California
 

We are a 4 members family (2 boykids, 12 and 13 years old) and would like to spend two weeks at California renting a RV. Can somebody give me some tips?

Need a LITTLE more information?

When?

What area?

Thank ypu for your intereting!
We are from Argentina and will fly up to California just to ride the RV there.

We are planning to go in July, for 2 weeks
We do not know which areas but we prefer beaches

Unless you drive a large truck or are highly experienced in an RV, then it is my opinion that renting an RV is a mistake. The road along the coast are very narrow and driving and RV is much harder than normal circumstances. Which side of the road do you drive on now? Furthermore, it is almost certainly going to cost more in an RV. Fuel, fees, etc will add up more than lodging and a rental car. The least expensive way to do the coast would be tent camping. Expect tougher rules for renting an RV than renting a car in the US.

What month will this trip be?

Best places in California for this type of trip in my opinion
Yosemite National Park
Sequoia National Park
Redwood National Park
Lassen National Park
San Francisco
San Diego
Hwy 1 between LA and San Fran
Point Reyes National Seashore

Like spirobulldog, I would not recommend an RV, unless you were heading to more remote areas of the state, such as far Northern California and had more than 4 people. Do more research on the costs before going ahead with RV rental.

Here is a link to an excellent trip report. It will be very helpful in planning your trip to California:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...lden-state.cfm

With two weeks, you could fly into LA and out of San Francisco, if you rent a car. You could see both beaches, cities, and mountains.

Good luck and give us more details when you have a rough plan.

What Michelle said.

California is my favorite to visit, and I can't add anything to what Michelle has said.

And I agree that you do NOT want to rent an RV.

If you decide to rent an RV, make sure you have camping reservations for the places you want to stay. You can't just fly by the seat of your pants and hope to get a camping spot ANY where in California in the summer.

Utahtea

July for 2 weeks - if you are interested in more rural areas rather than cities and towns, then an RV can be fun. Yes, it will probably be more expensive than a rental car and hotels, definitely more expensive than tent camping, even when you consider the cost to buy gear, and it is harder to drive an RV than a car - BUT - a lot of people love travelling in an RV.

Parking in cities and towns can be problematic though except for stops at grocery stores and places like that which have large parking lots. There are some RV parks in the Santa Cruz and Monterey area (on the coast) that are close to town - easily accesible with bikes or bus - but that is not the norm.

California has a lot of nice state parks, which are probably the most economical places to camp and generally have pretty good facilities. You won't find many with full hookups, but there will be toilet and shower facilities in a lot of the parks. Reservations are definitely a must though.

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

KOA is a chain of privately-owned campgrounds that might work for you.

http://koa.com/

Anything is possible.

Some things are just more possible than others. :)

I'll agree with the others - if you are planning on driving in an RV, then the more open spaces in the interior of the state would be better.

If you are planning on driving along the coast, then a car would be better.

In fact with two weeks you could plan on starting from Oregon and going all the way down along the Oregon and California line.

For cheaper car rental, fly into Los Angeles and drive straight up Interstate 5 which runs north-south in the middle of California. Interstate 5 is a very fast highway. In a day or two you will be north enough for your purposes, then head west for the coast and leisurely make your way down Highway 1 along the coast back to Los Angeles.

<<<Parking in cities and towns can be problematic though except for stops at grocery stores and places like that which have large parking lots>>>

I can just see them trying to get into (and park in) the parking lot at my local Safeway :-)

I love "camping" in the yurts in the coastal State Parks in Oregon. http://www.traveloregon.com/Explore-...y-Camping.aspx
For California coastal lodging, staying at 1 of the 2 Hosteling International Lighthouse hostels is a good cheap choice.
I have stayed at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse hostel about 50 miles south of San Francisco.