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Mrs Red & I are looking at doing a bit of a US road trip lasting approx 3 weeks.

I can get return flights to Vegas for £473 leaving on the 6th July. (Is that price OK?)

Rough plans are spend first week in Vegas, see a couple of shows, do the GC and other touristy things, then hire a car and find a scenic route to San Francisco. have a week or so there, and then find a scenic route back.

Does anyone know if I can hire something like a van or a station wagon with fold down seats so that we could sleep in it if the fancy took us?

Any advice / comments welcome.

fyp :)

Very good flight price, indirect? Who's it with if you don't mind me asking?

http://www.jurnii.com/rv/ne_land.php?gclid=COPi3fGyl6kCFUtC4QodZgKCsw

£473 for flights is a good price.

If you're going to be doing a road trip, why are you arriving and leaving from the same place. Surely better to arrive somewhere, then wend your way slowly across to some place else, then fly home from there?

Absolutely Andrew, but flights go up almost double.

I did a West Coast Road trip last year, starting and finishing in Vegas. Was the best holiday I have ever had, the scenery in that part of the world is truly stunning.

I would recommend going to Sedona which is about 2 hours drive south of GC, famous for its red rocks.

Yosemite is a must imo and you can do that on the way to San Francisco, the whole of the Sierra Nevada mountain range is amazing. Lake Tahoe is worth the visit as well, they have casinos there as well!

The other thing I wouldn't miss out on is doing route 1 costal road between LA and San Francisco again the scenery is amazing especially the Big Sur part of the route.

Dunno who the flights are with Stuart. I just had my travel agent ring around for me. I can find out for you though.

Don't want to rent an RV. Too big / fancy / conspicuous / expensive.

Ideally I would like a little "White van man" type van. No side windows, room to put an inflatable mattress in the back.

Tom

Given you are going Vegas > San Fran you simply MUSt go through Yosemite!

I had plans to do this in 2007, but the snow fell the week before we travelled and wrecked our plans as they have to close the pass. It is suitable for motorhomes so car size wont be a problem

V jealous - enjoy

Great stuff Mr L. More Info if/when you have time please. Distances - en route accomodation - prices - time frame etc.

tyty in advance.

Looks like we will be doing Yosemite.

I've heard Yosemite is a must do Tom.  No need to thank me.

Thank you.

I think Yosemite is on the route you are planning? Have you considered going there? If not, I would, I heard it's good

OK OK I posted before I saw Outrages's post. Posts deleted, sorry. x

And i posted without reading longys!

http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/yosemite/national_park.html

This site looks good,loads of info.

I think I did 3000 miles on my trip,loved every minute of it.

Would a big 4x4 SUV be something you could sleep in Tom?  You can hire vans but they're more 8-seater type things designed for bigger groups, but you could get something like a Jeep Grand Cherokee easily enough if this was suitable.

If you're planning a drive around Yosemite, etc, then a 4x4 would be the most practical thing anyway for the mountain roads around there.  We did the drive from Vegas to Yosemite via Death Valley a few years ago (about 12 hours driving across the day) and I'm not sure I'd have wanted to do it without the 4x4.

Nooo Don't delete anything. It's all good.

American road trip....one of my lifes ambitions....I'm incredibly jealous.....takes lots of pics...plz

Direct flights.

Just had a look on ebookers and there seem to be lots of flights in July / August for a similar price to the one the travel agent quoted us for.

Some of the dates might even suit us better. Am I missing something?

Is there any advantage to booking through the travel agent?

you can def fly cheaper on virgin but are they striking?

Cheaper than I've quoted here or cheaper than the others Gatters?

£473 for a direct flight is a snap call IMO.

less than 450 direct from lgw

return? u sure?

Ok Mr Red, you got it given stars are playing silly buggers at the moment.

My trip involved having the car for a calendar month, I didn't have it in Vegas. The bit I would cut out of my trip is going far south as San Diego which I did via Phoenix. The problem with this is you end up double backing on yourself a couple of times.

The Grand Canyon south rim is a days drive from Vegas, I stayed in a place called Williams which was a one horse town about 50 miles from GC itself. You will drive right past (used to be over) the Hoover dam this way, which deffo worth an hour or two admiring. I reckon you will want a whole day at the canyon, watching the sunset is of the things to do there as the rocks change colour in the different lights. You can do Sedona the next day and head back west after.

Problem is the natural way to go back to SF is back thru Vegas now. After this it is probably a long days drive to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. In theory you can do this through Death Valley but in the height of Summer the weather is going to be ludicrously warm. I would head up the Owens Valley on the East side of the Sierras, which is pretty unique place as it suffers from a massive Rain shadow from the mountains. There are few things to do before entering Yosemite this way, I went to Bodie which is a ghost town from the gold rush days which was very erie.

Tahoe looking at the maps maybe a bit out of the way and not within your time constraints, it is probably a days drive each way North from Yosemite. It is probably straight choice between this and heading across the Californian central valley to the Pacific coast just north of LA. I would go with the latter but they are both great choices. With the latter you could also do the very underrated Kings Canyon and Sequioa national park which has the worlds largest trees as well as more amazing vistas etc.

If you do the coastal route depends where you join, I personally am not a fan of LA. It lived up to its reputation as the Worlds biggest car park and is a very fractured City imo. Santa Barbara however is really nice which is 100 or so miles further up the coast, it has a lot early 20th Century Spanish architecture. From there you just head north following route 1, for a few hundred miles till reaching SF. Numerous things to do en route, but the best thing is just pulling out into layby's and admiring the views. You have to stop at the Waterfall that falls into a private beach and straight into the pacific.

You will not need the car in SF, in fact it will be a hinderence more than a help. I highly rate the official Alcatraz tour, there is only one company who actually dock at the island. Book in advance through http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/ online before going as they often sold out. Best way to get around is the various public transport, get a MUNI ticket for 3 days think it was $20, that gets you on everything (exc BART) including the Cable cars which you obviously have to do.

drunk again gatso?

my turn to call bs on one of your ridic facts.

oh yes - the alcatraz tour is one of the best "guided" tours I have been on - it is everything I wanted it to be.......... and some

Thank you so much. really useful stuff.

Have to keep the car while in SF, (Need to return to vegas and probs not worth returning /  re hiring).

Places to stay while travelling. Are motels frequent / cheap?

When I go the US i use a mixture of Hotwire/Priceline which in the main is the cheapest way to get 3*+ hotels. I am bit of a hotel snob and don't like roughing it though.

Every small US town especially near tourist areas have cheap Motels like Super8, HowardJohnson, Travelodge etc for these $30-60 per night is standard. I got the impression that you can rock up at these places on an evening and get a bed for the night. Just a case of knowing where the next place of any size is, which sometimes on the US west coast interior can be some way.

In the National parks (GC, yosemite) themselves there is limited accomodation and it tends to be either really plush or camping. Fwiw it is $25 per vehicle for a week pass to get it in the majority of National parks.

according to kayak it's £456 on last minute, opodo and netflights or £440 on vayama. all direct on virgin

lgw-las, 6th july returning 27th july

Do hire cars come with sat-nav in the US?

It is normally add on, which the hire company will offer you when you pick it up.

Does you phone not do SatNav? Download the maps before you go?

also for me
i have been to Seattle 10 years ago but  would  so love to do this

Sounds good, what do I need to know?

When I looked for my trip most of the vans to sleep in were quite expensive. These guys looked fun though  :)

http://www.escapecampervans.com/

Don't really want a van designed for sleeping in Woods, I want a van designed for a plumber to carry his tools in.

Off to San Fran this summer to visit in laws and show off the babies. I always find the city great for 3-4 days then need to get out and explore outside of it over the bridge to mill valley etc...once you done the cable cars, bay, museums and prison its much the same.

has anyone done wine country? napa valley etc?

Hi Red, we have just come back from doing a 3 week road trip around that area and it was a great trip. Our route was:

LA, Vegas, Yosemite, Napa, San Fran, Pismo Beach, LA

The highlight for me was Napa if you like wine and good food then this is the place to head for. Yosemite was also good but most of the high crossing points were still closed as according to the locals they have had a great winter for snow. Been to San Fran many times and it is one of my favourite US cities to visit and has plenty to keep you occupied if its your first time (Alcatraz, cable cars, Fishermans Wharf and just general sight seeing). Pismo was very relaxing we just chilled and took it easy before the madness of LA. Like Longy we went from SF to LA down the route 1 coastal road (including a mad diversion after a rock slide) which was an experience in itself.

Sounds great. I'm excited.   ;karabiner;


Info on accommodation costs appreciated

We stayed mostly at Best Western Hotels (not the best but a decent standard that wont break the bank) as I get a decent discount rate through work. I think they can be had for around $120 a night (plus tax) midweek if you book in advance (more if you turn up on the day) going up if you hit them on a weekend (probably $50 more).

Gatso wins again

IIRC you've got a Android smartphone - which make and model is it?

My wife's Android is - appropriately for this thread - an Orange San Francisco and it appears to have SatNav and Google Maps built-in.

The download of maps took up mega space on my Android. Actually it said not enough room to download maps. So my question is if I use my phone for my directions via gps  while we are  there like I do here will I be charged. Every time I call t mobile it is automated service.

A 16GB microSD card can be bought for under £20, more than enough space for maps.

My handset has an option to turn off A-GPS (assisted GPS) for navigation. This ensures it only uses GPS and not cellular data so no extra charges.

What handset do you have Maureen?

HTC  desire

It looks like there are some Android navigation apps which can work without a data connection e.g. CoPilot (http://www.alk.eu.com/copilot/android/) and Ndrive (http://www.ndrive.com/en/platforms/android) - there may be others too.

It looks like if you plan a route using Google Maps Navigation before you leave then the maps for the route are cached and there should be no additional data cost (unless you go significantly off route).

Download copilot to your phone, don't mess around with anything else. 

Great idea, but it wouldn't work for me because I'm flying out of the same place that I'm flying into.

BTW- Tony pointed out that it would be too hot to sleep in a van, and he's probably right. (God, I hate it when he's right).

Will just use cheap motels between cities and take a tent for camp sites.

I've done the tent thing before and got fked for overweight baggage. Just make sure you have your weights sussed beforehand obv...........

why would you fly with a tent woodsey? surely they're like 20 bucks in walmart

Dunno, Red says he is taking one, places I went they weren't that so had to take one.

Cheers Woods. I usually travel light but will bear that in mind.

I've done some camping in the US (Mid West) and I loved it. The camp sites have great facilities, but the best part is, no one minds if you light a camp fire.

I have a good quality tent that packs nicely and pitches easily Gatters.  It weighs about 1.3kg. It's tried and tested, so I figure it's worth taking.

Yeah Tikay is right for the most part at the high elevations and near SF (very strange micro climate) you will be fine.

From my experience its only when the sun actually hits the tents its unbearable, just pitch by shade of some description so your not forced to leave the tent as soon as the sun hits it.

Honestly, Tom, if you tried to kip in a "closed" van in Nevada, in July, you'd die. It's incredibly hot, even at night it rarely drops below 35c, & the metal van body amplifies the heat. Guess you could sleep with the engine running (& thus air-con on), but I would not recommend that, either.

The tent idea sounds much better, you'd be in camping heaven.

PS - Make sure you come & say "hi" please before you head out of Vegas for them there hills. I'll be in, or near, the WSOP Media Centre.

what's it made of? checked out the one I'm using for glastonbury last week, reckon that must weigh about 8kg


space blanket 2 pack from the pound shop pegged to the outside should reflect enough heat to keep it bearable if you have to pitch in the sun

Oops sorry. That should read 3.3kg

lolz, ok. I had images of something made of crepe paper and cotton

There are many very good tents between 1.5 & 2kg in weight

8kg is overkill imo

Geo

If you go to Napa stay at the Best Western - when I was out there last we also hired out 2 Electric Bikes which was fun as people do not drive aggressively over there. Stop at a couple of wineries - best was Mario Andrettis, the bigger one we stopped at was more like a conference centre. If you have time I would get to Monument Valley - a good 5 hours from the Canyon but IMO the best scenery in the West (and the worst food)

Dithered and missed this price. £588 now...

Have you considered flying to San Francisco, if I had my time back I would deffo done that. Cos of the awkwardness of having a vehicle there.

Yes. Flights seem just as expensive though.

If they are the same price(ish) it pays long term to fly to SF imo. As you can expect to pay at least $30/day downtown to park the car just not to use it.

OK thanks. I'll take that into consideration.

I have loads of questions re maps and Android phone navigation. (I might have the loan of a sat-nav with US mapping for this trip, but I'm curious anyway)

I have a google maps app on my phone and it works really well, giving the option of directions in text form, as a trace on a map, or as full blown satellite navigation with voice assist.

This seems to work without the aid of a data connection as long as the I have the GPS switched on. This suggests that the maps for the UK are already downloaded.

If I ask for directions between locations in the US, it works just as well, but I have to turn on a data connection so that it can download the maps.

It seems to download US maps as and when needed during the navigation process. If, I browse a route for instance, and then turn off the data connection, the maps that I have already viewed are still there, (Cached?).

Is it possible for me to pre-download maps so that they are permanently there, like the UK ones are? If so, how?

Also, If I google say, a travel guide page, how do I save it for use later, when I have no data connection?

I have empty folders, but no idea how to transfer stuff into them.

Hope some of you can figure out what I'm trying to ask.

Yes, I've tried turning it off and on.

Think I half-answered that one on page 4 Tom - Google Maps will cache maps that were downloaded whilst route planning in WiFi mode. However, go off-route whilst in the USA and not on WiFi and it'll cost a fortune.

http://www.mapdroyd.com looks interesting. Or CoPilot as someone else recommended.

Think I half-answered that one on page 4 Tom

You did, (Thanks) otherwise I wouldn't have grasped the concept a all.


Could do with someone explaining CoPilot etc to me in "Talking to a 5 year-old" Stylee.

CoPilot is a SatNav program like TomTom, Google Maps etc. The difference is the maps it uses are stored on the phone's memory card - unlike Google Maps - so it doesn't need a data connection to give you directions.

CoPilot looks to cost £22.50 for the UK version plus £19.99 for the North American maps.

Mapdroyd appears to achieve the same result in conjunction with Google Maps for free.

So it would need a lot of memory space?

Would it just give directions or would it actually navigate in real time?

 

4GB to be safe. A 8GB card is probably less than a tenner.

It will do real time navigation - check the link on page 4 for all the features.

Do you mean I will need 4GB for the maps?

I have an 8GB card installed, 4.5GB free.

Also, does anyone know about the feasibility of getting a pay as you go sim with data data access for the States.

Should be very straight forward, I've done it for other countries. Just buy when your there........

Think you need to make sure your phone is a tri-band for it to work too.

http://paygsimwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/USA

20 bucks for 100MB seems reasonable. No calls included though.

Just go into any phone shop they will fix you up with exactly what you want. That's what I've done in other countries anyway........

 ;bump;

Thanks Woods.

http://www.alk.eu.com/buynow/copilot/

The UK maps are 400MB, USA fits on 2GB - s'why I said 4 to be safe. Your existing card should be fine.

Thanks. What would I do without you? I would have to rely on Boshi, or (God forbid) Bongo.

Booked. 

Flights = £553 per person. (So dithering cost us ~£200).

Ship out from Manchester on the 6th of July, home on the 27th.

I'm excited, but I'm always a little bit apprehensive about leaving the "kids" when both Mrs Red & I are away at the same time.

Mrs Red says I'm daft because our youngest is 19.

Is there a fee for visas? (I can't remember)

$14 I think, Tom.

Not sure, but I think this is the griff.

http://us-visa-apply.net/

Sorry cannot be more certain, but I'm on telly & that, so I have someone to organise mine for me......

Rule #1 in life, Tom - NEVER dither.

NOT a visa.

It's an ESTA and costs about $14 ish. You can get it officially from the US Government website rather than that link Tikay posted.

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

If you follow Tikay's link they want $55 per person. Ridiculous.

Wow wonderful Tom. Looking forward to you blog already. You will be doing one with loads of pics won't you?

I will be taking loads of pics.

I'm going to look at getting a sim for my phone so that I can access the web while I'm there. It will save a fortune on phone calls and might even be able to use google navigation etc.

If I can work out how to upload / post pics from my phone I will do that as I go. If not. I'll do it when I get back.

Could do with some Dollars.....

Get Tony to pick some up from TFOP and collect them when you arrive if you're stopping a day or two in LV on arrival.

You won't believe how hot it is in July, I lolled at the thought of camping out in a van, sorry  ;marks;

Looking forward to the travelogue.

Thanks Sharpo.

I'll get my people to call your people...

TFOP?

The Future Of Poker aka AlexM.

Hurry, while stocks last.

We're considering flying straight to San Francisco after Vegas. and then hiring a car to drive back.

Pros - We will only have a car for the last week so will save on hire costs. Also, I'm told a car is an inconvenience in SF.

Cons - we only get to drive one way.

Also:

I'm a bit of a nit, but Mrs Red is an uber nit. If she thinks something is a bargain, she enjoys it more.

With that in mind, if anyone has any advice on good value stuff to do or on finding cheap show / attraction tickets, please let us know. 

setup a twitter account, useful for updates and super easy to post pictures via your mobile with it

There is a half price show ticket booth on the strip. Forgotten exactly where it is but its somewhere past Planet Hollywood hotel walking towards the MGM grand. There is a row of shops on the same side and its there somewhere. You will probably see it advertised in the magazines you pick up in the back of taxis.

I've resisted facebook & Twitter so far, but perhaps it might be worth it....

That's worth knowing Andrew. Thanks.