San Fran and LAX for summer

My wife and I are planning 3 weeks in the US in July and our only real
plan so far is to land in SFO and leave from LAX. I would like to do
some mountain biking and sailing and my wife would like to see views and
beaches. We would ideally like to go by camper van but they are working
out at about US$90 per day for good ones. We're happy to hire an older
on as comfort and speed aren't the piorities.
We're really open to
suggestions as to what we should see, where to stay, how long things
take etc. I think a trip to Las Vegas is in order because that is the
classy thing to do!
Our budget is probably US$80 per day but will
happily spend more on something good and then have a coupl eof days
spending nothing more than accom and food.
Thanks in advance. Pointers
to websites are cool if you don't have time to write too much.


--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com

"Desert Dweller" wrote in message
...

My wife and I are planning 3 weeks in the US in July and our only real
plan so far is to land in SFO and leave from LAX. I would like to do
some mountain biking and sailing and my wife would like to see views and
beaches. We would ideally like to go by camper van but they are working
out at about US$90 per day for good ones. We're happy to hire an older
on as comfort and speed aren't the piorities

Truthfully a campervan probably isnt a good option.
Not only do the rates work out epxensive you still have to
budget for camping fees, you'll spend a LOT more
on gasoline and then the rental companies often find
creative ways to charge for extras like $ per hour
for use of the generator and bedding cutlery etc.

Staying in motels and renting a car will almost certainly
be cheaper. Watch for the cost of insurance when
renting a car or RV as the tendency for US citizens
is to use their own auto insurance which means that
included rental is the minimum state requirements.
Getting an acceptable level may cost as much as the
rental if purchased from the rental companies at the desk.


We're really open to
suggestions as to what we should see, where to stay, how long things
take etc. I think a trip to Las Vegas is in order because that is the
classy thing to do!
Our budget is probably US$80 per day but will
happily spend more on something good and then have a coupl eof days
spending nothing more than accom and food.
Thanks in advance. Pointers
to websites are cool if you don't have time to write too much.


I'd recommend using budget motels. In most places
$80 per night will be fine, you may have to spend rather more
in San Francisco. I've used the Vagabond Inn chain,
they tend to be a little shabby sometimes but they
are generally cheap and clean

For your trip to Las vegas avoid weekends as rates
triple compare with midweek.

Keith

"Desert Dweller" wrote in message
...

My wife and I are planning 3 weeks in the US in July and our only real
plan so far is to land in SFO and leave from LAX. I would like to do
some mountain biking and sailing and my wife would like to see views and
beaches. We would ideally like to go by camper van but they are working
out at about US$90 per day for good ones. We're happy to hire an older
on as comfort and speed aren't the piorities.
We're really open to
suggestions as to what we should see, where to stay, how long things
take etc. I think a trip to Las Vegas is in order because that is the
classy thing to do!
Our budget is probably US$80 per day but will
happily spend more on something good and then have a coupl eof days
spending nothing more than accom and food.
Thanks in advance. Pointers
to websites are cool if you don't have time to write too much.


I hope that $80 a day is only for lodging. Because if you are budgeting $80
a day for everything I can tell you it's too low. I would suggest rent a
car (watch out for that drop off fee), drive down Hwy 1 from SF to LA.
Staying in small beach cities along the way. When you get to LA, take a
flight to Las Vegas for a couple of days, then fly back to LA and home.


--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Desert Dweller wrote:
SFO and leave from LAX.

Excellent choices.

some mountain biking

Some think just using a bicycle around town is "mountain" biking.

and sailing

San Francisco Bay is said to be one of the greatest challenges on the
planet.

and my wife would like to see views and beaches.

Our views are unsurpassed and our beaches are very nice, too, but the
water's not just cold, the undertows are very dangerous.

I think a trip to Las Vegas is in order

So do I.

because that is the classy thing to do!

Where on Earth did you get THAT idea?!?

Our budget is probably US$80 per day

You should budget a minimum of $135 per day.

On December 27, 1999, I said "I plan on expenses of US$135 per day.
However, that figure includes renting a car" and repeated it

From: Icono Clast )
Subject: Budgeting Travel in USA
Newsgroups: rec.travel.usa-canada
Date: 2000/03/15
The question of how much to budget for a trip is often asked. My
recommendation is to BUDGET $135 PER DAY for one person and $200 for
two.
Here's the DAILY AVERAGE of what I spent driving 850 miles in a
rented car from Orlando to Miami from 23:59 of February 27 to Noon of
March 5, 2000:

Admits Food Dance Lodge Auto Fuel Misc. Total
ForTwo $47.59 $41.27 $6.67 $42.14 $25.99 $7.17 $4.54 $175.37
ForOne $23.79 $20.63 $3.33 $42.14 $25.99 $7.17 $2.27 $125.34

"Admits" (Admissions) include two amusement parks, two museums, and
two tours in Everglades National Park. "Misc." includes $21 for shoe
repair.

As you might have heard, gasoline costs a bit more now. Come Summer,
my guess is that the price per gallon will be at least $2.50 meaning
that a straight trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles, using 17
gallons, would cost $42.50 for gasoline.

Pointers to websites are cool

The site at Right in the sig has a couple of pages that should be of
interst to you:

SAN FRANCISCO: http://geocities.com/iconoc/Articles/Sights.html

LAS VEGAS: http://geocities.com/iconoc/Articles/LasVegas.html

and, if you like to dance, the site at Left in the sig.
__________________________________________________ ___________
A San Franciscan in 47.335 mile² San Francisco
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ http://geocities.com/iconoc/
ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 IClast at SFbay Net

Great! Lots of great help, I'll have a good look at your website.
Thanks.


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Posted via http://britishexpats.com

"Desert Dweller" wrote in message
...

My wife and I are planning 3 weeks in the US in July and our only real
plan so far is to land in SFO and leave from LAX. I would like to do
some mountain biking and sailing and my wife would like to see views and
beaches. We would ideally like to go by camper van but they are working
out at about US$90 per day for good ones. We're happy to hire an older
on as comfort and speed aren't the piorities.
We're really open to
suggestions as to what we should see, where to stay, how long things
take etc. I think a trip to Las Vegas is in order because that is the
classy thing to do!
Our budget is probably US$80 per day but will
happily spend more on something good and then have a coupl eof days
spending nothing more than accom and food.
Thanks in advance. Pointers
to websites are cool if you don't have time to write too much.

A campervan is probably a bad idea in terms of expense.

$80 per day, average, is do-able, including food and lodging, but not
including the car rental. Expect to pay about $150-200/week for the car
rental.

It's a little late to reserve, but there are some excellent IYH hostels
along the coast which are inexpensive in terms of lodging, and allow you to
cook at least some meals. Many of these hostels are in locations that hotels
would love to be able to build. Look into the Golden Gate Hostel in the
Marin Headlands (perfect area for mountain biking, but you'll need to rent a
mountin bike somewhere), Point Reyes, San Francisco (3), Montara Lighthouse,
Pescadero Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Santa Cruz Carmelita Cottages, Monterey,
Santa Monica, and L.A Down side is that you MUST plan ahead, and stick to
the plan. But it'll be the same with a campervan since campgrounds need to
be reserved as well, especially the state and county park campgrounds.

Daily mountain bike rental will more than a day of car rental!

Food can be as cheap or as expensive as you want, but $25 per day for two is
doable. Since your British, even the worst food in the U.S. will seem good
to you. In San Francisco, Chinese lunch specials have gone up in price, most
places are about $4 now.

Where on earth did you get the idea that Las Vegas is classy? Unless you
mean low class. And in July it will be very hot. My advice is to forget
about this part of your trip. Take a side trip to Yosemite instead. Stay at
the Yosemite Bug Hostel (Guinness on-tap in the cafe).

Peter L wrote:

"Desert Dweller" wrote in message
...

My wife and I are planning 3 weeks in the US in July and our only real
plan so far is to land in SFO and leave from LAX. I would like to do
some mountain biking and sailing and my wife would like to see views and
beaches. We would ideally like to go by camper van but they are working
out at about US$90 per day for good ones. We're happy to hire an older
on as comfort and speed aren't the piorities.
We're really open to
suggestions as to what we should see, where to stay, how long things
take etc. I think a trip to Las Vegas is in order because that is the
classy thing to do!
Our budget is probably US$80 per day but will
happily spend more on something good and then have a coupl eof days
spending nothing more than accom and food.
Thanks in advance. Pointers
to websites are cool if you don't have time to write too much.



I hope that $80 a day is only for lodging. Because if you are budgeting $80
a day for everything I can tell you it's too low. I would suggest rent a
car (watch out for that drop off fee), drive down Hwy 1 from SF to LA.
Staying in small beach cities along the way.


That could be a chilly, foggy trip in July. And it will be expensive;
lodging alone will be over $80 a day most places. I'd suggest a couple
of days down the coast to Big Sur, then head over to Yosemite for a few
days, then down US395 to LV--lots to see on the way--then if wanted, a
day or two in the Mojave desert on the way to LA. Or go to the Southern
California beaches, which will be free of fog, and fairly warm.

http://www.pelicannetwork.net/
http://jrabold.net/bigsur/
http://www.nps.gov/yose/home.htm
http://www.395.com/
http://www.desertusa.com/du_mojave.html

You should make reservations for lodging if you're going to stay in
motels. It will already be difficult to get anything close to Yosemite
or Big Sur. The same goes for campsites for a camper van (RV).

Desert Dweller wrote in message ...
My wife and I are planning 3 weeks in the US in July and our only real
plan so far is to land in SFO and leave from LAX.

At that time of the year, San Francisco can be surprisingly cold,
especially at some of the popular tourist areas(Golden Gate Bridge,
etc). Don't be surprised if SF is below 10C while the interior parts
of California are above 30C. A popular local quote often attributed
to Mark Twain (and availble on t-shirts at all of the prime tourist
traps) is that "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San
Francisco". Be prepared.