Have dreamed of a vacation through Utah, Arizona & Nevada with my children since they were small. They are now 13 & 16.
Since we are from central NY, would definitely fly into Phoenix, Salt Lake, or Vegas to begin the trip. Airfare from Syracuse or Rochester, NY is very limited and expensive. If I book now I can save a good deal of cash. This will commit me to my dream plan, but also, my entire savings will be depleted for this adventure. I will literally be saving until the day of departure next year! (This is a separate savings account, used for pleasure & travel, not to pay bills.)
Is it worth it people?? I'm thinking "yes".

Yes, it's absolutely worth it. Particularly Arizona and Utah - personally I'd skip Nevada. We rented a nice minivan, sent a tent and sleeping bags to an inn where we stayed our first night and then camped out a few times to save some money. It was fun and really adds to your experience. Be sure not to skip southern Arizona, especially Organ Pipe National Monument. Tucson area is awesome - can't miss Saguaro National Park and the Sonoran Desert Museum. Fly to Salt Lake City and drive to Tucson and stop everywhere along the way. Southern Utah is unbelievable. I haven't been there for years and I'm looking forward to a trip there myself.
Go and enjoy!

Hi Carolyn,

I have been saving since January for my holiday which begins in a few weeks time. I'm going to stay with family in California, but am also visiting Yosemite, Santa Fe and Phoenix. Santa Fe and Yosemite are defnitely dreams. I think it's great to have something to focus on, but why do you need to buy your airtickets so far in advance? From what I have seen in the US, the prices don't seem to change that far ahead. Here in Ireland, it's defnitely a different story. I had to buy my ticket in January. There is one plus to that. You have extra time to pay that off and then by the time you start your holiday you have forgotton about that expense! Or at least I have by now! I'd say 'go for it'!

Laura
Dublin, Ireland

Carolyn-
If you don't mind a little drive, Southwest has fares out of Albany to Phoenix for as low as $178 RT. You will be doing a lot of driving once you get out to the southwest area so maybe a few extra miles on the front end of your trip can save you big bucks.I've flown into and out of the Albany airport from Baltimore and found it to be a nice size and convenient place.

I'd say yes, based on the age of your kids. Once my siblings and I started college, we couldn't always go on the family trip because of jobs, summer schools, and internships. If you want to go with the kids, do it now.

Go. I have kids about the same age and we realize time is short to travel with them. The best times we have had with them have been on recent travels - get them involved in the planning process and dream together of your trip.

ABSOLUTELY!
One of the more unique and beautiful combinations of mountains, deserts, unusual geography, strange flora, etc in all the WORLD.

Yes, yes, Yessss! A most beautiful part of the country. I took a trip, via truck, "out west" from upstate NY back in the late 70's. We drove 10,000 miles in 5 weeks. The most awesome, memorable thing I've done in my life (besides giving birth...).

It may be expensive, but truly worth every penney... And I second the idea to check out Southwest Airlines.

Thank you for all of your replies.
I think I just needed a bit of encouragement.
Albany is a four hour drive from where I live. Syracuse is less than one hour. I can go through Expedia and get a flight into Salt Lake, or Phoenix for $214.00 per person. My husband says we should go for it and fly into Salt Lake.
Now, I had better get back to work so I can continue saving for my dream!
Thanks again everybody!

The $214. rate sounds good. I'd recommend flying in and out of Phoenix and making a circular tour to see Sedona, the North Rim, up into Utah to see as many of the southern Utah parks you have time for, then swinging around to return home through Las Vegas. You'd probably all love a couple of days in Vegas, though I think you should spend most of your time in the parks. Then head back to Phoenix (go on down to Tucson if you have time). There have been lots of threads on this forum on all parts of this proposed itinerary. Have fun planning! Be sure your kids help--that will make sure everyone has input into what you decide to see and do (cuts down on complaining later).

Carolyn,
before you make ticket reservations make sure you've checked all offers, for example I've found Expedia's plane tickets more expensive then Travelocity/Netscape. And vice versa for hotels.

Carolyn,
My kids are 13 & 16 and we just returned from a 16 day trip out west. We drove from northeast Indiana and had a pretty ambitious schedule but it was still an absolutely magical trip. I'll give you our itenerary and then what I'd do different.

Day One: Drive, drive, drive -- 17 hours in the car, three more than intended due to no reservations and no hotel rooms available along our route. Only the Gameboys and CD players saved our sanity.

Day Two -- Sterling, CO to Grand Junction with stops in Breckenridge and Glen Canyon. Don't cheat yourself by missing Colorado. It is gorgeous there!

Day Three -- Grand Junction, CO to Las Vegas. Not really such a long drive and the most fabulous views at no-name rest stops. We also took a drive-thru tour of Zion Natl Park and have plans to return. Stunning! Oh yeah, Vegas was fun too.

Days Four-Six (and Nine-Ten): Beach, beach, beach plus Hollywood and a visit with some dear old friends

Days Seven-Eight: Estero Beach, Baja, Mexico. Paradise on the cheap. Go if you can swing it but the rental car might be a problem.

Day Eleven: Grand Canyon. Hubby and I loved it, kids were only mildly interested.

Day Twelve: Monument Valley. WOW. A fave with everyone. Then a longish drive to Pagosa Springs, CO. Still Colorado but completely different from the north route.

Day Thirteen: A driving day. The scenery until Colorado Springs was great but then you have nothing to look forward to but Kansas.

Day Fourteen-Sixteen: More driving (Good God, Kansas is way too long) with stops in Missouri and Illinois to visit relatives.

If I were doing this again I would fly into Denver and allow more time for parks in Utah. My brother lives in AZ so we've been there plenty but you won't want to miss Phoenix and Sedona. Try to stop at Jerome (a funky little town stuck on the side of a mountain) and Slide Rock (a natural water slide in a nearby state park).
I envy you.If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me.


D: Durango, CO and Pagosa Springs. still