A month i USA - where to go and for how long?
 

My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to USA in July for about a month. We want to experience as much as possible, and we really need help to make the best of our vacation. Our preferences: We love to just walk around getting to know cities, go shopping, visit museums and landmarks, relaxing by the beach, eat good food and listen to good music. So basically everything. We plan on taking some flights and renting a car to drive around some places.

What our plan is at this moment:

Start in Los Angeles, rent a car and drive to San Francisco (and maybe Las Vegas). We would also like to visit Austin, Texas, The Grand Canyon and Roswell, NM, but we realize there probably won’t be enough time. Then we are planning on flying to Chicago and from there drive to New Orleans (visiting cities on the way), then drive to Jacksonville North Carolina (I need to visit the hometown of my favorite artist, Ryan Adams :p) and drive up to New York and maybe visit Boston too.

We have no idea how much time we should plan for each place, all we know is that we want a full week in New York, which leaves 3 weeks for the rest of the US.

So, what we are hoping you could help us with:

1. Which of these cities should we absolutely visit, and which is OK to skip?
2. Are there some other cities/areas we should consider, maybe some places nearby or on the road to one of the other cities we already are planning to see?
3. How many days do we need in the different cities (I can add that we are used to hectic and intense vacations, but at the same time, we need some relaxing time too).
4. Which cities are the best for a beach vacation? Los Angeles? San Francisco? Other?

The question is so broad - about as broad as the US - that it is nearly impossible to answer in the space provided. First, you absolutely do not have the time to drive from Chicago to New Orleans to Jacksonville to New York. Get realistic. That is a couple thousand miles and maybe a solid week of driving or more. Second get a map and then put some pins in and you were see you are covering an enormous amount of territory. Southern CA and Florida have the best beaches (in general) but it was be very hot in July for those area. Same for Austin, TX, NOrleans, etc.

I would be included to stay further north - San Franciso, Denver, Chicago, New York, Boston.

You really need to refine your schedule before anyone can help you very much.

Fantasi, you need to forget the rental car if you want to go to all the places you mentioned. We did a 30 day trip to the US a year or so ago, and flew between destinations. We arrived at San Francisco, spent three and a half days there, flew to New Orleans, stayed 4 days, flew to New York City and spent the remainder of the time there. We did do a train trip to Washington DC during this time, and a road trip to Cape Cod Boston area from there.

You just need to concentrate on the must see places, and work around those areas. I think you need at least 3 or 4 days in most places to see the sights and have some down time. Your plan of 7 days in New York is a good amount of time for that area.

We do realize that we don't have the time to visit all the places we have listed, which is exactly why we are asking which cities the users of Fodors would recommend us to skip.

We have just begun planning our trip and a big part of it is narrowing down our options. As far as we have understood this forum we aren't required to have a planned, realistic itenerary before we ask for a few hints and tips for our journey.

But thank you for your input!

With that attitude, you can plan it yourself!

Well you could spend 3-4 days in LA and maybe also 3 in San Diego, a night in Santa Barbara, a night in Cambria or maybe Pismo Beach where you can drive dune buggies or take a Hummer tour at nearby Oceano Dunes, a night in Monterey or Carmel and then 3-4 nights in SF. I haven't been to some of those other cities except New Orleans which is fabulous. You don't want a car in SF so drop it when you get there then fly to NOLA or Chicago.

nelsonian: Thank you for you reply! We will consider replacing the long drives with flights :)

fmpden: It wasn't our intention to come off with some sort of attitude, we just felt you shot down our questions without actually understanding what we were asking for. Before planning the detalis of our trip we wanted to get your input on where to go and where not to go.

jamie99: Thank you for your reply! It was very helpful:)

L.A. is not a great city for "walking around", it's huge and widespread with "attractions" that are an hour or two apart. And you will not want to shop there and then haul all your purchases from city to city. So, beach time and good dining may be your focus here. 3 nights.

Take 2 days to drive up the coast to San Francisco, it's July so the coast will be busy and expensive. Then 3 nights in San Fran with drives maybe to Napa and Muir Woods. On your 4th day, fly in the evening to Austin. Spend 2 nights and 3 days in Austin, then fly or drive to New Orleans for a few nights. From here to NC would be a hot, dull drive so I think I would fly out of NO. After a night or two in NC you could drive up the east coast seeing Washington DC, New York and maybe Boston. Washington & NY may be especially hot and humid since it's July so plan accordingly as far as walking to museums & sights. A wk in NY would be nice but you probably only can fit in 5 nights. Maybe then take the train to Boston/stay 2 or 3 nights and then fly to Chicago .

I guess that leaves Las Vegas for another trip...it will be blazingly hot in July, but if you want to squeeze it in you probably could stop there for a night or two between San Fran and Austin.....flights in and out of Vegas can be pretty inexpensive if you avoid Fridays and Sundays. www.southwest.com is a good airline to check for internal flights as they allow changes to itineraries (though fares go up as your dates close in, and you must pay the difference).

keep trying Fantasi, eventually you'll get more help. These days the forums are full of people who just seem to be looking for places where they can give a good scolding and then run.

And if you can possibly extend to 5 weeks (35 days) instead of 28 days, you'll have a lot more breathing room and a better (obviously).

Plan not to have any one way car rentals. Fly to Las Vegas where car rentals are cheap. See Hoover Dam then drive through Death Valley and come over Tioga Pass into Yosemite. Spend some time in Yosemite before heading for San Francisco. Drive down the coast from SF all the way to LA. Return the car to LV and then fly to New Orleans. I would skip Austin and Roswell.
If you want to go to Texas, plan on a night in San Antonio.
Leaving New Orleans you have the choice of riding the City of New Orleans north to Chicago or the Crescent through Atlanta to either Washington DC or New York.
My long distance style is to take a train close to my destination and then rent a car and make a loop.
I like seeing the scenery from a train instead of flying over it.

>>Fly to Las Vegas where car rentals are cheap. See Hoover Dam then drive through Death Valley<<

I wouldn't do any of this in July. Temperatures will be well over 100 degrees, especially in Death Valley. The last time I went to Vegas was May 2006 or 2007 and it was 100 degrees at night, and 114 at Hoover Dam the next day.

I would skip Roswell - there really isn't anything there and I don't think you have time to go out of your way to visit.

Lee Ann

Also you should look at southwest airlines if you don't already know about them. They have tons of cheap flights between cities and you can pretty much mix and match between all the cities you are considering. The other nice things about them is that they tend to be more flexible than other airlines for changes: http://www.southwest.com/

You can drive through Death Valley in hot temps - but be sure to make the car is in good condition - the oil full, the air condition is working, full gas tank when you leave, etc - and take some extra water and food with you in case you might break down.

I would add some time in San Diego - where you can stay closer to the beach for less money - and it's not that hot in July here - especially nearer the coast. It's also easier to get around in SD than in LA.

You can drive from here to Las Vegas is 5 hours.

Southwest airlines are not as cheap as they used to be, the fact that you can change the flights if they get cheaper is a bonus though. We used Kayak or Expedia to get the cheapest flights. We did do some one stop ones also which just meant you stopped for a short while at an airport, sometimes you had to change planes, other times not.

San Francisco is a good city to walk around and has good public transportation, Los Angeles not so much. As others have mentioned a lot of the places you want to visit will be very hot in July. Is it possible to change to about September or even later in April or May.

There is not a lot in Jacksonville, NC however, the area is great. It about 60 miles to Wilmington NC and some great beaches or about the same distance to New Bern. Even closer to the beaches along the Crystal Coast-Emerald Isle area. Might be a great area for some low key beach time and a visit to the town you want to see.

tomfuller....One-way car rentals are usually very reasonable for non-residents. They don't get reamed like we do!

Agree that one way car rentals are prohibitively expensive and your driving scheme consumes far too much time and will be exhausting.

Chicago to NOLA is particularly uninteresting as is NOLA to Jacksonville N C.

Heed the advise of checking out southwest.com to see what you can afford.

I would consider highlighting LA, Drive to San Fran, fly to Vegas, fly to Chicago, NOLA, Charlotte and NYC. Spend a few more days savoring great destinations and minimizing moving so much.

Total the mileage on your wish list and consider if you stop only for meals and gas, the best you average on driving is 50 mph. Over a day. Stack up a couple of 13 or 14 hour driving days and you won't want to face another for quite a while.

2 weeks in California (including Vegas and the Grand Canyon), one week for Chicago and North Carolina, one week for New York.

Drive up the coast between LA and San Francisco, fly to Vegas and drive to the Grand Canyon then drive back to Vegas. Fly to Chicago, then North Carolina and finally New York. You don't have time to make road trips from one city to the next all the time.

New Orleans will be way to hot and humid in July, Roswell is way too far out of the way and Chicago has more to offer than Austin. You could visit Austin in place of Chicago if it appeals more to you - you will surely be able to find enough to do in the short time you'd be there. Same goes for New Orleans but the humidity/heat would be a deal breaker for me.

This is a huge country and there is no way that you can see even half of what you want to see.

Much as I love NYC - and granted it is worth a week IF you have the time - I would try to make it 5 days to allow yourself 3 or 4 days for DC - which is incredible. At that time of year I would avoid the south - it is so hellishly hot - and there are great beaches on the Jersey Shore, Long Island or Cape Cod if you are making time to head for Boston.

I would drop LV - a truly awful place - and try to see Yosemite from SF for a couple of days - and keep to the northern part of the country - since you can;t do everything.

No Las Vegas,Roswell, or Austin--and probably LA. Fly to San Francisco and see Yosemite from there. Fly to NOLA. Fly to Charleston and drive up the coast to Jacksonville. choose a beach along the way (NOT Myrtle Beach!). Drive to Washington--drop the car. Take the train to NYC.
Where are you coming from?

They are from outside the US so if they rent from an overseas broker like rentalcars.com the one way drop fee is waived on certain popular routes (like LA-SF) and all their insurance will be included.

Even renting direct from Alamo or Hertz/Dollar or Avis, a foreigner will usually get great rates with no drop fees/ insurances included. Often better rates than through a "middle man"/broker.

And Las Vegas is definitely not a "truly awful place" for foodies...eating great food is mentioned as one of the goals of the trip...which is another good reason to include New Orleans as well.

Why do some people persist in saying San Diego is so hot in the summer. The average high is in the upper 70's - along the coastal corridor anyway - and very little humidity.

And this is from one who has lived here for 34 years.

BTW - luv Los Vegas any time - even in the middle of their hot summers - where you can hang by the pools - many of which have misters - and the casinos/hotels are all air conditioned. :)

Las Vegas has some places with excellent food - and a lot with awful food. (The idea of a buffet guarantees the food is dreadful - not fresh and god only knows how unclean). The problem is that there is nothing else to do there but lose money.

If the OP has unlimited time and an interest in gambling - then fine. But they are asking about the best of the US in only a month - and LB just doesn't cut it.

Thank you so much for all of your help! I'm sorry about the late reply. Our trip is starting to form, much thanks to you guys:).We will probably start another topic once the itenerary is done!

You will have a fantastic trip no matter what you choose, it is always the unplanned moments that are the treasures.
I would definitely spend a lot of time in the San Francisco area, between the city, Muir Woods, Sausalito, Wine Country, Carmel or Yosemite you would have great weather and beautiful vistas. You should drive the coast and could expand into Big Sur and San Simeon. You could continue on to LA for more good weather and food.
I would fly out to Austin or NoLA and then drive to the other even though this will be HOT! Then fly out to the east coast and hit DC, NY, Boston and Cape Cod, again more beautiful scenery and the history element. I would not include Roswell, Vegas or the Grand Canyon, too hot and/or crowded. I am from Chicago so if you have time, another good food, music, and pretty lakefront. I really don't think there are that many great drives for where you want to go and gas prices and car rentals add up.

And Chicago has beaches right downtown too.

I am now remembering the Jacksonville reference from reading this earlier!!
Boston could be an outlier. Vegas surely is for a lot of reasons (heat and tackiness?!!).
San Francisco a must. I think ClarkG.'s idea of driving up the coast from LA is good--it's an experience. If it is possible, Yosemite as a couple of days from SF--it is a wonder of the world.
Austin? Well, it is a young person's town, and also an experience. Fly there. Could drive to NOLA but it isn't areal interesting drive until you get to Louisiana but if the rental rate is good and no drop off, it could give you a taste of some rural areas.
Chicago is a great city. I don't know if you have time to do it.
You could fly to Charleston from NOLA and again, drive up the coast to Jacksonville (if you "must" and can work in the time).
You could drive on to NYC and end your trip there.
I haven't attached times to this--if you "connect these dots" with the travel time between them, maybe it will help to put the cities in focus for times.

NOLA--yes.

I started to spend my vacations in North America when I was in my early 20s, and have probably done most from short city trips to one-month road trips.
The most important task for a first time visitor is to focus, focus, focus.
It should not matter too much what could be a nice destination (as there are zillions in the US), but what ticks the boxes.

Practically, you have a good advantage when you rent from outside the US. While formerly only one-way rentals between major hubs (within CA or FL or between CA and NV) came without a o/w fee, today you have offers that give you the o/w option for free in a much larger area, e.g. most waive between CO and CA and WA so you get the whole Western US.

If the hot climate in July was an issue for OP, I'd probably stay away from the Southwest - which is a shame, but unless you know that you can operate at 100F it makes not much sense to always think about A/C controlled spaces as refuges.

OPs seem to be younger folks and I was wondering if that is the case I was wondering if they should not take a closer look at the Pacific Northwest (and the climate should be nice than in the SW).

Fly to NYC and do your week there (guess that was one of OP's musts). You have 3 hrs less jet lag than flying to the West Coast.

After your week in NYC fly to, for example Charlotte, pick up rental car, go to Jacksonville NC - and the Outer Banks or the NC coastline in general.
Go back to Charlotte or any airport in the area where you can get a decently priced flight to either SF/Oakland or Seattle. The following only works if you get a rental car with waived o/w fees between WA and CA or v.v.

Fly in to Seattle. Explore Seattle/Vancouver
Drive down via Portland to SF.
You find three "young" vibrant, exciting cities (four if you include Vancouver), great nature from pristine beaches, national parks, redwood forests to volcanoes.
Subjectively I find the NoCal coastline even more spectacular than the classic Hwy 1 leg between SF and LA.

Fly home from SF or Seattle, depending on where you started the trip down or up the NW coast.

I think that NC and the Northwest should be enough to keep one busy for three weeks, especially when taking in mind that you probably want several days in SF and Seattle (and Vancouver) alone.

Re: beaches in LA or San Francisco, definitely LA. I suggest upscale Laguna Beach area, or closer to LA, more 'public' Manhattan Beach.

Roswell, New Mexico-- skip it.

Actually, if I were you two, I'd focus on one coast, East or West.

I prefer West, so that's where I'd go.
There is plenty to do in the Southwest for one month: San Diego, LA, San Francisco, with wineries, beaches, mountains, desert, historic missions, and everything in between.

Vegas, if you must (blech).

Yosemite
Muir Woods
Golden Gate national recreation area
Lake Tahoe
Tucson, Arizona
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Denver, Colorado.

West/Southwest

Fantasi, Cowboy also makes sense, recommending the Northwest, too.

A lot depends on your tolerance for heat. What type of climate do you live in? Maybe you want a change of pace?

BTW, I hope you don't encounter any more rude Fodorites. They are few and far between, actually.

Have fun planning! You have so many options, it can be overwhelming, so ask whatever questions you need to ask.

I love Southwest airlines. They let you change your flights with no penalty fee. I do it a lot. The money stays in your account, you use your confirmation number to retrieve your credits and use them. Very simole. With SW, you would have the flexibility to alter your plan on the ground. Also, they allow two checked bags, plus one carryon and one personal item-- all for free.

Fly to NYC and do your week there (guess that was one of OP's musts). You have 3 hrs less jet lag than flying to the West Coast.

I am still wondering where they are coming from. I sort of thought Australia or such, but maybe Europe.

If they can fly from coast to coast--and some between--I think a trip that incorporates both coasts is more interesting.
I agree that 5 days in NYC is plenty. Washington DC is so often overlooked as a US destination.

<i>Why do some people persist in saying San Diego is so hot in the summer. The average high is in the upper 70's - along the coastal corridor anyway - and very little humidity.</i>

Good question - we visited SD in various Augusts and if it hit 85+ the residents considered it a heat wave.

Fantasi, how is your trip planning coming along? We're looking at a trip to Australia and found that it's just about the size of the US! So, I'm very sympathetic to your dilemma.

As a westerner, I'll admit to a bias toward Cowboy's and Tabernash's recommendations. Especially since they recommended the Pacific Northwest, where you'll get both fantastic scenery and food. And I've found the people are especially friendly.

I'm a longtime Denver, CO resident and really like it here, but with your limited time, I'd skip it in favor of going to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe will be completely different than any other US city. It's a small, but sophisticated town with classic southwestern pueblo architecture, fantastic art, and excellent food. It moves at slower pace than any place else you'll visit and might be a good place to relax for a couple of days. Yes, it's the southwest, which can be especially hot (though arid, so shade works really well), but it's at about 7500 feet elevation so it rarely gets oppressively hot. It's hard to fly there, but you could fly into Albuquerque and drive the 2.5 up to Santa Fe or fly into Denver and drive the 7 hours straight down. I know that sounds awful, but it's a really easy drive on a well maintained highway with very little traffic. If you want to see scenery like that in every Hollywood western you've ever seen, that would be it. You could then fly back out of ABQ.

Having said all that, I like New Orleans. I used to live there, too. It's also completely unlike an other American city-well, at least the French Quarter and the nearby Garden District. Terrific food, a fun party atmosphere, good jazz and blues clubs just north of the Quarter...and amazingly hot and humid in July.

I'd love to find out what you all decide on. Welcome. We hope you have a good time here.

Wow, I'm overwhelmed by all you help! Thank you so much:)

I will post our temporary itinerary soon, and we would appreciate some feedback on that as well.

We are from from Norway btw, so the warm weather is highly appreciated ;)

Glad to help with the new itinerary when you post.
There is a difference between warm, hot and broiling.
Death Valley in July when the sun is out is usually broiling.
Wear a big floppy hat and carry lots of water if you are going to be away from the air conditioned car for more than 15 minutes.

I use carhire3000 when I hire cars in the US, no one way drop off plus all the insurances included. Was great, we got hit in florida once and I made sure I did a police report and everything with the other person's details and the hire company didn't want it or bat an eyelid.
(from the UK)

I'd say skip Chicago and Austin. Austin is cool, but not thaaaat cool. I was in Death Valley and Las Vegas in July and it was hot, to be sure, but it's so dry it doesn't feel terrible. I love the heat anyway. :) Here are some of my favorite places in the US: San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Death Valley, Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, all of the cool parks in Utah (Arches, Bryce, Zion), NYC. If you're into incredible scenery, Utah has a lot of it! And Yellowstone is amazing. New Orleans is hot and muggy in the summer, but I still love it. Sounds like you'll have a fun trip!