New to Traveling to US and Looking for Flight Advice & Ideas

serapax on 06/02/2019 - 11:39

Hi all,

My daughter (15) and I plan to travel to the US this April - flexible on dates and destinations, but roughly 6th - 22nd or so.
We're totally flexible on routes, but must-do's include LA, SF and NY. The drive between SF and LA along Hwy 101 looks like a good option.
Maybe a day trip from LA to Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

Highly desirable is New Orleans. Possibly Seattle, but it doesn't seem to be on the way to anywhere else.

Anything else that fits in as a 'no brainer' would be great too.
A few days at each destination, but again, totally flexible.

Having hardly traveled, it seems like a Traveling Salesman problem - where do we fly in, out, and inside the US to maximize cost and efficiency with minimal backtracking.

Also, being eight weeks out, should I be getting nervous about booking flights? (I already am!). Go via each airline or a consolidated booking service?
Hoping to do AirBnB and wing it a bit for accommodation.
My daughter's passport wont be ready few a few weeks, hence it's all a bit last-minute.

Anything would be greatly appreciated!!

Travel North America United States

Comments

  • swapsey on 06/02/2019 - 11:49

    Fifteen year old daughter traveling with mum or dad? It does matter a bit. I mean shopping is ridiculously good in US if you know where to go. But if traveling with Dad then maybe less shopping and more of something you share with her. Could be sports (yes girls sometimes like a stadium experience), could be amusement parks (they have the best in the world imho).

    • serapax on 06/02/2019 - 12:17

      Traveling with Dad, so minimal shopping :)
      Neither of us are into sports, but a big baseball game would be a fun spectacle to experience. Maybe AT&T Park SF?
      We didn't have any plans to visit amusement parks, and definitely not Disneyland.
      She's a bit into the grunge scene, hence I thought Seattle might be a good detour, but it's a big one!

      • swapsey on 06/02/2019 - 12:35

        Seattle I reckon would be awesome. The drive up there from SF is highly rated. Locals have the best tips on routes to take.

        Attend a couple of concerts. You will be amazed how available bands and celebrities are in US. Playing even local small venues on the weekly. What are her favourite bands etc?

        $21 each to see Mariners on 12 April.

  • GG57 on 06/02/2019 - 12:25

    I assume the trip is for a holiday. If so, what was the basis for selecting the USA?
    It would help if we had some background as to interests etc.

    We went in April a few years ago, same itinerary; great time of the year but it can be changeable weather (we had snow one night, but low-20's a day later).

    • serapax on 06/02/2019 - 13:00

      Yep - just a holiday. Possibly a last chance before she's too much into her own life and life pressures to go away with dad for a few weeks.
      US was her call and is really about experiencing it firsthand. So much of our popular culture comes from the US, actually being there will be quite the buzz for her.

      I've been to SF 10 years ago and had a great time just cruising around on those hop-on/hop-off double decker buses. Hopefully they're still around, as it lets you be very spontaneous whilst still getting to see the main sites of interest. Do LA and NY have something similar?

      My major 'newbieness' is about flight options, when/how early to book, and hiring a car and driving in the US.
      I've only ever been once for work, so all this was taken care of previously.

      • GG57 on 06/02/2019 - 13:49
        +1

        Great opportunity.
        We flew into LA, direct connection to NY, and later NY to SF, drove to LA, and flew out from there. If not sure of how to structure it, go with a travel agent to arrange.
        Visa's (ESTA) are online and cheap, but get them earlier rather than later.

        For NY:
        - Use the subway as much as possible. It is easy, cheap and will make it more real.
        - We found the locals were amazingly polite and helpful; don't be afraid to ask (sensible) questions.
        - I would avoid the big tourist items (unless there are specifics you are interested in). There is a lot of music-related history in NY (if that is a key interest) so research a little beforehand and get out and about. Harlem, Brooklyn, Soho, all areas were great IMO.
        - Eat a hot-dog from a street vendor, and a reuben from Katz's Deli.
        - Go to a baseball game; easy to get to, not expensive, stay for as long / little as you want. Buy the t-shirt.

        SF:
        - Hop-on/off buses are still good.
        - Need to book ahead if you want to go to Alcatraz.
        - Take a cable-car.

        The drive to LA was good for us, but might be a little boring for your daughter. Maybe research that trip versus your interests and see if it is worth the trip / hassle / expense.
        I didn't find driving difficult, but picking up the car, the conditions of hire, finding our way, dropping off the car; these were all a little stressful.

        LA:
        - Go to Santa Monica, Venice, Korea Town, Van Nuys, wherever you find something of interest. Staying somewhere central to your points of interest will help with transport.
        - Seriously consider NOT going to Compton, Inglewood, Sth LA, etc. (but I did read that you can get a personalised tour).
        - Lots and lots of music venues, always.
        - Plenty of tours re celebrities, or mass-murderers, or whatever takes your fancy.

        Have a great time.

  • ThithLord on 06/02/2019 - 12:52
    +1

    I've been to the States twice, so my recommendations would be:

    1. If you can work in a lay over to Hawaii on your way to the mainland, I'd definitely recommend that. Breaks up your commute and you get to check out Hawaii - we did that (three nights) and had a fricken blast. Truth be told, though, we were hitting the beers hardcore so I can't comment a lot on other activities. We did climb Diamond Head State Monument which was really cool.

    2. New Orleans was an absolute blast - get your hands on a fresh Beignet - they're delicious pastries.

    3. Washington DC was pretty lovely, too. It was by far the tidiest/nicest place we saw in the US (we did 7000+ mile road trip)

    4. I don't think a day trip from LA to Vegas, including a trip to Grand Canyon, is possible - that's just from memory, though, someone else may have a better idea of that. But for Vegas, I'd definitely recommend Old Vegas for a laugh. Lots to do there.

    5. For communication you'll definitely have a better time if you both get a SIM, even if it is temporary. You don't want to accidentally misplace your daughter and be unable to get in communication, or rely on Wi-Fi. A lot of OzBs try to skimp on this, I don't recommend skimping. If you decide on this, make sure your phone will work overseas (some model phones use different bands so won't work - I think most iPhones are good; mine was)

    6. You'll look into VISA/ESTA situation, yeah? ESTA is the VISA waiver program and is pretty easy to obtain, and costs around $25AUD from meory. May be about $50. Get insurance, too.

    7. If you can squeeze in Boston, that place is a blast. So is Houston and Austin.

    8. Remember, majority of prices you see in the USA do not include tax - some stores will outline if tax is included, which is handy. But far from normal.

    9. Hire cars rarely include mileage. You have to buy mileage, or else you have to pay per mile! Ridiculous, I know.

    10. Sedona was really cool.

    And that's as much as I can think of at the moment.

    • SimbaGirl on 06/02/2019 - 19:01

      You'll look into VISA/ESTA situation, yeah? ESTA is the VISA waiver program and is pretty easy to obtain, and costs around $25AUD from memory. May be about $50. Get insurance, too

      ESTA costs $14 (USD) per person and make sure you ONLY apply through the official site https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/ otherwise you'll get scammed into paying hugely inflated fees on other sites which apparently get away with doing so because they're "offering a service". Don't fall for it, do it yourself - it's cheaper and quicker!

      And yes, definitely travel insurance, that's the one thing you definitely can't afford to travel to the US without!

      • ThithLord on 07/02/2019 - 08:59

        Haha my bad - I knew it wasn't an expensive endeavour. I was doing this from memory

  • [Deactivated] on 06/02/2019 - 13:15
    +2

    LA - Vegas and Grand Canyon day trip? Too ambitious. Rushed even if you go by chartered helicopter.

    Road tripping Northern Calfornia and Oregon in summer is fun. Plenty of lakes and beautiful scenic freeways through mountains. I would love to spend more time around Mt St Helens. California has everything, deserts, snow capped mountains during summer within sight of each other. Lake Tahoe is beautiful, clear and freezing(well,cold) all times of the year.

  • MITM on 06/02/2019 - 13:30

    Check out Southwest Airlines for flight sale tickets.
    You might be able to put together a loop of cities.
    We put a bunch of flights together during a sale which averaged $40 per seat per sector.

    Guessing you'll enter/exit USA at LAX.
    You could arrive then transit to the domestic terminal on arrival and continue on to another city (Las Vegas for example)
    And then when you finish your trip, spend the final days exploring LA before getting on the plane home.

    Las Vegas is not a day trip from LA, and the Grand Canyon is a long day trip from Las Vegas (some even overnight at the canyon).

    Got time for New York ? That place is electric.

    TIP: AirBNB The Signature apartments (part of MGM Las Vegas) - bigger rooms, cheaper cost.

  • try2bhelpful on 06/02/2019 - 13:40

    My suggestion is drive across to Yosemite, finding an outlet place to go shopping on the way, spend a couple of days in Yosemite wandering around the park. The walk up to Yosemite Peak is great and watch the sunset from Glacier Point. Then drive to San Francisco and stay a few days there. On the drive down the coast stop in at the Monterey bay Aquarium, they have sea otters which are incredibly cute.

    If you want to do Vegas then I would spend a couple of nights there with the daytime at the Grand Canyon. There are usually sight seeing flights to the Canyon and you can travel around a part of the rim. It really is spectacular. If you don't want to fly down to Vegas you can pass through Yosemite and drive down the Sierra Nevadas - you will, probably, need a stopover night at somewhere like Hawthorn. The drive will take you through Death Valley.

    New Orleans is fantastic but she might be a tad young, being 15. I don't know what the laws are in relation to her being able to go into bars but the food and music are unbelivably good. However, a lot of the music is jazz and it is certainly abandon all hope if she is vegetarian.

    The best idea is to sit down with her and find out what her interests are then tailor the places to fit that.

    Over the years we have done a bit of travelling in America;
    California - LA, San Francisco, Yosemite, the coast journey between San Franciso and LA, San Diego, Disneyland, Universal Studios, etc
    New York, Manhattan Island, Liberty Island, etc
    Florida - Miami, Orlando (Disney World), Kennedy Space Centre, etc.
    Nevada - Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, etc

    There are some great National Parks in America, and they know how to setup the park so it is accessible and well maintined.
    There are good outlet shops in America, but with the AUD as it is you would need to do the comparison with DFO type places out here. Probably best for clothes shopping.

    The hop on/hop off in New York is worth doing if you want to see a lot of Manhattan Island.

    Good food can be got in America, but you will pay for it. Diner food is cheap as chips but it ain't great. However, steaks are really good.

  • sspec56 on 06/02/2019 - 14:48

    Went travelling around America last summer (our winter) with my 3 bros. Had a blast! This was our flow:

    SF -> drove down to LA -> bus to Las Vegas -> car to Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend (all amazing nature spectacle!)
    -> flight to Detroit

    That was the 1st leg (weeks), East Coast was up next (another 2 weeks):

    Michigan -> car to Niagara Falls (beautifull) -> New York (just get lost in this amazing city, try to catch a broadway show if possible) -> Pennsylvania (lick the liberty bell!)
    -> Washington, DC -> back to Michigan.

    Truly enjoyed my time there, hope you and your daughter have a great time as well!

    Car:
    My advice would be to book it at least 2 days before, I think before 12 hours or something the price increases by quite a bit.

  • driver33b on 06/02/2019 - 16:47

    Don't forget the obvious….check Qantas web site for flights every now and again😁their connecting and multi city flights often round out cheaper than cheap multiple flights😀

      • serapax on 07/02/2019 - 10:30

        Thanks James - I was concerned that it was late, but the opportunity came up only recently.
        We can be flexible. by the sounds of it, it might be worth us speaking to an agent anyway. I have STA nearby and see what they suggest.

        Cheers,

        Mike

  • cybapete on 07/02/2019 - 19:42

    if you want to get in some shopping in LA check out citadel outlets https://www.citadeloutlets.com/

  • serapax on 08/02/2019 - 09:33

    Thanks to everyone for the ideas and advice.
    Ended up going to Flight Centre (I know) but have flights on hold MEl-LA-NO-NY-SF-MEL for just under $5K for the two of us, which seems pretty good.

    However - they've suggested mid-range hotels at each city that total over $6K for accommodation. AirBnB seems a lot cheaper and more interesting (a chain hotel room is pretty same-ish around the world).

    If you were going to AirBnB in any of those cities, what areas would you recommend or avoid? Hate to find we're staying for a few days next to a crack house!

      • serapax on 08/02/2019 - 12:31

        Thanks James, it's a shame to hear we'd be overpaying. Are we talking hundreds or thousands?
        Unfortunately we rarely travel by air, so no frequent flyer points.
        Cheers!

        • cybapete on 08/02/2019 - 21:27

          make sure you join the program of whichever airline you are flying with because you will be racking up tons of points on this trip!

  • driver33b on 10/03/2019 - 13:30

    I was keeping an eye on this post because we have a Quebec-Miami cruise coming up in October…Qantas were quite reasonable on a Sydney-London/London-Rome/Rome-Sydney, last year $1310each return…they came good again for our US cruise…Sydney-Los Angeles-Montreal-Quebec then 3 weeks later Miami-Los Angeles-Sydney, $$1487ea…we searched all the planners and no where near as cheap :)

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