California road trip - RV/camping or hotels
 

Hi there

We are thinking of a trip from San Francisco to San Diego for 2 weeks over summer - maybe early July.

We are wondering whether to do the trip in an RV, which would save on costs and mean I can get my luxury hotel for a couple of nights at the end of the trip with the money we save! We have no experience of camping, but our kids ages 6 and 7 are very keen on the idea. My impression of U.S. campsites is that they are clean and well - run and that it might be an ideal way to see California (we are from England).

But, I have a few questions:

1. How do I go about finding good campsites? Is there a good book/website? I am just not having much luck. It has made me realise how reliant I have become on Tripadvisor for hotels! Is there a reliable equivalent for campsites?

2. Are all campsites likely to get booked up really early anyway, so we wouldn't be able to do it this summer and would be better off with hotels?

3. How do we cope with the issue of having just the big RV - does that mean we can't drive/park easily into towns or would we have to tow a small car (which would presumably make manoevering really tricky) or find campsites within walking distance of public transport?

Any help would be really appreciated!

Many thanks
CJ

The first question is whether you intend to drive down the coast from San Francisco to SoCal. If you do, I'd avoid an RV -- it's a twisty road right at the ocean's edge ---- fantastic coastline and views, but I'd think an RV would be hard to maneuver.

Are you really sure it will save money? A few weeks ago, someone posted on a thread about this issue with the cost of renting the RV, gas (which is going up-up-up, and considering you'll get about 3 miles to the gallon, very expensive), insurance, campground fees and hookups, etc. In the end, renting a car and staying in motels was definitely less expensive.

Oh thank you for the info re the road - yes we had thought we would do that coast road. So maybe we should save the RV experience for another destination in the States.

And thank you for pointing me to the other post about the cost - I will have a look at that too.

CJ

You should probably read these two threads:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...with-an-rv.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-motorhome.cfm

Don't get me wrong - I think a trip down the coast is a fabulous trip, just think twice about whether you want to do it in an RV!

What a star - thank you so much!

I have to disagree with the advice by other posters, respectfully... :-)

that said, we don't own an RV but we occasionally rent one for our long weekend trips. Very easy to maneuver, about 12-15 miles a gallon, NOT 3. It's fun.

Try www.reserveamerica.com to reserve camping in state parks. KOA and other commercial camping will do as well but I highly recommend state parks.

Good luck and have a wonderful trip, whatever you decide to do.... :-D

Another option you have not considered yet is campgrounds/resorts with YURTS. They are more common on the Oregon coast but I found a resort with some near Big Sur. treebonesresort.com
You may want to eat at restaurants instead of trying to cook outside the yurt on the picnic table.
What is the attraction of San Diego? There are so many other things that would interest you in the Los Angeles area.
Make sure you have the drop off fee established for whatever vehicle you rent. If you have the time to return up I-5 to San Francisco, it would save the big drop off fee.

I would do it in a rental car to give more freedom. But there are many campgrounds that have cottages, cabins, yurts, tents with floors available to rent so you could have that experience too. I'm not sure exactly what guidebook would be best but you need one for state and national parks in California.

I grew up car-camping in southern California and my folks always used their trusty Trip-Tik from AAA (American Auto Association).

You could split the difference and rent something like a VW Campervan. It'd be much smaller than an RV and consequently more manueverable, but you still have beds and cooking facilities. The downside, of course, is that you're stuck with your family in a VW campervan with nowhere to escape. ;)

http://www.californiacampers.com/
Haven't used them, and I'm not sure if they do one-way rentals.

I do agree that you should do the math regarding the costs. It's not a given that an RV or campervan will be cheaper than hotels. See which is more - standard car rental plus hotels plus restaurants vs. RV or campervan plus campground fees plus groceries.

In general, the California state campgrounds along the coast are fairly nice, but they may not all have the amenities you'd want, like showers. As mentioned, there are private campgrounds, like KOA that are pretty full service. One advantage hotels have are swimming pools which kids tend to like very much.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/

Btw, two weeks is a long time to go from San Francisco to San Diego. I assume that some of that two weeks is actually spent in San Francisco/San Diego?

AA--Have you driven an RV down 1? In summer? In addition to the gas issue, most posters were advising against taking an RV down 1 because it can be difficult for some to drive even in a car. OP is from the UK, so they will be driving an RV on a winding cliff side road on the wrong side (for them), not my idea of enjoyment!!! Many of us locals have been stuck behind visitors very slowly navigating 1 in an RV and aside from the pressure of driving a winding road, there is the added pressure of a long line of cars backed up behind the RV (some of whom will ride your bumper until they can pass you). Because of the scenery and all the visitors, especially in summer, people tend to forget that for some 1 is not a scenic drive, but how they get from place to place.

After reading some critical reviews of Tree Bones, I would not advise staying there. The view is great but some other things are not so great. The closest I get to camping on the California coast are the HI Hostels at Monterey and Pigeon Point Lighthouse.
The VW campervans are convenient but it is a 1 location rental spot that will charge a full day rental if you return 2 hours late. Make sure your kids get to see Legoland and Disneyland.

W/ one way drop offs and such an RV will cost more than a car/motels.

a couple of points:

First, Don't try to scare chrissiejames off w/ the 'expensive gas' argument. They are from the UK -- the land of <u>expensive</u> petrol. :)

But even so, chrissie -- Unlike the UK, in the States most hotels/motels have family rooms. The typical motel room is large and designed to sleep four w/ 2 queen sized beds. Plus MANY also have at least basic kitchenette facilities -- microwave, small fridge, etc.

So while an RV can save quite a bit of £££ for a family touring the UK, in the States it would actually cost more.

RVs are great and can be fun -- but not for money savings --and NOT on CA hwy 1 in summer.

<<<First, Don't try to scare chrissiejames off w/ the 'expensive gas' argument. They are from the UK -- the land of expensive petrol>>>

Yes, but there's expensive when you're driving a compact car, and then there's expensive when you're driving an RV.

"<i>Yes, but there's expensive when you're driving a compact car, and then there's expensive when you're driving an RV.</i>"

I was talking about petrol/diesel in a campervan/RV in the UK. If the idea of fueling an RV doesn't scare off a Brit from the get go -- then us whinging on about <i>expensive</i> gas sure won't do it.

Have you priced out an RV? They won't save on costs at all, not by a longshot. And they'll be a nightmare to park in many, many places... no, no, NO !!!

If you want to try it for fun. Fine. You will not save any money. You will spend more. RV's do not get 15mpg. Maybe 8 or 9 for the smaller ones and even less for the larger types. You will run into hassle hassle hassle when trying to drive to scenic places. You will have a hard time finding hookups at almost all the national parks. State parks normally do have hookups. You should have your trip well planned out, as the spaces are reserved several months in advance.

2 weeks of car camping will probably save you money even if you buy the equipment here and then donate it to a Goodwill at the end of your trip. However you should somehow try it out in England just to get used to the logistics, if only for a weekend.

You probably could outfit yourselves (tent, air mattresses, sleeping bags, cooking materials, lantern) for about $300 at a Target, K-Mart or similar store. Motels would cost about $80 night with terrible breakfasts. Then you also have the costs of the evening meal, which would b cheaper if cooked at the camp site. This assumes that pleasure is taken in cooking that way.

There is one fly in the ointment: state campgrounds everywhere are crowded, with most State park campgrounds operating on a reservation system. Even National Forest camp sites (they are more primitive) can be reserved ahead of time. The beach state parks south of Big Sur are obviously popular. Essentially you would want to camp on the most popular tourist route between northern and southern California.

The other problem is finding the campground. I happen to have a fifteen year old book that lists all the private and public campgrounds in the western states and Canada, but I have the last edition and have not found an alternative.

But camping is definitely a possibility outside the large cities. As I think of it, once you reach L.A., your camping time is over because you probably would be more interested in the sights in the cities themselves (L.A. and San Diego). Shortening the camping trip might eliminate the financial advantage.

If you need more information, e-mail me--you can find my e-mail by clicking on my name.

The drive from San Diego to San Francisco on Route 1 is a wonderful ride. You are on the inboard side, away from the unprotected drop-off. From SF to SD you drive on the water side and is more difficult with a RV.

You might check www.RVparkreviews.com for reviews of campgrounds by campers. I prefer the Trailer Life campground directory with professional ratings assigned for completeness of facilities, cleanliness of restrooms, and visual appearance.

We have taken several trips up the coast from San Diego to San Francisco by 26' motorhome in July and not made reservations except for Huntington Beach and San Diego, where we have favorite campgrounds. July 4th is a major holiday and reservations are suggested.

We figure on 10 miles per gallon of gasoline. We do not tow a car and can generally get around. We drive in San Diego with no problem. However, we have not driven thru San Francisco. Parking in a city is a problem, however we are generally more interested in the sights along the way. Some campgrounds are near public transit. Chula Vista has a campground near the light rail system connecting to all parts of San Diego. We have taken a tour from campgrounds near San Francisco and Los Angeles. Also, Enterprise auto rentals serve most campgrounds.

An important benefit of taking an RV is the opportunity to meet the people. When you are in a motel you seldom meet the people, however campgrounds are quite social and your children might expect to meet some "Yanks" there own age. You might find this the highlight of your trip. Do not consider camping as a way to save money -- it's a different experience.

Whether you RV or not you might get some info on places to see at www.drivecrosscountry.net/RouteA1

We are car-campers ourselves, so we don't have experience with RVs specifically, but in general, CA is a great place to camp. We stay at state park campgrounds mostly because they are a nice compromise between being out in nature and having reasonably comfortable facilities. Camping along the CA coast is esspecially neat. Here is a link to the CA state parks web site.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/

I think I would make this trip in a campervan if you are going to do it rather than a larger RV - for all the reasons mentioned by others. A biggie is transportation to the sights from your campground. With a larger RV, you will have tons of trouble in towns and cities.

I wouldn't count on any type of public transportation from the campgrounds to the things you want to see. There are a couple places where you will find bus service (state beaches in Aptos and Capitola come to mind), but for the most part, campgrounds in the US are about being out in nature, not in town. Plus in general, out public transportation is terrible.

If you have a campervan, then you can drive into cities and towns and park.

You may want to stay in Carpenteria off of 101. Great state beaches and they have campsites or B&Bs.