schultzandco

We are currently in the planning (and saving) stages of a three month trip around the USA in 2018. Family of 2 adults and 4 children then aged 12,10,8,6. We will be coming from Australia so want to get a full benefit out of the cost of the flights and the time to the US hence the long time frame of planning and travelling.

We are looking at flying into LA late August/early September and then driving in a clockwise direction.

We have a long list of things to see and do and I am trying to make sure it is feasible. My husband will only be joining us for part of the trip due to business so I will be doing most of the driving with the children so trying to avoid an RV. I am also unsure about driving in snow. I am happy to travel by train for parts of the trip ie New York to Washington DC.

The rough plan is
LA - Disneyland, Universal, Getty Centre, Griffith Park, Science Centre, Santa Monica and any other suggestions
San Diego -Zoo , other suggestions
Drive LA to San Francisco with a stop on the way - suggestions welcome
San Francisco- Alcatrez, plus suggestions
Drive San Francisco to Portland - stopping suggestion welcome, also like to visit Yosemite NP
Portland
Seattle
Vancouver
Would like to see Mt St Helens and Yellowstone National Park
Drive/Fly to Chicago - dependent on cost, things to see and also the driving conditions for that time of year.
Drive to Toronto
Drive to Quebec stopping at Montreal
Drive through New England to Boston
Boston to New York
New York to Washington DC
Washinton DC to Orlando
Orlando 1 week
Orlando To Miami
Miami to Houston
Houston to San Antonio
San Antonio to El Paso
El Paso to Santa Fe
Santa Fe to Denver/Colarado
Denver to Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City to Las Vegas
Las Vegas to LA to fly home

We have no set days to spend in anyone place yet but would like to be in Orlando for the second last week of October for my oldest's birthday. We do have rough plans for each of these places but are very open to suggestions especially off the tourist trails although we will do some of those as well.

We would like to see a baseball game while we are there but I am not sure if we are too late in the season for it. We will be having an emphasis on history/geography on this trip but also like art and nature with a bit of fun thrown in.

We have a maximum of 90 days to do this because of visa although I am not sure if it will restart when we travel into Canada.

We are budgeting about $150 - $200 per night for a hotel - obviously will be higher in the major cities.

We will have a hire car but am happy to hand it in for a few days to use public transport in the larger cities. I have calculated that the trip is about 15000kms which is about 200kms per day driving but some days will be more than others. We will have at least one rest day per week to recoup.

I guess I am asking if it is way too much and what to delete and what to keep and any suggestions as to which order to do things as well.

tomfuller

Be sure that your visas allow you to exit and reenter the US twice (Vancouver and Toronto).
I would see all of your California destinations and maybe Las Vegas using your LA based rental car and then return it and take the Amtrak Coast Starlight train to Portland and rent another car there. If you can't take a US rental car to Vancouver, you have the option of taking an Amtrak train or Amtrak bus from Seattle.
Go to see Mt. St. Helens and or Mt. Rainier from Seattle. If time and the weather permit go to see Yellowstone.
Return your rental car to Portland or Seattle and then fly to Chicago. See Chicago using public transportation.
Leave Chicago on the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited which leaves in the evening and arrives in Buffalo NY before noon.
Rent a car that can be driven into Canada if you can.
Be sure to see Niagara Fall on the way to Toronto.
If you can't get a car to go into Canada, there is a train called the Maple Leaf that goes to Toronto from Buffalo.
Canada has a passenger rail system called ViaRail which is efficient between Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec and Montreal.
There is a daily Amtrak train from Montreal south into New York state.
Once back in the US, it is your choice whether to rent another car for the east coast part of your trip or maybe continue using trains between Boston and Washington DC.
If you have already seen Las Vegas in the early part of your trip, you can fly from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles for your return flight home.
I'm thinking you will be driving more like 2-300 MILES per day to see all you want to see. Children under 12 on Amtrak trains travel at half the adult fare.
I would skip El Paso and fly from Houston or San Antonio to Albuquerque to see Santa Fe.

schultzandco

Thanks for those suggestions tomfuller.

The Coast Starlight train is a bit long and we wanted to stop and look at things along the way. Although the train from Seattle to Vancouver looks good.

From what I understand I can enter Canada multiple times as long as it is within the 90 days.

I will investigate you other suggestions further.

Orlando_Vic

" We will be having an emphasis on history/geography on this trip"

Then, while in the Orlando area, be sure to visit St. Augustine (America's oldest city) which is only 2 hours away by interstate highways. The city is celebrating it's 450th birthday this year and is loaded with history and charm.

A few links:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trave.../st-augustine/
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trave...2.photogallery
http://www.staugustine.com/visit/
http://www.visitflorida.com/St_Augustine
http://www.getaway4florida.com/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/ar...#ixzz2eo5AnXR7


On the way, try to drive part of this scenic coastal route:

Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail
http://www.ormondscenicloopandtrail.com/

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

nytraveler

A couple of notes:

It is rare that you can take rental cars across the US/Canada border. You need to get that sorted out up front. Plus the large size van you will need to 5/6 people plus luggage (plus car seat for the 6 year old) will not be cheap. Look for special deals available in Ox.

For 5 or 6 people your hotel budget of US $ 100-150 is low - since in many places no more than 4 people are allowed per room - which means you will have to stay in suite hotels. That rate might work in small towns but is not likely in cities. for a suite rather than a basic double room.

Amtrak is great for the trip from Boston to NYC down to DC - but I would NOT use it otherwise. Service is sparse in most places (one train per day?), trains are often late - at times by many hours - and it often costs more than flying.

Now, overall you have listed 22 different destinations - but with some stops in between - or perhaps 25 or 26 places. This is 3 days apiece - and you need to allow driving time in there. Some travel days are limited (Boston to NYC) is about 5 to 6 hours from hotel to hotel - but some of your days on the road are longer.

Also be aware that if you need to be in Orlando near the end of Oct you are really squashing the time for places before that. If you really want to be there then find - but you will be giving short shrift to places before that (NYC and DC need 5 days each and Boston 3 or 4) so you might want to start the trip earlier - or consider cutting back on a few of those places.

emalloy

This trip report by a fellow Australian with kids might help you for a start on the west coast part of the trip.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...lden-state.cfm

jayne1973

Yellowstone NP is one of my favorite places-- if you really want to see it be sure and allow enough time to justify going the distance to get there. For trip like this, I would allow a bare minimum of two full days in the park, not counting the day you arrive. Try to book as much as a year in advance for lodging inside the park to save driving time and enhance entire the experience.

thursdaysd

I would agree with public transport from Seattle to Vancouver - or possibly the ferry to Victoria and then the bus/ferry combo to Vancouver. Plus, I would highly recommend taking the train across Canada, at least as far as Toronto. You can stop off in Jasper on the way.

tomfuller

I agree with nearly all that nytraveler has to say except the part about Amtrak. In 14 days next month, I'm riding Amtrak on 4 trains (5600+ miles). Each of the trains runs only once per day.
If you run into a time crunch to get to Orlando by a certain date, you could fly from Los Angeles to Chicago and see Chicago and leave Chicago at 9:30PM on the Lake Shore Limited.
This would eliminate an expensive suite in Chicago. The next night you could be in a suite in Toronto after seeing Niagara Falls.
Don't even attempt to drive into Canada with a rental vehicle. Either fly in or take a bus or train.
After you leave Florida, You have many options. My choice would be to fly to Las Vegas and make a huge loop with a rental vehicle including all that you wanted to see west of Denver.
Return the vehicle to Las Vegas and take the short flight back to Los Angeles for your return home. You could even leave all of the family in Los Angeles and drive solo back to LV and just have the driver take the short hop back to LAX.
The last leg of my trip next month will be the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Chemult Oregon in a nice Roomette.

williamscb13

I'd skip Houston.
And what's in El Paso? This is a serious question. I've never been there and not sure what there is to see.
I would do San Antiono/ Austin then fly to Santa Fe.

williamscb13

For that long, you may want to consider buying a minivan and then selling it at the end of your trip.

tomfuller

I hope williamscb13 is not serious. You can't license and insure a vehicle in the US without a legal address in the US.
I did spend a couple hours in El Paso waiting for a train in 2001. I did have some good Huevos Rancheros in a Mexican restaurant about a mile from the border.
If you do decide to drive across west Texas, head for Las Cruces NM before heading to Santa Fe.

jamie99

I'll only comment on part of your trip:
For Disneyland, consider staying in Anaheim for the days you do Disney - with 4 kids and two parks to see you will probably want to visit several days. Did you know that Australians can buy a 10 day ticket at places like Flight Centre for a little more than the cost of a 5 day regular parkhopper?
For the Highway 1 drive, please try and stay overnight in two places, it is a very long drive with many beautiful sights to see. Pismo Beach and Monterey would be my suggestions to you.
Time spent in Canada counts toward your 90 days on the Visa Waiver Program. To reset the clock you would have to leave North America to someplace like Costa Rica in Central America. Even then re-entry is always at the discretion of the immigration official.
Have a wonderful trip.

ElendilPickle

I don't think you'll need to worry about snow; there is a possibility you might run into an early snow when you drive from Denver to Salt Lake City, but it's a pretty low possibility.

I would suggest stopping in Carlsbad, NM, so you can visit Carlsbad Caverns. From there you can drive northwest to Albuquerque (lots of things to do there for your kids) and then maybe spend a day in Santa Fe before you go to Denver.

Lee Ann

maitaitom

For your California portion of your trip, here are some write-ups (with photos) that I have done in my California Dreaming section. Enjoy!!

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/california-dreaming-1/

BigRuss

I'm in Texas, there's no real reason to visit El Paso. Austin, yeah; San Antonio, sure; Houston, Dallas, FW, all fine. El Paso . . . not so much (it's a way to get to Big Bend NP or through to Carlsbad).

longhorn55

I'm only going to comment on your budget for accommodations--it's very low considering that you are going to have to either book a suite hotel (e.g. Embassy Suites, Springhill Suites, etc.) or book two rooms. All 6 of you will not be allowed, for fire safety reasons, to stay in one room even if some of the kids are willing to sleep on the floor. And the $150 - $200 hotel rooms of 2015 are more likely to cost $200 - $250 or more in 2018.

One recommendation I have is, when you have an itinerary, to ask about budget accommodations on those city forums on Trip Advisor. The locals often know about good, budget-priced hotels/motels in their cities.

nytraveler

If you really want to focus on DisneyWorld - for the birthday - do you really need to do DisneyLand too? Why not either cut that out or do something different since you are spending SO much time in Orlando and you are running short on time for the earlier part of the trip?

williamscb13

Thanks Tom for pointing out that they would need insurance. I wasn't thinking logistics just about how expensive a rental car would be.

I just reread your itinerary and am exhausted just from reading it. I highly suggest you put your cities your want to drive in between into google maps and map how long it takes to get from city to city.

Here's my other thought. You are northern city heavy and I wonder if they are all going to blur together after a while. I would drop Chicago and Toronto and consider adding in a southern city like Savannah, Charleston or New Orleans. All of these places a very distinct and distinctly different from cities like Chicago and Boston. But I've never been to St. Augustine. That may be enough to get a southern flavor for you.

elizzie4000

>

It depends on what type of activities and sights you like to do. There is more to SD than just the Zoo. But, it depends on how much money you want to spend.

There's hiking, biking, boating, kayaking.

Downtown SD on the harbor has the
USS Midway, Maritime museum, harbor cruises (I recommend the 1 hr North).
There's Cabrillo National Monument where on a clear day you can see for miles and it has hiking trails and tidepools.
Torrey Pines State Park
Balboa Park with Air & Space Museum, IMAX, Science Center, Automotive Museum, Railroad Museum, Natural History
http://www.balboapark.org/in-the-park/museums

It boils down to what you'd like to do and see.