Itinerary assistance needed
 

Hi everyone!

My boyfriend and I are Australian students in our early 20s and we're heading to the USA for 5 weeks late this year and would like some tips on our itinerary that we have pulled together. For the longer routes between states we will be flying however for some short routes we will be getting the bus. Let us know if we have allocated our time appropriately between the states in terms of what there is to see and do in each area - and if there's a state that we should think about including! We will do typical touristy things :)

Oct-28 LOS ANGELES

Oct-29 LOS ANGELES

Oct-30 LOS ANGELES

Oct-31 SAN FRANCISCO (Halloween)

Nov-01 SAN FRANCISCO

Nov-02 SAN FRANCISCO - Yosemite day trip

Nov-03 SAN FRANCISCO

Nov-04 SAN FRANCISCO

Nov-05 SAN FRANCISCO

Nov-06 SAN FRAN-LAS VEGAS

Nov-07 LAS VEGAS - GRAND CANYON

Nov-08 LAS VEGAS

Nov-09 LAS-VEGAS-NEW ORLEANS

Nov-10 NEW ORLEANS

Nov-11 NEW ORLEANS

Nov-12 NEW ORLEANS-MIAMI

Nov-13 MIAMI

Nov-14 MIAMI

Nov-15 MIAMI-ORLANDO

Nov-16 ORLANDO

Nov-17 ORLANDO-WASHINGTON

Nov-18 WASHINGTON

Nov-19 WASHINGTON

Nov-20 WASHINGTON-NEW YORK

Nov-21 NEW YORK

Nov-22 NEW YORK

Nov-23 NEW YORK

Nov-24 NEW YORK

Nov-25 NEW YORK

Nov-26 NEW YORK

Nov-27 NEW YORK

Nov-28 NEW YORK

Nov-29 NEW YORK

Nov-30 NEW YORK-CHICAGO

Dec-01 CHICAGO

Dec-02 CHICAGO

Dec-03 LOS ANGELES

Dec-04 LOS ANGELES

Well you hav a rasonable amount of time. Not sure about buses - can be done between DC and NYC - although I think the train is more comfortable. However, you will be northern parts in cold weather and will have to bring a wardrobe for that. Also you are in NYC at the most expensive time of year. Don't know where you plan on staying but I believe that Hosteling International has a well-reviewed hostel with beds in a shared dorm room available for about $45 each - or $90 for the two of you.

For that part of the trip I would start looking at lodging now if you want to try to get a hotel room - but do expect to pay about $250 to $300 minimum for that.

Also note that you are flying NYC to Chicago around the thanksgiving holiday - which is the busiest flight time of the year - with many tens of thousands of students flying home for the holidays. Prices then are typically very high - and flights often booked solid as soon as students get their class schedules when starting classes in Sept. So - unless you are buying some sort of air pass I would also buy those tickets as soon as possible.

FYI - there are no big street parties in SF for Halloween anymore so if that's why you've planned that day, it's not so important.

Thanksgiving will impact things from Nov 27 - Dec 1. The <u>horrible</u> travel days are the Wed Nov 27 and Sunday Dec 1. So as you have it laid out you've dodged a bullet a bit since you are traveling either of those days. But Nov 30 will also be pretty bad so you'll want to book your flights NOW.

I honestly don't see anywhere that buses make sense except between Wash. DC and NYC (and a train might be better for that) and perhaps Miami to Orlando.

You may also want to book LV to NO flight ASAP since that is a three day holiday weekend and there are lots of leisure travelers. (Though NOTHING as busy as Thanksgiving travel)

Seeing Los Angeles using only public transportation will require lots of planning and a careful hotel selection based on what you want to see/do.

How were you going to travel to San Francisco from Los Angeles? There is no direct train service between the two cities; bus service is cheap enough but takes 9 hours. Could you get flights from Australia that have you start your trip in San Francisco and end in Los Angeles (or vice versa)? If not, there are nine Virgin America flights LAX-SFO on Oct. 28th with one-way fares under $100 per person. If you head to S.F. immediately on arrival, you could put all of your L.A. days together at the end.

Were you thinking of taking a coach tour from SF to Yosemite? I looked at one such day-trip (Starline) and can't say that it sounded all that enjoyable. Pick-up at your hotel around 6:30a, arrive back in SF at 9:00p, with only 2 hours off the bus in Yosemite Valley. Yes, you are driven past the main geological sights in the Park, but you sit on a bus for 13 hours... Driving a rental car cuts the travel time by a few hours, but there would be a slight risk of snow at that time. It wouldn't accumulate, but it could slow you down.

An interesting choice to go to Chicago in early December... Average high temp at that time is 5C, average low temp is -2C.

First, it looks like you've allocated the right amount of time for each city. Well done! It is especially good to see you've included Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, as they are gorgeous and unlike everything else you are seeing. But day trips won't give you much time to hike and really enjoy their beauty. So if there is anyway you can overnight at these two parks, I am sure you will find it worthwhile. (You can see most of Vegas in a day or two, so cutting time from there is not a problem, unless you plan to spend several days gambling).

Also, moving around for one location to the next is the hardest part. As others have said, most of your moves require flights. The suggestion of immediately going to SF, then putting all your LA days at the end is a good one. Cutting a few destinations may save you both time and money, but only you know how much those are worth to you.

Wishing you a wonderful trip!

I live in DC and take the bus to NY rather than the train, I think it is better. Mainly because it is cheaper, of course, but you can get the bus for about $20-25 and the train is often around $100 or even more. And you get there only about 30-60 minutes later. There are many bus companies, also, that do that run, several leave from Union Station where is where I prefer (I've used DC2NY, Washington Deluxe, and Bolt, I think -- I have avoided Megabus as it has more complaints in DC, but a lot of people take it). The bus is perfectly comfortable.

There are cheap buses between San Francisco and LA, also, although I think Megabus is the main operator out there. I have a relative who lives there who takes MEgabus to LA as it is cheaper than the train or flying, although I'd certainly look at air fares to see, if money is a concern. Megabus also has runs for about $20 between LA and Las Vegas. I think this itinerary would make more sense starting in San Francisco, then to LA and then Las Vegas.


BUS INFO
http://lasvegascitylife.com/sections...-vegas-la.html
http://us.megabus.com/
https://www.boltbus.com/
http://www.dc2ny.com/
http://www.washny.com/

Actually the train isn't that much more - you can get discounts if you buy tickets far in advance. And with the potential for bad weather the train is much more reliable than the bus (bad weather, accident and construction can turn a 5 hour bus ride to a 7 or 8 hours one).

re:
How were you going to travel to San Francisco from Los Angeles? There is no direct train service between the two cities;


There is - Amtrak - bus to Oakland then the Coast Starlight. Takes forever but a lovely ride.

"There is - Amtrak - bus to Oakland then the Coast Starlight. Takes forever but a lovely ride."

As I said, "there is no direct train service between the two cities." All of the options on Amtrak that day (10/30/13) involve at least one train (sometimes two) and one bus, and then the OP would need to get from Oakland to S.F. Add the fact that Amtrak has a very poor on-time record for this route AND the fact that the Virgin America air fare is only $33 more than the lowest Amtrak fare (which goes via Bakersfield BTW), and there really is no good argument for Amtrak in this instance.

Hi everyone! Wow thanks for all the feedback!

I am anticipating that NY accomm will be expensive - will either rent an apartment or stay in a hostel. Hoping to finalise the above itinerary this week so we can book something in!!
Just had a look and we can get flights for 180 each NY-Chicago which seems reasonable? There's also a 180 flight Las Vegas-New Orleans.

Would we be able to participate in trick o treating in San Fran or does that not happen? It seemed a more desirable location to spend Halloween then LA or LV.

If we were to immediately go to San Fran and save LA for the end then we'd end up in NY sooner and we want to be there for Thanksgiving/Black Friday so we can't afford anymore days at the end.
We're going to get either the California Shuttle or Greyhound bus LA-San Fran. It's very cheap and we get a student discount and we will probably sleep most of the day since we'll be jet lagged.

Jean we were going to take an Extranomical day tour to Yosemite - it has received good reviews and my boyfriend and I aren't massive hikers, we more so just want to see it.
http://www.extranomical.com/HTML_PAG..._ITINERARY.htm

And I travelled Europe in Jan and Feb in 2 degree weather so Chicago for a few days won't bother me at all! We're returning to the 30 degree Australian summer so plenty of sun to come.

There are 3 HI hostels in San Francisco. There is a very big one in Chicago. There is 1 in New York City. http://www.hihostels.com/
The Amtrak Coast Starlight leaves Los Angeles every morning and arrives late night in Emeryville with bus service to San Francisco (20 to 30 minutes). I would not want to arrive in SF at midnight. The better idea might be to take the morning Amtrak bus to Bakersfield and take the San Joaquin train to Merced and the YARTS bus to Yosemite. Come back to Merced and take the San Joaquin train to Emeryville to get to SF.
Fly from SFO to go to Las Vegas. Fly from Las Vegas to New Orleans. Fly from New Orleans to Miami. You can use a train from Miami to Orlando and from Orlando to Washington DC (overnight).

Halloween in San Francisco is a lot of fun -- lots of people dress up, and neighborhoods like the Castro are great to walk around in when you're in costume. (Last year I went as Binder Woman--a time-sensitive political reference.) Not sure where there's actual trick-or-treating for 20-somethings, but you would have fun anyway.

>>will either rent an apartment or stay in a hostel.<<

No apartment unfortunately - 99% of the NYC apartments advertised on various websites are illegal. There are a VERY tiny number of legal apartments - but essentially apartments can't be rented short term anywhere in New York.

I live in New Zealand and have done a similar trip twice now. Both times we flew into San Francisco and stayed there a few days. The first trip we flew from SFO to Washington DC and then took Amtrak to New York. We booked early and I found a discount on the net for buy one, other passenger was free. This was a few years ago though so may not still be available. From NY we then flew back to Orange County in California did the Disneyland thing, and then flew out of LAX.

The trip we took last year was at the same time as you are planning. We arrived in San Fransisco the day before Halloween. Spent three days there and then took a flight to New Orleans. Spent four days there and then flew to New York City. We then explored around the Boston/Cape Cod area, took a flight from Boston back to NYC, and after 10 days or so which included Thanksgiving, we flew back to LAX, for our flight back to New Zealand.

A couple of notes:

Trick or treating is for children - as in 12 and under - not for adults - you would look ridiculous wandering around in fairy princess costumes (which would be expensive from a theatrical costumer) and no one is going to give you a handful of candy

In NYC subletting apartments short-term is illegal - and very often a scam - not something you want to get involved in.

As for weather - the US is generally colder than europe - and I assume the 2 degrees you are talking about is centigrade. In the US you can easily run into 2 farenheit as in far below freezing - and substantial snow. Certainly doable - but you do need real winter clothing and boots. (Dec is kind of early for a lot of snow but a couple of years ago we had 14" on Halloween.)

About the weather, we arrived in New York a day after Hurricane Sandy, and the next day there was a heavy snow-storm. We packed winter clothes mostly, bought heavy jackets in NYC but did take some lighter clothes for San Francisco and New Orleans.

For Halloween in the LA area, there is the West Hollywood Carnaval billed as the largest Halloween street party in the world.

Info on last year's
www.westhollywoodhalloween.com/

Thanks Tom - found a good hostel in Chicago for 70 for a private room! http://www.hostelbookers.com/propert...0/ngt/4/ppl/2/
The Hi hostel in New York don't offer mixed dorms unfortunately.

Thanks for that last post - we're actually considering staying in LA for Halloween now! We're going to add a day to Chicago and arrive in LA on the 4th of Dec instead and fly out that day so we'll put all our LA days at the start instead.
It seems as though LA has more to offer during Halloween in the way of the street party you mentioned and themed nights at big nightclubs... since we've now realised that we may be a little old for the trick or treating :P

And Tom we'll be getting the California shuttle bus to San Fran http://www.cashuttlebus.com/

It's only 15-25 dollars and it gets us there in approx 7 hours. The train is more expensive and we have to swap modes of transport along the way.

I agree that you'd probably enjoy Halloween better in LA or NYC, and since the latter is out, I'd choose LA.

I'd also allocate more time to Florida and as much as I love it, less to NYC.

I think the "day-trip" idea to Yosemite is insane, but you certainly won't be the first or least person to do that, so enjoy.

In NYC, look at rooms at the Vanderbilt YMCA or the Pod Hotel (with bunk beds and shared bath). Those are probably your cheaper options. Or you can stay in Long Island City, Queens (Country Inn & Suites Long Island City is the closet hotel to the subway), which is just a couple of subway stops out from the center of Manhattan for half the price of a hotel in Midtown. (And, yes, apartment rentals are illegal in NYC and are sometimes scams, so I can't recommend that as a viable option.)

I don't understand why you have so many days in New York (9). That's a lot of big city concrete right there. You could trade some of these days for Charleston, Savannah and even St. Augustine.

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

Why so many days in cities? for example, would it be possible for you to get a car and drive to Yosemite, Muir Woods, Napa Valley, etc.?

A "day trip" to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas probably wouldn't work. There was a long discussion of that on this forum some months ago. The Grand Canyon is the most awe inspiring place I've ever been, and it will take you more than a couple of hours to appreciate it. Again, why not get a car, stay a couple of nites on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, then see Zion and Bryce Canyons?

While I love New Orleans--I think two full days there is plenty unless you love music.

Much much too much time for NYC. Consider seeing Philadelphia, Boston and some of New England with some of that time. Take the train to Philadelphia from NYC, then rent a car and drive to and through some of New England, dropping the car in Boston.

Do you have your heart set on Chicago? I only ask because it IS a very cold time to visit there. Personally, I would save Chicago for a different time and use those few days to visit Philadelphia, which is on your way from Washington, D.C. to NY. There is a ton of history there and lots of sites to see.

Just a thought.

I've given this a bit more thought. What I'd suggest is skipping Chicago entirely unless you have a special reason to go there, moving LA to the end of the trip, definitely cutting NYC a bit short and move some of that time to both Florida and California, which would give you time for a real visit to Yosemite or Napa Valley.

I'm wondering about the one day you plan on spending in Orlando. What is the purpose? If its Disney, then you're making a huge mistake. If not Disney, then why? You spend one day to travel to Orlando, one day there, and then the next day moving on. Disney World is a MINIMUM of 3 days even for a quick blitz and you are planning a time period when the park will be jam packed with families on Thanksgiving break. The wait time for rides will be extremely long -- as in hours long for one ride.

I would cut out some of NYC to spend more time in Orlando .....or eliminate Orlando altogether.

We have taken everyone's generous suggestions into account and have remoulded out itinerary. Despite everyone's warnings to reconsider Chicago, I've kept it in because I'm far more interested in visiting Chicago than I am Boston or Philadelphia. However I did try and slot in Boston in between NY and Chicago however the flights Boston-Chicago are far too expensive for the 1st/2nd Dec and I think we'd be rushed for time in Chicago if we did this. We may never go back to North America which is why I just can't risk not seeing Chicago!

We moved all our days in LA to the start as we want to take it easy and sleep off the jet lag etc before hitting San Francisco! Though we aren't big hikers, we've decided to spend 24 hours and stay the night in Yosemite since it seemed highly recommended by you all. This way we'll catch the sunset and sunrise!

Added a day to Orlando for you TC. And we're also stopping by Savannah for a night which I'm pleased about.

Still thinking of doing some minor adjustments, like perhaps an extra day in Miami or Washington, but it's almost ready for booking.

Oct-28 LOS ANGELES
Oct-29 LOS ANGELES
Oct-30 LOS ANGELES
Oct-31 LOS ANGELES (Halloween)
Nov-01 LOS-ANGELES-SAN FRANCISCO
Nov-02 SAN FRANCISCO
Nov-03 SAN FRANCISCO
Nov-04 SAN FRANCISCO
Nov-05 SAN FRANCISCO
Nov-06 SAN FRANCISCO
Nov-07 YOSEMITE
Nov-08 YOSEMITE - arrive back in San Fran late and sleep the night
Nov-09 SAN FRAN-LAS VEGAS
Nov-10 LAS VEGAS - GRAND CANYON ($424)
Nov-11 LAS-VEGAS
Nov-12 LAS VEGAS-NEW ORLEANS
Nov-13 NEW ORLEANS
Nov-14 NEW ORLEANS-MIAMI
Nov-15 MIAMI
Nov-16 MIAMI-ORLANDO
Nov-17 ORLANDO
Nov-18 ORLANDO
Nov-19 ORLANDO-SAVANNAH
Nov-20 SAVANNAH-WASHINGTON (NIGHTBUS)
Nov-21 WASHINGTON
Nov-22 WASHINGTON
Nov-23 WASHINGTON-NEW YORK
Nov-24 NEW YORK
Nov-25 NEW YORK
Nov-26 NEW YORK
Nov-27 NEW YORK
Nov-28 NEW YORK
Nov-29 NEW YORK-CHICAGO late night flight
Nov-30 CHICAGO
Dec-01 CHICAGO
Dec-02 CHICAGO
Dec-03 CHICAGO
Dec-04 CHICAGO-LOS ANGELES fly into LA in the morning and fly out at night

Wow, what a trip!

Hi sf7307! Is that an impressed tone or a worried one? Haha!

How are getting from LAS VEGAS-NEW ORLEANS and NEW ORLEANS-MIAMI?

I hope by plane, because these are day trips by car.

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

Seems OK to me...although personally I'd pick many places to visit before Vegas, Orlando and LA. However, I understand that these are places are symbolic to foreigners and that you're an Australian trying to "see the USA" and it may be a long time before you're back.

I take the bus I think more frequently than others on Fodor's and even I find Savannah-Washington is a LONG time on a bus. You could fly or for a modest amount more than the bus, if you really want to see the territory between Savannah and Washington, there is Amtrak's Palmetto Train during the day (two trains, the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star, run at night).

It would be easier to get to Yosemite in between Los Angeles and San Francisco instead of detouring through SF.
You can also fly from Fresno to Las Vegas without going back to San Francisco.
Rental cars are cheaper from Las Vegas than places in California.

Good job!

Yes, nice rewrite of your itinerary! We all have different preferences that reflect in our destination suggestions, and you were very gracious in your replies - congrats on that as well.

And about Halloween - it's true that it's popular in some areas and ignored in others. I can recall a couple of times being in technical training in Dallas over Halloween and coming to class in costume - de rigueur for back home - and was the sole lunatic. (Once as the "F@@k-Up Fairy" - good choice for a tech class, I thought...)

I believe you will enjoy that time in Yosemite, and the summer crowds will be gone.

Have a WONDERFUL time!

Is it possible to rent a car for a week (weekly rentals are inexpensive). You could pick it up in San Francisco and return it a week later in Las Vegas, then you can cover Yosemite and Grand Canyon that way. (You can pickup midday on 11/6, and return afternoon of 11/12 and still get a weekly rate). If you are between 21 and 25, most companies will now rent to you. Hertz even waives the underage fee from time to time (do a search).

Don't worry, it was definitely an impressed tone!

I second the recommendation by mlgb on renting a car in SF (rent in the city, not at the airport, for cheaper rates) and driving from there to Yosemite, then to Grand Canyon, then double back to Las Vegas, where you can drop off the car. A weekly rental will run you about $390, with no drop-off charges, and will give you a ton of flexibility.

I think you have a nice plan that will show you lots of different aspects of the United States, with a focus on great cities. We had to make similar choices when we did a 5-week trip to Australia a few years ago--we couldn't see everything in a single trip. We figured it would be our one-and-only trip down under, but we'll definitely be returning soon to explore some of the places we had to forgo on that first trip. Wouldn't be surprised if it turns out you do the same with the United States. Have a great trip! (Bring warm clothes for New York, Chicago, San Francisco evenings, and Yosemite.)

@Orlando_Vic definitely getting planes!

@Daniel_Williams we will sleep on the night bus, I know it's not ideal but it's a great deal cheaper and we save on accomm for the night!

@tomfuller can you do a quick search and show me how to get from LA-Yosemite with more exact details? I had a look and there's the amtrak but it says no checked baggage and we'll both have a suitcase with us.

I like the idea of flying from Fresno to Las Vegas. I'm looking into renting a car on the morning of the 8th and driving to Yosemite and staying two nights and then driving to Fresno airport the morning of the 10th and getting an 11am flight to Las Vegas and dropping the car there. This would reduce Las Vegas to two nights instead of three which is fine by me, mainly going there to see the Grand Canyon and just spend one night at the clubs and gambling.

Does that sound good?

We definitely don't want to spend the night at the Grand Canyon so driving there and back in one day isn't an option. We're thinking of flying from Las Vegas and doing the helicopter tour but we're also keen to spend a couple hours looking around so not sure if it allows for this.

rachel_k_cassar-

What a fabulous journey you have planned !

Well..I wouldn't rule out the SF Bay area for Halloween.
About 39 miles north of SF, not too far from Napa
is the lovely burg of Petaluma, in Sonoma (Wine) County
(next door to the heavily marketed Napa County).

Petaluma has quite the celebration on Halloween on it's famous D Street that is complete with trick o' treat'rs of ALL ages in costume, decorated houses (inside and out), haunted houses-
you name it-it is a wonderful, walkable street party.

Happy to answer any questions !

R5