horseybreeze

Hi Guys, I'm new here, but wanted your opinion on a trip of a lifetime for me and my friend to celebrate being single!!!
I have a friend in LA who has put together this itinerary and we know it's going to be completely and utterly tiring, but as it's a holiday of a lifetime, we don't care!!! Do you think we really are packing too much in?

Arrive 2pm 16 Apr - LAX go to friends house
Sun 17th - Spend day at beach
Mon 18th - Disneyland
Tue 19th - Spend day on beach to recover from jetlag!
Weds 20th - Drive LA to Yosemite (5 hrs??)
Thurs 21st - Tour/relax in Yosemite
Fri 22nd - Drive to Vegas (6 hours?)
Sat 23rd - Hang out in Vegas
Sun 24th - Drive to Grand Canyon
Mon 25th - Stay at Grand Canyon
Tues 26th - Check out, drive back to LA (9 hrs?)
Weds 27th - Magic Mountain
Thurs 28th - A.M on beach, drive to Tijuana (friend in LA will be driving with us) and spend night.
Fri 29th - Drive back to LA early, last beach afternoon
Sat 30th - Fly back home

Many thanks for any answers, would like advice on what to avoid, best ways to go about things. Friend in LA is arranging rooms and hire car for us - I'm guessing a fixed top car would be best, especially driving through from Yosemite to Vegas??

rjw_lgb_ca

Gawd, don't bother going down to TJ!! On the way to Baja, stop in San Diego. STAY THERE. Much more pleasurable.

The rest of your itinerary is fine, albeit full of long drives. And yes, don't bother with a convertible-- hard-top sedan is better for this type of trip.

horseybreeze

Thanks for your answer - I'm guessing all we're going to TJ for is just to say we've been to Mexico!!!! LOL!! We don't mind long drives - better than stuck in an office like normal!! We'll feel like Thelma and Louise!!! - Any other advice out there?

janis

I agree - don't even bother w/ Tijuana. You will LOVE San Diego.

But your main problem is the drive from Yosemite to LV. In April you cannot get over the Sierras and drive to LV. The pass is still closed for the season. You would have to drive back down into the Central Valley, down to Bakersfield, over to Barstow and up to LV. This will be one of the most God foresaken drives you can imagine.

utahtea

janis beat me to it. Tioga Pass will be closed and you better plan on it taking more like 8 1/2 to 9 hours to get from Yosemite Valley to Las Vegas.

I would also plan on it taking about an hour longer to get from LA to Yosemite than the 5 hours.

Otherwise your plan doesn't look to crazy for a couple of single guys.

Yosemite is going to be BEAUTIFUL this time of the year. The waterfalls should be at their best!

Utahtea

JohnInMiami

horsey, in your original post, you mentioned jet lag and "hire car" which leads me to believe you are not American.

If this is so, you need to be aware that if you go into Mexico, your visa will need to allow multiple entries into the US. Make sure it does or else you could be spending a lousy couple of days in TJ getting it all worked out.

ltt

if you are staying the night in mexico, and, if your friend who lives in la could bring her car, i'd recommend driving THROUGH tj and onto rosarito beach. it's a nice drive and a much more pleasant town. then, i'd have dinner in puerto nuevo and stay in the hotel down there. or, if you want bars and parites, stay in rosarito.
most rental cars companies won't allow them to be taken into mexico.

J_Correa

If I were doing this trip, I would skip LV and instead head to SF after Yosemite and then down the CA coast back to LA. LV would be cool, but it involves a lot of driving through uninteresting country.

horseybreeze

Thanks for all your help guys. You're quite right, we are two gals from London, who have never been to California before, so trying to fit in as much as possible in two weeks. We have decided to forego Mexico as it looks to be too much of a pain as well as not particuarly nice. May spend those days bumming on the beach instead ready for homebound flight and a week of horrendous jetlag! . Forgot about the winter pass issue, so I guess we have a longer drive than planned, but I can't see any other way of seeing everywhere. Will two gals be safe on their own??

tuckerdc

You'll be safe on your own as long as your exercise a 'third eye' and some common sense. (And be aware that your British accents will be a magnet for guys of every stripe.)

Perhaps there are some West Coasters who could offer any LA-LV air deals so that you could still work that in....? Is there any cheapie airline that makes the route?

horseybreeze

I'm sure we'll be fine - just those roads look long and lonely!! Guess I've been watching too much CSI!!!! I have heard that before about our accents, very odd!!!!

rjw_lgb_ca

The LAX-LAS air route is practically owned by Southwest. A fine alternative is JetBlue, out of LGB (Long Beach, aka Daugherty Field). Cheap, quick flights between the LA area and Las Vegas.

MaureenB

You'll be safe if you use your heads and take normal precautions, like being aware of your surroundings in dark parking lots, etc. No worries, just be sensible, like anywhere else.
I also agree with skipping Tijuana and visiting San Diego instead.
It's a lot of driving. Are you sure you want to spend that much time watching things zip by your windows, instead of actually experiencing places?? I'd also suggest dropping the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas in favor of focusing on L.A., Yosemite, San Francisco, Napa, then drive down the coast and see some of the great towns along the way (many to choose from like Monterey, Carmel, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, the Hearst castle, Santa Barbara...). Do San Diego, too. Your friend in L.A. might be tired of those places and want to go further, but for your first visit, California has enough to offer that you will be busy every day in that state alone.
A fun and free thing to do in L.A. is to get tickets to the Jay Leno Tonight Show. You have to go to NBC around 7 in the morning to line up, then get back in line in the afternoon, so it does eat up some time, but we thought it was worth it since we watch that show frequently. Check their website for the taping schedule of show guests.
Enjoy yourselves. However you do it, you'll have a blast!

horseybreeze

Thanks for the input. I think we're gonna stick with the 'biggies' - we don't mind the driving, least one can sleep at a time!! We're looking forward to doing the American thing - England is far tooo boring!!!

SFImporter

Not to freak you out - but you're right to be cautious while travelling. There was an awful incident a few years back where a mother and daughter - along with the daughter's friend were unfortunately the victims of a serial murderer. Their paths crossed in Yosemite and there was no happy ending to the story - other than the fact that the killer was caught.

Sad but true reality.

justme22

you'll do fine, i've driven cross country and all over the west on my own, the only time i ever felt uncomfortable was in northern cal WAY north where i was driving past lots of drive ways with tresspassers will be shot signs! i wonder what was growing on the farms!!! like

justme22

hit the wrong key like others have said just be aware and you will do fine, you might want to have a cell phone with you but not sure if you'll get reception everywhere. also, I second the idea of going to sandiego!

Jean

Coming from London, you'll think our weather is lovely. However, I'd have an idea or two for alternate activities if those planned days at the beach don't seem so inviting should the temperatures drop. Where in L.A. will you be staying?

beechbum

could skip Yosemite and do the "sideways" wine tour and Santa Barbara.....

horseybreeze

Sorry not had access to Internet for a couple of days, but jean you asked where in LA we were staying, we are actually staying with my friend who has an apartment 2 mins from Redondo Beach, so hopefully she'll be able to show us a lot, although obviously she will have to work whilst we're over, so she is planning on flying out to Vegas to meet us there etc. I think after all that driving and stuff, we're gonna need to chill on the beach and basically not move for a couple of days!!!