Can anyone tell me if this is a good or crazy idea, please?

As part of our two week family holiday driving down from San Francisco to LA, I wondered about leaving the car at an airport, flying to Las Vegas and experiencing the sheer spectacle [but not experiencing the gambling], then talking a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon the next day and then flying back to the airport.

So [a] is that a lot to pack in [I'm sure everyone would think 'yes' but we're British, unlikely to be back for a long time and don't really want two nights in Vegas or to drive there!!]?

And [b] can anyone recommend the best airport to go from [ie Santa Barbara, LAX, Orange County] and the best way to book flights and 'copter?

Many thanks!

Not so crazy. I would recommend taking an early morning JetBlue flight out of Long Beach, usually about $50pp each way. It's a much smaller and easier airport to negotiate than LAX or Orange County. You can then take a late flight back to LGB, so you can experience the lights of Vegas at night.

We did our helicopter tour of the canyon with Papillon, and landed in the GC for a little wine and cheese picnic. www.papillon.com Very enjoyable, but it was 15 years ago. Maybe someone has more recent experience.

You can get your helicopter shuttle driver to pick you up right at the airport, and may be able to get him to drop you off somewhere on the strip. The Deuce bus will take you up and down the strip for $5 for 24 hours.

Enjoy!

It's about a 4 to 5-hour drive.

Yes, that's a long drive, but if you factor-in the ground time and hassles of flying, plus the convenience of having the car while you're there and the likelihood of driving being cheaper, plus details like less schlepping of luggage, then driving starts to look reasonable!

Sounds like fun.It's only a 45 min. flight. The only drawback would be the security check at McCarren, it's the worst.

3 hours at the airport, one hour at the rental car desk, for a 45 mintute flight? Just drive it.

You can also fly out of Burbank (very convenient, hassel free airport). Southwest currently has tickets for around $100 Burbank to Vegas.

Do not underestimate the amount of time at Las Vegas airport. Security lines, checked baggage (which I doubt you will have) and just waiting in the cab line can take a long time in and out of the airport.

If you decide to fly, here are my suggestions: go from one of the easier airports (Burbank, Long Beach etc not LAX), only carry on luggage, hire a limo/car from airport (avoid cab line), allow plenty of time for security check on way back. On the positive side - it is a very quick flight, inexpensive if purchased in advance, you may be tired of driving, and on the drive you can also run into headaches and obstacles)

Have fun!

I would fly over from San Francisco (and back) before you do the coastal drive south. Virgin America and United both have several return trips daily (VX with all-new Branson-ey planes) for around US$110 return.

That way you wouldn't need to pay for extra rental days or for car parking at some unfamiliar airport (just collect your hire car and head south from SFO.)

Congestion at Las Vegas airport is pretty bad, but it varies greatly depending on time of day and day of week. You should also note that Las Vegas (auto) traffic can also be horrendous - even the freeway to/from LA can be icky at times.

I drive it, but it is the most god awful boring ride imaginable, and if you're British, BEWARE THE I-15. You're tooling down the freeway at a healthy clip, then BAM, you screech to a halt because of a car crash or road work or. . . .

Many thanks everyone for the advice - it all sounds really do-able! Burbank seems the easiest option as we'll probably have spent the night before at Santa Barbara and will stay in Santa Monica the rest of our time in LA. Have checked out Southwest Airlines who are currently booking til August. We're looking at late October - any idea how far in advance flights get released? Also, any recommendations on a Vegas hotel that'll be easy to get to with a great pool for the kids?

Hey that's sounds like fun to me! And why not it's a holiday! I say go for it. I would however not pack all your stuff, is there any way you could leave your bags in your hotel here in CA? Or are you leaving that hotel altogether? Look how cool the helicopter tour looks.http://www.las-vegas-nevada.com/las-vegas-tours.php Make sure you get a tour on the helicopter that takes you over the Grand Canyon.

Well I now think our best - and least hassle option - is to stay somewhere such as at El Capitan Canyon the night before then fly out of Santa Barbara to Vegas for two nights. We can then fly back to Santa Barbara and drive down to Santa Monica [mid -afternoon so hopefully traffic won't be bad. We travel very lightly anyway and can leave stuff in car/at airport.

Be really careful about leaving anything in the car - it would be sad if the car got broke into and your stuff taken while you were gone. If you leave it in the trunk - BEFORE you park it so no one sees what's in the trunk - it should be all right, just don't leave anything out in plain sight.

I agree with the other posters - fly and enjoy!

Absolutely - as a Londoner, I do exactly that already!