I am voting to do the Caravan California Yosemite tour this summer. My family (dh and a churlish 14 yo) is skeptical--fearing being herded on and off buses with 90 yo's. My research indicates a leisurely pace and nice mix of ages. I see no way we could see all this stuff on our own because we'd be gripping and getting lost half the timelike we always do when we take these well intentioned "road trips."

Do you mean this one http://admin.caravantours.com/Califo...rs-by-bus.html

If so, I'm w/ you family. I would not touch it w/ a barge pole.

Some reasons -- You have 2 days in SF - but one of those is spent on a day tour to wine country.

It looks like you have 2 days in Yosemite - but it is really only 1 day. You don't arrive at your outside-the-park motel until the first evening. Your only time IN Yosemite is the next day.

Then you get a grand total of one day to cover Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Santa Barbara and end up in Beverly Hills. Where you'd have ONE day for touring the entire city including the Getty.

"I see no way we could see all this stuff on our own" You will "see" most things from the window of your tour bus. None of those places are at ALL difficult to do on your own. But no matter what you decide - you need more than 6 days to cover that much territory.

If you only have a week - choose part of that route and drive yourselves.

My 80 year old mother would like this tour because she doesn't have to get in and out of the bus very much, and can see "everything" from the windows of the bus.

You could easily drive yourselves from SF down the coast, or do Napa Valley and Yosemite, but it would be very difficult to make this trip enjoyable as Caravan does it.

I'm thinking if the 14 year old is churlish now he'll be down right devilish my the time the bus tour is over.

I found with my teens that it is better to plunk down one or two places and give them a little wandering/exploring time on their own (depending on age of course).

My vote is "see" less and you'll actually DO more.

(P.S. Try to get your kid to have some input on what you do. He might like the trip better.)

Points all very well taken. So steal the Caravan itinerary or half of it, and rent a convertible? any tips on particular sites along that route that could be cut or are not to miss?

Yep, rent a car, use this itinerary as a base (check also all other tours' itineraries you can find) and don't worry, be happy, you cannot see everything anyway

I don't think the 14 year old would love visiting the wineries in the Napa area. However, San Francisco has something for everyone.

What does your family like? Museums, hiking, views, history????
When are you planning to visit California? We can help you more if you give us a little info on your likes/dislikes.

Never mind the 14 year old being aggravated - think how aggravated all those 90 yeard olds will be when they're copped up in a bus with him for interminable hours on end.

Agree to do the trip yourself by car - seeing a reasonable amount of territory - and actually getting out and doing/seeing things - versus falling asleep in the bus.

My suggestion, depending on how much time you have, is to pick a few items on the tour and focus on those - San Francisco/Yosemite or LA/part of the coast.

There is more than enough to see in any of those locations to take a week, and I agree the 14 year old will enjoy it more if he's got some time to explore and chill without having to constantly be siteseeing with a big group.

Convertibles are a PITA. They are fun for the first 15 minutes, then everyone gets windblown, stuff flies out of the car, and everyone gets sunburned. There is also far less luggage storeage in the trunk because of the top.

Having recently returned from a band trip with teens, who spent entirely TOO much time on the bus, I'll say that all they do is sleep, text, and monkey with their iPods. They don't EVEN look out the window! LOL

^ Oh, and watch really LOUD movies.

For some reason, watching a movie for the 4th time was more interesting to most of them than seeing Manhattan -- and most of them had never been there before. Go figure.

That's why I think they need to be out of a bus DOING stuff. Hike, swim, eat, (they always like that), go to jazz clubs, ride a Segway, whatever...

Rent a car, and use the money you save to buy a portable GPS so you won't get lost.

You'll all be happier!

Ok bring on the tips: Here is our family demographic (?)
We are foodies, including the 14 yo, so we need all the restaurant tips. While she may not like the wineries, she will have to see a few of them because her father is a wine enthusisat(?), and I've had to see Disney World 6-7 times. Fair is fair.
We like history, and I'm an English teacher, so any literary sights (Steinbeck stuff; Amy Tan's San Francisco) is a must.
14 yo is dying to see all the junk in Hollywood and thereabouts that is on those crappy reality shows like The Hills/Greeks.
I'd appreciate a break down of days needed per region too.

How long a trip are you considering?

Makes a huge difference.

10 days.