3 week holiday in NW US - advice please..

hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

thanks

swayzak

On Feb 19, 11:47*am, wrote:
hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

thanks

swayzak

For outdoor NW, Olympic National Park and its rain forest, Mt. Ranier
NP, Mt. St. Helens, and the San Juan Islands all in Washington would
be nice. For Oregon, many people like the coast, Mt. Hood, and Crater
Lake NP. For northern California, Redwoods NP and Mt. Lassen Volcanic
NP, and my favorite California place Lava Beds National Monument.
That's more than 10 days already, or you could just concentrate in a
fewer number of places. Look into the places I've named and see what
they have to offer you. I enjoy them all.

As I'm taller than you, I know how cramped an airplane can be. Try to
get an emergency exit row. You could break up your flight into two
more equal lengths if you stopped somewhere in the eastern or
midwestern US and made a connection from there to fly on to Portland.

George

On 19 Feb, 11:47, george wrote:
On Feb 19, 11:47 am, wrote:



hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

thanks

swayzak

For outdoor NW, Olympic National Park and its rain forest, Mt. Ranier
NP, Mt. St. Helens, and the San Juan Islands all in Washington would
be nice. For Oregon, many people like the coast, Mt. Hood, and Crater
Lake NP. For northern California, Redwoods NP and Mt. Lassen Volcanic
NP, and my favorite California place Lava Beds National Monument.
That's more than 10 days already, or you could just concentrate in a
fewer number of places. Look into the places I've named and see what
they have to offer you. I enjoy them all.

As I'm taller than you, I know how cramped an airplane can be. Try to
get an emergency exit row. You could break up your flight into two
more equal lengths if you stopped somewhere in the eastern or
midwestern US and made a connection from there to fly on to Portland.

George

Thanks

Is this itinary via road or any shorthaul flights involved ?

As for my flight dilemma, I'm weighing up pros & cons of getting it
over as quick as possible (I hate faffing about with stopover /
changing) ... best is direct 9 1/2 hr BA to Seattle, then short 45min
local flight to Portland. But economy is £600ish and prem-eco about
£1200 !!

Trying to justify the extra expense with the accomodation saving of
staying with my uncle for some of the trip !

On 19 Feb, 12:05, wrote:
On 19 Feb, 11:47, george wrote:



On Feb 19, 11:47 am, wrote:

hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

thanks

swayzak

For outdoor NW, Olympic National Park and its rain forest, Mt. Ranier
NP, Mt. St. Helens, and the San Juan Islands all in Washington would
be nice. For Oregon, many people like the coast, Mt. Hood, and Crater
Lake NP. For northern California, Redwoods NP and Mt. Lassen Volcanic
NP, and my favorite California place Lava Beds National Monument.
That's more than 10 days already, or you could just concentrate in a
fewer number of places. Look into the places I've named and see what
they have to offer you. I enjoy them all.

As I'm taller than you, I know how cramped an airplane can be. Try to
get an emergency exit row. You could break up your flight into two
more equal lengths if you stopped somewhere in the eastern or
midwestern US and made a connection from there to fly on to Portland.

George

Thanks

Is this itinary via road or any shorthaul flights involved ?

As for my flight dilemma, I'm weighing up pros & cons of getting it
over as quick as possible (I hate faffing about with stopover /
changing) ... best is direct 9 1/2 hr BA to Seattle, then short 45min
local flight to Portland. But economy is £600ish and prem-eco about
£1200 !!

Trying to justify the extra expense with the accomodation saving of
staying with my uncle for some of the trip !

Actually just found prem-eco BMI direct flight from Manchester for
£1018 ( via http://www.airline-network.co.uk ) - and 49" vs BAs paltry
38" pitch !

On Feb 19, 2:47*am, wrote:
hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

thanks

swayzak


You'd probably need to rent a car and drive around. Driving between
Seattle and Portland is about 3 hours. You can do a loop between the
two cities and see plenty of great outdoors scenic views. Olympia
Nationa Park is a must. Mt. St Helens certainly warrants a day. The
coast line is spectacular. Columbia River Gorge is very scenic.

I am guessing you are flying from England. You'll need to be more
specific as to where you are flying from.

On Feb 19, 1:05*pm, wrote:
On 19 Feb, 11:47, george wrote:





On Feb 19, 11:47 am, wrote:

hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

thanks

swayzak

For outdoor NW, Olympic National Park and its rain forest, Mt. Ranier
NP, Mt. St. Helens, and the San Juan Islands all in Washington would
be nice. *For Oregon, many people like the coast, Mt. Hood, and Crater
Lake NP. *For northern California, Redwoods NP and Mt. Lassen Volcanic
NP, and my favorite California place Lava Beds National Monument.
That's more than 10 days already, or you could just concentrate in a
fewer number of places. *Look into the places I've named and see what
they have to offer you. *I enjoy them all.

As I'm taller than you, I know how cramped an airplane can be. *Try to
get an emergency exit row. *You could break up your flight into two
more equal lengths if you stopped somewhere in the eastern or
midwestern US and made a connection from there to fly on to Portland.

George

Thanks

Is this itinary via road or any shorthaul flights involved ?

As for my flight dilemma, I'm weighing up pros & cons of getting it
over as quick as possible (I hate faffing about with stopover /
changing) ... best is direct 9 1/2 hr BA to Seattle, then short 45min
local flight to Portland. But economy is £600ish and prem-eco about
£1200 !!

Trying to justify the extra expense with the accomodation saving of
staying with my uncle for some of the trip !- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It's really not an itinerary but a suggestion of some of the best
sights in western Washington, western Oregon, and nothern California,
and all done by driving (or ferry in the case of the San Juan
Islands).

Where the stopover is really makes no difference, whether it is
Seattle or elsewhere, as you will still have to deal with the same
things. I do like the non-stop flights to the west coast of the US as
I love the scenery out the plane window (especially the middle of
Greenland) which you usually don't get if you land in the eastern or
central US. Also, at Seattle it may be possible to have some good
salmon in a restaurant at the airport.

You could also just rent your car in Seattle, visit some of the sights
in Washington state, before heading to Portland for your visit, then
drive around Oregon and Northern California, and pick up some more
sights in Washington heading back to the airport in Seattle. This
would save you the money on the Seattle-Portland flights.

George

On 19 Feb, 16:55, PeterL wrote:
On Feb 19, 2:47 am, wrote:



hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

thanks

swayzak

You'd probably need to rent a car and drive around. Driving between
Seattle and Portland is about 3 hours. You can do a loop between the
two cities and see plenty of great outdoors scenic views. Olympia
Nationa Park is a must. Mt. St Helens certainly warrants a day. The
coast line is spectacular. Columbia River Gorge is very scenic.

I am guessing you are flying from England. You'll need to be more
specific as to where you are flying from.

Yep - UK (Heathrow, Birmingham or Manchester).

Actually that bmi flight is not direct - have to change to a UA flight
in Chicago.

On 19 Feb, 17:03, george wrote:
On Feb 19, 1:05 pm, wrote:



On 19 Feb, 11:47, george wrote:

On Feb 19, 11:47 am, wrote:

hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

thanks

swayzak

For outdoor NW, Olympic National Park and its rain forest, Mt. Ranier
NP, Mt. St. Helens, and the San Juan Islands all in Washington would
be nice. For Oregon, many people like the coast, Mt. Hood, and Crater
Lake NP. For northern California, Redwoods NP and Mt. Lassen Volcanic
NP, and my favorite California place Lava Beds National Monument.
That's more than 10 days already, or you could just concentrate in a
fewer number of places. Look into the places I've named and see what
they have to offer you. I enjoy them all.

As I'm taller than you, I know how cramped an airplane can be. Try to
get an emergency exit row. You could break up your flight into two
more equal lengths if you stopped somewhere in the eastern or
midwestern US and made a connection from there to fly on to Portland.

George

Thanks

Is this itinary via road or any shorthaul flights involved ?

As for my flight dilemma, I'm weighing up pros & cons of getting it
over as quick as possible (I hate faffing about with stopover /
changing) ... best is direct 9 1/2 hr BA to Seattle, then short 45min
local flight to Portland. But economy is £600ish and prem-eco about
£1200 !!

Trying to justify the extra expense with the accomodation saving of
staying with my uncle for some of the trip !- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It's really not an itinerary but a suggestion of some of the best
sights in western Washington, western Oregon, and nothern California,
and all done by driving (or ferry in the case of the San Juan
Islands).

Where the stopover is really makes no difference, whether it is
Seattle or elsewhere, as you will still have to deal with the same
things. I do like the non-stop flights to the west coast of the US as
I love the scenery out the plane window (especially the middle of
Greenland) which you usually don't get if you land in the eastern or
central US. Also, at Seattle it may be possible to have some good
salmon in a restaurant at the airport.

You could also just rent your car in Seattle, visit some of the sights
in Washington state, before heading to Portland for your visit, then
drive around Oregon and Northern California, and pick up some more
sights in Washington heading back to the airport in Seattle. This
would save you the money on the Seattle-Portland flights.

George

thanks again

That's a good idea about driving down from Seattle (I could do it OK,
my uncle is in his 70s so I didn't want him to drive that distance.

Would like to take some of the sights in with him, so may drive
straight to Portland to spend the first few days there - presumably
it's a scenic drive ?).

wrote in message
...
hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

You can drive from Seattle to Portland in a couple of hours


I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

Much the same

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

IMHO yes

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

A hell of a lot. You can take in the Cascades, Lassen NP,
the Columbia Gorge , Crater Lake (a stunning place),
Olympic NP, Mt Rainier - another not to be missed location,
the Oregon coastline. You could spend months there

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

I'd suggest starting and ending in Seattle

Something along the lines of
Seattle - Mt Rainier NP
Mt Rainier - Mt St Helens
Mt St Helens - Crater Lake
Crater Lake - Redwood NP (North California)
Drive up the Oregon cost road to Portland
Portland - Seattle

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

Keith

wrote in message
...
hi

I am thinking of going to NW for 3 weeks this summer. Will probably
stay beginning & end period with relative (WA, nr Portland OR).

So I'm thinking of flying direct to Seattle & taking short flight to
Portland (and visa versa on return). This is the shortest, most direct
route I can find (don't really want to mess about changing).

I have only done one long(ish) haul flight as adult - budget Barbados,
7-8 hrs grim, cramped flight (I'm 6"1.5").

Firstly, how much different would economy be on a BA/Virgin 747 flight
(compared to cramped, non-747 flight to Barbados) ? Similar or
better ?

A return economy (Seattle) would be around £600, but almost double for
premium-eco. Would it be worth paying the difference ?

Secondly, what could realistically do in 10 days or so, on West
coast ? Could I take in most of the important stuff (I'm more into
natural world than cities etc.) in this time frame ? Probably a mix of
flying & driving (or possibly coach/rail ?) ...

I was vaguely planning on a kind of loop which would somehow get me
back to my uncle's a few days before flying home ...

Maybe an alternative would be outward to NW, and back from further
south e.g. LA ? Would this be more expensive / more hassle ?

thanks

swayzak

You can fly to one city and return from another for half one fare and half
the other - no penalties. Therefore, flying to Seattle and back from San
Francisco, for instance is perfectly feasible. Not only that, but you can
combine premium economy one way with ordinary the other (I'd use PE for the
flight from the US back to London). I've given up on regular economy. I
save my pennies up and go premium economy every time. I'm about the same
height as you. I might manage London/Boston in economy but that's it.

Some years ago, my wife had an aunt who lived on the San Francisco
peninsular. We flew into Seattle and went via Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens,
Portland, out to the coast at Tilamook, down through Newport (good aquarium
and nice restruarant down by the old fish dock) and Coos Bay, Crater Lake,
Klamath Falls (day trip to Lava Beds and the Nature Reserve), Redding,
Lassen, Chico, Santa Rosa (Snoopy!) and across the Golden Gate. Had the
same car for all three weeks. The one way fee (from memory) was USD250.
The trip took 10 days and we spent 10 more with the aunt. Absolutely great
holiday. The hard part was deciding where not to go. I was tempted by
the area round Bend, I still regret not going to Olympic NP and the Northern
California Coast also beckons for a trip one day.

If you do end in San Francisco you don't need the car in the city (we were
staying down the peninsular). San Francisco has good public transport
(google for Muni and BART) although the locals complain about it quite as
much as we do about our public transport! Don't miss Alcatraz - book
before you leave the UK.