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#1
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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 |
#2
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San Fran and LAX for summer
"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 |
#3
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San Fran and LAX for summer
"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 |
#4
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San Fran and LAX for summer
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 |
#5
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San Fran and LAX for summer
Great! Lots of great help, I'll have a good look at your website. Thanks. -- Posted via http://britishexpats.com |
#6
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San Fran and LAX for summer
"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). |
#7
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San Fran and LAX for summer
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). |
#8
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San Fran and LAX for summer
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. |
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