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