My husband, two toddlers and I are planning to fly to the states for the first time next summer. we are thinking of flying Shanghai to either Seattle or Portland, hire a campervan (sorry I don't know what you call it in America) and then drive to San Francisco to visit family there. Wondering if it's best to start at the top and drive down OR fly into SF, drive up north then fly back down and out of SF back to Shanghai.

My parents will fly in from Australia to meet us for part of the trip.

Questions:
Is it reasonable to drive a campervan big enough to sleep 6 people down the coast road?
Is it worth sticking to the coast the whole time?

Are there adequate campsites to park the van along the way?Who should we get in contact with to book vansites?

Will it actually be cheaper in the campervan than staying in hotels the whole time?

We have about 3 weeks to do the trip. ANY advice from families would be most helpful.

Thank you

I would reconsider your plan. There are many campgrounds, that is not ever a problem.

But a motorhome large enough for 6 would be very expensive to rent and cost a fortune in petrol. And a one-way rental will be harder to find and have expensive drop off fees.

It would probably be cheaper to just rent an SUV, get good gas mileage, and stay in motel/hotels along the way. If you wanted to do some camping 'just because', you could rent basic camp equipment at a chain like REI (or buy cheap stuff somewhere like Walmart) and do a combo og motels/roughing it.

I agree with the above post. A motorhome will only give you about 8 miles per gallon and gas is right around $2.60 a gallon right now and Seattle to San Francisco is around 800 miles, so, around $260.00 one way. Plus a per night charge at campgrounds Plus the rental cost of the motorhome, which I have no idea what that would be, but probably around $1500.00 a week

Why not fly round trip to San Francisco, using SF as your home base, you can rent a car and travel north to Yosemite, which is beautiful! You can also drive the coast south down route #1 to Santa cruz, the kids would love the boardwalk there and if so inclined continue traveling the coast route #1 to Monterey bay aquarium and futher down route #1 to Big Sur and beyond....

Just a suggestion

These type of things are often called "RV"s here (for recreational vehicle). We have several times researched cost and found that to rent becomes a lifestyle choice rather than a money-saving one. And as non-US citizens you would likely have to pay higher additional insurance fees as well.

Four adults and 2 kids in an RV is quite crowded. I think the trip would cost the same or less if you stayed in hotels long the way. Many hotels come with free breakfast and you can bring along a cooler and have picnic lunches to save money.

We did the same route several years ago - split drive between coastal road and highway - started in Seattle and ended in San Francisco, but it does not matter which direction. We had a great trip - hope you do as well.

RVing will not save you money, but it will give you a different camping experience. Whatever you choose drive north to south as pulling out into ocean overlooks will be safer going this way then pulling accross oncoming traffic. For an idea of RV rental costs and routes go to cruiseamerica.com or just google usa rv rental. If you do choose to rent an RV then go to the forums on RV.net and post all your questions for RV experts to answer. For ideas on campgrouds go to rvparkreviews.com for mostly private campgrounds, and forestcamping.com for mostly state and government campsites. Enjoy your vacation!

I agree w/most on site: forget the expensive, gas guzzling, drop off fee, RV expereince in US.
Fly into Seattle, get an SUV, go to Wal MArt and get cooler basic food, cooking supplies, basic tent supplies, maps etc. and drive south from Seattle, to San Francisco. Depending on what you want to see, where you want to go: I & others can give you lots of recommdations for inexpensive hotels, great parks w/cheap cabins for all. San Francisco has some of the worst driving conditions (but great sights) and I would NEVER drive a RV there...
When you have some ideas on the amount of time, places and itinreary, post again and we will help w/sights to see & lodging ideas.

We've priced this out for family trips out west several times and it's always come out more expensive for us, family of 4, 1 hotel room. There may be an added cost for a fully equipped RV (kitchen, sheets, towels, etc) compared to one you'd rent close to your home and outfit on your own.

For a family of 6 it might come out close in cost since you'd be needing 2 hotel rooms per night.

There are several companies that rent RV's - barblam listed some good sites above. You can check out prices & compare for yourself. Since RV sales and rentals have dropped off a lot due to gas prices and the economy in the last 2 years you might find a good deal. I don't know.

Some people love RVing, and/or camping in general. Others think they will be fine, but find it to be a horrible experience after just a few days confined in the same space together. If you are used to this travel style at home then it's not a bad way to travel the western US.

Several of my friends have small RV's, but none of them seem to take long driving trips. They use them for portable kitchens to picnic at sporting events, or as a mother-ship when camping out a rustic campground with tents & lots of open space for the kids. They always have a car along on those trips for driving - the RV stays in one place.

My family likes long, hot showers and daily maid service, which rules out an RV. Hotels only. Period.

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An RV in San Francisco would not be a pretty sight!

Are you set on the Seattle - San Francisco idea? Have you done the California coast previously? How about LA/San Diego? (I think if this were me, I'd fly into and out of San Francisco, rent a car and drive south -- so much to see and do -- and return to San Francisco to visit with family)

The price of gas might not be a problem as fuel is very expensive in New Zealand probably similar in Australia, $ 1.70 a litre at the moment. Melli may think that $ 2.60 a gallon is very cheap.

(I agree - I have to smile when some of us Americans try to warn foreign visitors about the "expensive" gas )

But at any price, 8 mpg is a hecka lot worse than 28-30 mpg. Yes, our petrol is relatively very cheap. But a motorhome is a real gas guzzler.

What time of the year are you coming?? I probably wouldn't stick with the Coast the entire way.

How long do you have for the driving portion of the trip? 3 weeks or did that include visiting in San Fran? I probably wouldn't want to drive an RV in SF.

meili,
my inlaws spent a few years on the road and to get the size of vehicle to suit your family, you will need to have nerves of steel on some of those roads. Coming next summer, the weather will cooperate more (could hit rain in June) but roads busier too.

My inlaws actually have what's called a Fifth Wheel, which is a large trailer that extends over the bed of a pickup truck. (I know you use different terms for all these things). One reason they went this route is because with an RV, you can't just run to the grocery store without unhooking your water, sewer, electric and then taking the whole RV with you.

And J62, I love the "mothership" analogy.

Slightly off-topic, but when my mother took her RV across the country, she was able to stay overnight for free in WalMart parking lots. Not what you would be looking for on your vacation, but I found that interesting...