San Fran - Vegas - Ideas/experience/help/ideas

[QfanatiQ]

Its my misses 30th next year.
We love San Fran and often wanted to go to plastic fantastic Vegas.
My father lived there for four years, so very familiar with local area (stretching out to Napa/Yosemite (must be spelt wrong), city, oakland, jose etc etc.

We do still have links there, but i am not keen to rely on them to get/use an AAA deals.

My first intention was to get flights and deal with Car and accommodation separately BUT all done from UK before we go. This will give us more flexibility with when/how/where we go travel and stay.

Looking on Virgin fly drive, I notice, they do packages. Does anyone know if I looked to do this myself it would be considerably more money?

Fly drive give no extra costs for one way pick up drop off drives - can offers liek this still be picked up when UK booking car?

We want to do a two day, longer scenic drive, so see new things and places we have been before.

Looked around and events both in Vegas and San Fran, hoping to catch a good few tings happening.

I am browsing google, there are some great route suggestions but thats all i seem to be coming accross.

Cheers for any help and input.
.....Q

[Little John]

I have done Vegas to San Fran but didn't take no scenic route just the one that Tom tom told me to take it took about 12 hours due to arriveing in SF a few hours before a baseball or football game and traffic was stupid. Its not an easy drive a little boring to be honest especially once you get on the I5 and we had been told that so we only got on there quite a way up and we used the SR 99 through Fresno which probably added to our time as well.

One way drop off fees are silly so if you can avoid them do so. You can always get vegas to LA free or vice versa but go anywhere else and they will hit you for them. I wanted to do New Orleans to LA but the £400 hire turned in to £1600 with the drop off fees. How about Pick up in Vegas drive to SF and then 2 days easy drive down to LA before you leave doing that would avoid one way drop off fees.

How about driving from SF to LA via the pacific coast highway take a few days doing it stop off half way or somthing then head down to LA and over to Vegas. LA to Vegas only takes 3-4 hours

SF to Vegas you have all the national parks to stop off in if thats your thing.

Costs flights to LA or Vegas pretty much any where in the US always seem to cost us about £500-600 per person even when we have done multiple cities like Manchester to New Orleans, New orleans to LA it still cost us £550 with the internal flights included. Or the Man to Vegas, Vegas to Orlando again £510 and the Man to LA and LA to Man cost £600 which was a little confusing. Car hire done seperatly seems to cost about £400-£500 for just over 2 weeks for somthing of reasonable size. Never get the economy car as they are shite and on the long drives you need cruise control and a bit of comfort.

I always check all the possiblities out but I know a few people who own travel agencies and they deal with it all for me book what I want them to so I get the best value but becasue it is booked via an agency I get the ATOL cover if the shit hits the fan.

Hotels, you probably know you need to have an address for your first nights stay so We only ever book the first nights hotel in advanced unless we go to Vegas where it pays to sign up to the hotel mailing lists for their offers and book in advanced. We do book some places if we know we will be there for any lenght of time but 1 or 2 nights we just turn up and ask for a discount which works more often than not .

Sign up for any hotel loyalty cards you can find again you get discounts some give free parking others free news papers, goody bags full of snacks and free drinks in the hotel bar. City hotels are expensive so try stay out side of them if you can the main problem in SF is parking is stupidly expensive even as a hotel guest I think we paid somthing like $40-50 per day If I go there again I will start or end there and do the stay without a car, it only moved when we arrived and left you don't need a car there. Vegas I liked to have a car even if it is just to have a drive up the strip in the morning when its cool and no traffic on the roads, when we went one year we didn't have a car and we spent more on taxis than the car hire would have cost.

Sorry bit of a ramble but hope some of the info is useful.

[QfanatiQ]

Yes, you mention ATOL, i heard recently, ATOL only protects you under a package holiday, not separate flights.

Been to LA, apart from the parks, boring. But i did go with the family (three younger borthers), Also missus odes not want togo to LA. Def San Fran to Vegas. This way also ties into the festivities i want to go to and revisit.

Standard route is about 10/12, longer route, typically add 5 hours. BUt i am keen to do it over three days and see some sights on the way

Traffic in San Fran is hectic. THere is a MEAN shortcut (have to ask my dad again) that knocks of near an hour in rush hour to get to GG Bridge.

I think then perhaps some base location drive to and from San Fran. Account for it, long drive there, short drive back.

ATOL is a consideration, but i am thinking, if we get stuck, we ave people we can stay with in emergencies, just dont want to impose them to book our hotels. Also if need be, then flights/travel back can be funded by Bank of M&D. Dont you worry, we will have to pay it back!

Thanks, got some thigns to think about!

Q

[Little John]

The ATOL licence isnt for if you get stuck there it means that if you are stuck they will bring you back. Being stuck abroad isnt too bad as long as you will get a flight back, ATOL protection means you will get back The advantage of useing an agency is that they will sort everything out for you, no spending time in queues at the airport no knowing they do it all for you.

The LA stuff isnt a thing of going and staying there is is just a place to land collect the car and drive or turn up the day you leave after landing in Vegas drop the car off and fly out of LAX that means you don't have to finish there you can finish in Vegas. LA is nasty we spent 5 or 6 days there last September and the traffic just gets you down after a few days Never mind the rip off hotel prices.

[SiE]

We did a Las Vegas to San fran but we flew. We then drove down route 1 along the coast which was amazing to LA staying at Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara/Malibu on the way then Amtrak to San Diego flew to Chicago then flew home over 5 weeks. Best holiday we have ever done.

[maltloaf]

Few years ago I stayed a week in LA and adored it. Been back twice since, work and holidays. Drove LA to SF, stayed there a few days, drove SF to Vegas, stayed there a week and drove back to LA. Amazing time. Driving is DEFINATELY the way to do it. You see so much more and experience much more. I will never forget the roadside diners and gas stations along the routes. Some of the characters we met were amazing.