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Three-Month trip to the US of A
Sunday_Assassin
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Let me begin by saying that America was never high on my list of holiday destinations. As much as I love American TV (over here people take some unfathomable pride in putting ugly people on our screens), I was never really sold on the idea, and as such, have never really devoted much thought to such an endeavour. I think all those crime shows may be to blame.
Nevertheless, an old uni buddy of mine (lived with him and four other guys for three manic years) has a place in San Francisco now. Or rather, his father does (don't know what he does for a living, but he's super rich apparantly). Therefore, the plan is for me and a third guy (one of the four from uni) will be making our presence felt for an extended period of around three months (isn't that the max time foreigners are allowed there?).
Here's where I need the advice:
1) What would be the cheapest way to get ourselves onto the continent? The current plan is that we'll fly to Chicago (via Vienna I think), which I think works out pretty cheap (haven't done the research myself). If anyone knows of a cheaper or better way to get from anywhere in the UK to anywhere in the USA (or Canada. Would that work?) I'd love to hear it.
2) The current plan (if Chicago is the initial destination), is to rent a car (expensive, I know, but should be worth it. Third guy at first suggested a bus straight across country but that sounds like a complete waste to me) and drive all the way to San Francisco. So... What should we look out for on the way? I have a few ideas of where I'd like to visit, but haven't looked at a map yet to see if it'd be possible. What shouldn't we miss?
fake edit: Ooh, probably should mention that once we're in San Francisco, guy's father is lending us his car (gonna drive his motorbike to work for a few weeks. It's the same model as Ewan McGregor rides in Long Way Round). Anything on that coast can be taken care of then, rather than on the way there (or back).
3) Flight restrictions. Yeah... There's all these laws about what you can and cannot take on planes these days. Anything major I should work into plans? What's likely to change with threat levels and such. Contingencies?
As you can probably tell, I've done very little leg-work so far, so any info or ideas you guys can throw at me will be much appreciated. Though the excuse for the trip is to visit a lonely old friend, my intention is to make the most of it while I'm there.
...Probably should have done this piece by piece. So many questions I need sorted before we meet up to book things at the end of this month.
Nevertheless, an old uni buddy of mine (lived with him and four other guys for three manic years) has a place in San Francisco now. Or rather, his father does (don't know what he does for a living, but he's super rich apparantly). Therefore, the plan is for me and a third guy (one of the four from uni) will be making our presence felt for an extended period of around three months (isn't that the max time foreigners are allowed there?).
Here's where I need the advice:
1) What would be the cheapest way to get ourselves onto the continent? The current plan is that we'll fly to Chicago (via Vienna I think), which I think works out pretty cheap (haven't done the research myself). If anyone knows of a cheaper or better way to get from anywhere in the UK to anywhere in the USA (or Canada. Would that work?) I'd love to hear it.
2) The current plan (if Chicago is the initial destination), is to rent a car (expensive, I know, but should be worth it. Third guy at first suggested a bus straight across country but that sounds like a complete waste to me) and drive all the way to San Francisco. So... What should we look out for on the way? I have a few ideas of where I'd like to visit, but haven't looked at a map yet to see if it'd be possible. What shouldn't we miss?
fake edit: Ooh, probably should mention that once we're in San Francisco, guy's father is lending us his car (gonna drive his motorbike to work for a few weeks. It's the same model as Ewan McGregor rides in Long Way Round). Anything on that coast can be taken care of then, rather than on the way there (or back).
3) Flight restrictions. Yeah... There's all these laws about what you can and cannot take on planes these days. Anything major I should work into plans? What's likely to change with threat levels and such. Contingencies?
As you can probably tell, I've done very little leg-work so far, so any info or ideas you guys can throw at me will be much appreciated. Though the excuse for the trip is to visit a lonely old friend, my intention is to make the most of it while I'm there.
...Probably should have done this piece by piece. So many questions I need sorted before we meet up to book things at the end of this month.
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A 'fun' alternative might be to hire a camper. I did this with my family when I was a tot, staying at camp sites across the US. Means no motel fees and you can cook for yourself, but I don't know how it balances out between the extra cost of hiring a camper and camp-site fees etc.
As for flight restrictions, the UK basically has tighter restrictions than anywhere else at the moment so basically whatever it says on BAs website will be what you should plan around.
I would be surprised if it were cheaper to fly into Chicago than NYC. I'd be even more surprised if it were cheaper to fly into Chicago or NYC and rent a car than it'd be to fly into SFO.
By the time you get around to flying out here, flight rules will almost certainly have changed. Check about a week or two before you leave.
I'm not really bothered about it being more expensive to fly to one place and drive. Personally I'm not too keen on spending all three months in the same place, imposing on the guy's dad. It's a very long time for a holiday, and I'm up for a bit of an adventure.
That said, from what I've heard it may well be cheaper to do it this way. Flights can run pretty damn expensive direct to San Fransisco (or so I've heard). And we won't be renting a car for all three months, just the time it takes us to get from where we land to San Fransisco, howver long that may be.
Mt. Rushmore is one of the places I kinda wanna see, but only cos I've heard it's a lot smaller than people think.
A camper van could well be awesome. I'll have to look into it, I think.
Unfortunately, it's true that there's a while lotta nothing between Chicago and SF. Hit the Grand Canyon, or so I've heard (haven't been out there myself), Yellowstone and Rushmore if you can, though the last two will be well out of your way. I don't want to sound like an arrogant American talking down to an ignorant foreigner, so please don't take this the wrong way, but you have to remember how freaking big this country is. Something that looks like it's just a little out of your way will mean an extra day or two. Not a bad thing, but important to keep in mind.
Once you get to the West Coast, you'll have all kinds of stuff to do. It's just the travelling that will be annoying. If anyone involved in this operation (I would assume the friend you're visiting) is part of AAA, you would be well advised to talk to them; free maps and guidebooks and lots of discounts along the way on lodging and such. They are tremendously helpful.
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Here is a sample of what your trip would look like: google
So, 3 stops, and over 40 hours of driving. I would honestly recommend just flying into NYC and spending a few days there, then flying over to Chicago and spending a few days in that area, and then flying over to San Francisco. It would in all honestly be cheaper as well, as the out of state miles plus the 2000+ mile difference in the car rental drop-off point (between Chicago and San Francisco) would no doubt be ridiculously expensive. Not to be insulting, but the US is huge, and it's sometimes conceptually hard to understand just how big it is. I live on the East Coast, with much smaller states, and even I never really understood the vast size of the western states until I went there myself in my 20s.
Also, another thing to remember is that you have to be 25 years old to rent a car in the United States. Some companies will let you get away with being younger, but expect extremely high surcharges to be added to your bill if you are under renting age.
My wife and I drove from Chicago to Seattle, and a few years later from Seattle to Boston. I swear going through Montana took 8 years.
Oh, a bit of other advice for the OP...especially when driving through the desert areas (probably Utah and Nevada depending on what route you take), drink lots of water and WEAR SUNSCREEN! As my wife and I found out to our displeasure, you can get sunburned in a car. The glass will block alot of the UV, but not all of it (especially if you're going to be here in the spring/summer).
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25? Seriously? If that's the case then that options out.
...Seriously? 25?
The distance doesn't really bother me, though. I have no problem spending more than a week on the journeys there and back. Wouldn't be an adventure without that much driving (and I'm kinda looking forward to endless stretches of road at some points. Give me a chance to drive in a way I really can't in this country).
If there's not enough to fill the gaps, though, another route may be better. Have to have a word with my travelling buddy (he just got laid off the other day, so its not like he has much to do with his time). I'm keen on any journey that doesn't involve flying straight there or getting a bus or something. The best trips I've ever been on have been where I've just thrown my stuff in the car and gone wherever I pleased. Similarly, the worst have been those where I've just been stuck in one place or on one plan. While I will be journeying about once on the West Coast, I really want to do it on the way in too.
If only because, once there, I'll be restricted by the plans of the guy who we're visiting: his job, when we can take the car etc. Only if it's significantly cheaper (and I mean by a lot. Like, half or something) will I consider a direct route.
...Unless the other guy insists.
It's just going to take some effort to plan it, though, which is why an AAA membership might help.
About the car rental thing, if you don't mind paying an extra $10-15 per day, and are over 21, then it's still doable. If you're under 21 then there's very little hope for renting a car, sorry... Also, a little side note and YMMV, but I have rented a car under 25 with no surcharge by giving my company's corporate code (you can find a list of these online). They didn't ask for any corporate ID or anything like that (though, I did actually have the ID if necessary). Not sure what the rules are on this, but you can try giving a bogus corporate ID and try to avoid the surcharges, but it might not be a sure bet..
There are plenty of things to do in-between Chicago and SF. This is a drive I went on back at the end of October, which covers a lot of that potential territory. The text is really boring, but check out the pictures for things you might like to see.
I really liked everything I saw on my trip, but I would specifically recommend Yellowstone, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore (which is actually really big, IMO), driving through Shell Canyon in Wyoming if the roads are clear, and whichever of the major cities (Chicago, Portland, Seattle, etc) you end up close to.
Save as much time as possible for SF, though. It's an unbelievably big city compared to anywhere else I've been, and there is a ton of stuff to do.
http://www.thelostworlds.net/
We're all over 21. Have been for a while. Is the extra charge extra insurance or something? Would kinda make sense if it was to be honest.
Thanks for the link, blincoln. Am avidly reading as I type.
I haven't flown international lately, but I have flown domestic. Depending on the gate security you may or may not be able to bring on drinks bought within the terminals. I've found that if the bottle is still sealed they'll let you bring it on the flight. They also tend to not check carry-ons are heavily as they used. You should pack all toiletries in the checked baggage. Saves you lots of time at the gate, and are less likely to be pulled aside for security check. If you do pack any toiletries into your carry on they have to be in a clear plastic bag, and no larger than 8 ounces. No idea if this still stands, but it did last year at November.
Umm...I think that's all I have to offer, if you have any more questions I'll try to answer as best I can.
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Some rental firms (Avis) won't rent to you if you're under 25. Others (Enterprise) will just charge you extra - usually an extra $10 per day.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
going by train might be okay, although the train service here is sub par at best, and there isn't much in the way of available services, so you'd probably want to book well in advance if you decided to go that route. that said, trains here got through some very senic places, and it's fairly cheap.
probably the best route to see anything interesting going from chicago is to basically go south and cross texas and the southwest. austin is a nice city, and there are other cool things to see going west from texas into california, but here's two huge negatives to this:
1. it will add an enormous amount of time to your trip
2. you may not be so keen on going straight through what is maybe the hottest and most isolated part of the lower 48.
but i would say that if you're trying to be the most hardcore michael palinesque (although he hated America) dude ever, go for that.
again, PLEASE don't underestimate how big this place is. if you fuck up and get lost in the wrong place, you're going to be completely miserable. i know way too many people who have had this happen to them (not just foriegners; everybody, Americans included). make sure you're set on maps and that you understand them. also, take rest stop and gas station signs seriously. when they say that there's no gas stations for 50 or 75 miles, they aren't screwing around.
i know i sound like a worrywart here, and like i don't want you to have fun or anything, but if you take this road trip, it's not going to be like a nice jaunt through western europe. there are few (if any) hostels, if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, you're basically fucked, and the weather can be completely unpredictable. travelling like this across country can be fun as hell, but only if you're well-prepared.
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That was by myself, too. If I'd been splitting the driving with someone else, it would have been completely easy.
But yes, it is worth reminding Europeans that the US is pretty big, and that they should be prepared. Driving a rental is a good start, since it should be in decent shape mechanically. Make sure to fill up with gas every chance you get in sparsely-populated areas, and you're set.
http://www.thelostworlds.net/
This involved not stopping at any landmarks or in Los Angeles, which would be folly - folly - for you.
Here's what I would do. Skip Chicago unless you have some specific reason to go. Instead, fly into someplace closer to the Grand Canyon, like Phoenix or Denver. Denver will be cheaper, but Phoenix has easier access to the canyon. Go from there to the Grand Canyon, then down to highway 40 and take that to Las Vegas. Spend a couple nights in Vegas, then move on to Los Angeles. Plan a few days in LA - do Disneyland, night life, hit the beach, whatever your thing is.
Once you're in LA, you have a couple of options for getting up to San Francisco. You can take the I5 for a straight, but boring, 6-hour-ish drive, or you can take 101 and stay the night in either Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, or Monterey for a longer scenic drive with some incredibly beautiful coastline.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Cheers for all the advice. Chicago may well recieve a veto next time its mentioned if there's really so little going on in the middle country. I do want to get as much variety as possible, and a long week-long drive does sound tempting (there might be three of us, I've just learned, to share the driving), but its gonna be a question of cost vs. reward.
I take exceptuion, good sir/madam, that there's no reason to go to Chicago!
Besides 10lbs. pizza, there's good museums, the Lake, and some good shopping.
But yeah, everything between Chicago and SF is pretty much a Hell-hole.
If I were you, I would take a tour of the east coast. You can visit the New England and see how it compares, then head south to the, erm, south, which is gorgeous.
It seems that you're intent on exploring the lonesome crowded west, so after a few weeks or so out east you can easily start making your way over here. I warn you, like many have before, that it's barren. Once you cross the Mississippi there's no going back. But on the bright side, Frisco is great, and if you're so inclined you can come up and visit our little jewel in the northwest.
As for renting a car, just google "rental cars" and you'll get listings for all the nationals. Train or bus are also viable options, but last time I checked Amtrak pricing, it was not that much cheaper than airfare. At any rate, renting a car is going to be costly, so you may want to look into buying a car here and then selling it before you leave. It's risky, but if you can find a good deal on a reliable car then you'll end up saving a lot and making most of it back at the end of the line. Used, of course--unless you have $20K to throw around.
Try not to be too tied-down by a schedule, either. You'll want some sort of itinerary and and idea of where you'd like to go, but being anal about it won't make for an enjoyable trip. Leave plenty of room for getting lost, taking detours, shortcuts, sightseeing, and the like.
Definitely heed the advice about an extra can of gas and a spare tire, because being stuck out in the middle of nowhere is really, really crummy.