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Old 19 Sep 20, 11:59 AM  
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smudgester
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Question First time west coast road trip ... questions and more questions

Hi all,

So we are planning a July 2021 road trip along the West Coast (first time as a family) and - at this early stage - have a few questions from the seasoned pros on here

There will be 2 adults and two kids (17 and 15).

The plan is to spend 14 days going from LA to San Francisco - we have been advised that it is best to drive in that direction for the better views. Is that correct ?

We can get VA Premium Economy for all of us (both flights) for a total of £3400ish [ thanks to miles and a companion flight ] compared to the normal Economy Delight price of £3800. Don't know what the Delight price would be if we used miles & companion. We figured [ since the companion flight has to be used by Dec 2021 and with very little chance of us using it without the kids we might as well use it here ]. Has anyone flown either of those VA routes in Premium Economy ? And would you recommend Premium Economy as a 'worth it' upgrade over all the other Economy classes ?

How much, ball park, would be looking at for a 2 week, one-way, large car rental ?

TIA for any help.
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Old 19 Sep 20, 12:21 PM  
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jdouds
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Hi many will say north to south is better but in reality either way is equally as good.
First of you need to have a look at all the attractions and decide what you really want to see. Are you doing Disney , many don’t after doing Florida as there’s so many other things to see. Obviously there are some big roller coaster parks if that’s your thing. Lots of great places to stop , Santa Barbara and Monterey are our favourites. Lots to do in Monterey/Carmel and apart from golf going whale watching is one of the best things we have ever done.
In San Fran , Alcatraz, cable cars, cycle to bridge and over to Sausalito and back on ferry. Disney museum.
We would also suggest a couple of nights in Yosemite , 3.5 hours from Monterey and 3.5 hours back to San Fran
Suggest get a map out or google maps and look at all the various places you wish to go to and research distances.
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Old 19 Sep 20, 12:49 PM  
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newstewart
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Hi
Many will have different suggestions for you to consider and will be interesting reading for you.
I have done this journey several times but the first time we did it was the best.
We had the same issue with one way car rental and flying in and out of different airports.
We landed in LA, stayed a couple of days then drove to Arizona staying at Grand Canyon South Rim. 10years later I still have the wonderful memories of the view vastness.
After that we drove to Las Vegas for a few more days then headed to San Francisco with a overnight stop on the way then spent a time there before heading back to LA with a few overnight stops.
Just another curveball to help you with your planning
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Old 19 Sep 20, 02:53 PM  
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danisleigh
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We have hired a car for 13 nights of our trip and are picking up from Vegas and dropping off in LA and it is £483 for a standard SUV.
I can’t help with the flights, we have booked economy with BA for £600pp. I thought San Fran to LA was the better direction? We had it planned the other way for this year and when it was cancelled and we rebooked for next year we switched as so many had said that north to south was better.
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Old 19 Sep 20, 04:12 PM  
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abzorba
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Have you considered Economy on the way out, Upper Class on the way back? Sometimes works out around the same price as 2-way PE and you then get a bed on the overnight flight home if you can put up with Economy on the way out.

We've paid about £4000 to do this LHR/LAX on BA in August 2021 for 2AD 2CH (14, 12).
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Old 19 Sep 20, 08:10 PM  
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smudgester
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LOL - what a schoolboy error; have already made one mistake in my post. The plan is to fly into San Francisco and out of LA (not the other way round as per my OP)
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Old 19 Sep 20, 08:17 PM  
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smudgester
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Originally Posted by abzorba View Post
Have you considered Economy on the way out, Upper Class on the way back? Sometimes works out around the same price as 2-way PE and you then get a bed on the overnight flight home if you can put up with Economy on the way out.

We've paid about £4000 to do this LHR/LAX on BA in August 2021 for 2AD 2CH (14, 12).
Looked at that, but for our dates flying back overnight from LA (on the last Saturday in July) puts the total price up by at least £4k
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Old 19 Sep 20, 08:26 PM  
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smudgester
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Thanks for the ideas so far folks.

We already had the 'usual' stuff for San Fran on our list [ Alcatraz, over the bridge, etc ] - it helps my OH has an old school friend that lives there Monterey and the Canyon were also on the list but we are undecided about Vegas with the kids.

We are theme park freaks so will be doing those (Six Flags and the like) though might also need to do Disney as my son and I haven't done Star Wars land yet
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Old 19 Sep 20, 09:02 PM  
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abiknox
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Our trip in 2014 went like this...

Flew to San Fran, 2 nights there taking in Alkatraz, Pier 39, Fisherman's Warf, Golden Gate Bridge ect. We stayed in China Town but both agreed if we went again we would pick the Fisherman's Warf area. Stand out meals were breakfast at the Hollywood Cafe and dinner at House of Prime Rib.

Picked up hire car from Alamo (if I'm right, we booked via Virgin Holidays as they didn't charge the one way fee).

Drove to Yosemite for 2 nights, stayed in the Yosemite View Lodge and had the most incredible time exploring some of the trails. It's honestly the most beautiful place I have ever been and we have vowed to go back one day soon.

We headed along the coastal route to Monterey where we stayed at the Abrego Hotel for 1 night, we went whale watching and had a great meal at Hulas.

Carried on and stopped at The Pismo Beach Lighthouse Suites in Pismo for one night. This is where we had the least time to spare but it was a beautiful place to stop and break the journey.

Next up was Anaheim fro Disney, we stopped at Santa Barbara for an hour or so on the drive down and then carried onto our hotel, the Ayres. We stayed 3 nights and spent our time visiting the 2 Disney Parks.

Next up was San Diego where we stayed at the Best Western Island Palms for 2 nights. We actually never made it into the city but loved the Old Town, Sea world and the Zoo.

Our final stop was LA for 2 nights where we stayed at the Hilton Universal City, we did Universal one day with a quick visit to the Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre and then The Warner Bros tour and Santa Monica the other day before dropping the car at LAX and flying home.

It really was the most incredible trip. The full report is linked in my signature of you want more details or photos.
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Old 19 Sep 20, 09:03 PM  
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jdouds
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Well as you are now starting San Fran you could go to Yosemite from there and then Monterey, Santa Barbara and then park fixes .
Vegas is good and most kids enjoy it.
If it’s 14 days only would probably save Vegas and Grand Canyon for another trip.
If it’s 16/18 days then do Vegas as well, if so look at flying home from there or a short flight back to San Fran
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