happen. Renting a vehicle is less expensive in the US if you are 25 or older, anyway, and you'll have more experience in traveling in your local area, to know what you might look for when you make the trip over here.
My parents did a big trip that included Northern Italy about 20 years ago, and raved over it. The only negative comment my mom made was that she really missed her travel trailer -- she and Dad had never done much traveling without one.
Donna
Some good (not.. GREAT) news!
This Christmas I will jump in front of myself and I will surprise myself with a ticket from Dublin-LAX!
so after a year of planning and life sabotaging my life I feel like I am ready (both in person and both my wallet).
Also based on my past trip experience the plan will be mostly loose( not like the daily breakdown I tried) which meant I was doing things I have never thought about.
A few things: I will only go to California this time and not planning to leave it. Idea behind is that after realising that Cali is big (duh) I rather spend a reasonable time there rather than trying to cram everything into a small time. Also I will start working from June with a decent salary so I will be able to afford a later trip if I like US.
Secondly, £350 return ticket to LA? count me in
The time I will spend will be around two week-ish, will depend on flights and the rough plan.
The time is end of march beginning of April, only time I will be able to go anywhere really.
I will create a post here (mods, I will try to make it search engine friendly as well) and I will use this thread to A: document everything from the original "I drive around US in a week" to the final "I will sunbathe on the beach for 2 weeks".
It will include some heavy driving (which I love) and maaaaybe a music festival.
Step 1: Plane tickets (sorted)
First I had to sort 3 things out: How long and exact dates and where
For the how long: I wanted 2 weeks or there around.
As I was planning my trip here (again, thank you very much for everyone for their input) I realised that even though 9 or so days might sounds like a lot, but it is not really, especially in a place that is 2x as big as UK. This also limited the where option, as I want to go somewhere warm (22-24C according to the internet is just perfect) and California sounded like a good place to be and drive a bit.
Exact dates were just playing around Google Flights
Also, Google Flights saved my life. It showed me various options, flights, airlines, dates so I could get a great deal.
Firstly, from GB/Western Europe fly from Dublin. For me it pretty much halved the price and I can go through US border control in Dublin, that means in LAX I will arrive as a domestic flight, so no need to go through border control there.
I had 2 option: WoW airlines (£300) or KLM (£348, both prices return). WoW is a budget airline, which means no onboard food, small baggage allowance but hey it is cheap.
Even though I went with KLM. They are a bit more expensive, but they have larger cabin bags( which is important because I have a larger one already so I do not have to buy a smaller one) and they serve you drinks and food in price.
Dates were sorted by looking at when can I leave uni (term time break), when can I go to Dublin from Belfast, and when does Formula Drift starts (starts 31st of March).
I have bought the tickets with credit card which means I do have a layer of insurance on my plane tickets, which is not bad and yeah that is it I believe.
Now it is time to wait until a few more events pops up (it is too early for most of them to be announced) and maybe a bit of a planning and dreaming!
These days, for continental US flights, there were a lot of folks that bring food on board the plane. Some folks bring food from home, others buy food at the airport and carry it aboard. You have to buy drinks at the airport, at one of the vendors that is between the security gates and the plane gates, but it's available from the food vendors and at the gift shops. Flights within the States rarely have food service! On my last flight, you could smell everything from the hamburgers and French fries to Chinese food, and see folks getting fruit and snacks from purses and carry-on bags.
Donna
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