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Yvan eht nioj






In my Austin Ambassador Y Reg

I am planning a special family holiday for next year but I am struggling to find the best way to go about doing it. The intention is to fly from the UK to Miami, pick up a hire car, drive to Orlando, do the whole Disneyland thing and from there drive on ultimately to LA via New Orleans, Texas, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas etc, flying back to UK from LAX. Ultimately, I'd love to be able to bung all the details in a web site and have it spit out an itinerary telling me where to go and when but I appreciate that is probably futile. On the other hand, can one just arrive in the US and go from motel to motel without pre-booking? Last time I was in the States ('93) there were loads of motels but is that still the case?

Things I am looking for advice on or am not sure about:

  • Is 3 weeks sufficient time? Plan is to only spend 3/4 days in Orlando - rest of the trip will be going from place to place and stopping off at the sights along the way.

  • Are there still tons of motels in the US? Can you just exit off the freeway at a given location and be reasonably assured of finding a room?

  • Does anyone have any suggestions for waypoints along the way, things one should absolutely see or a route we should take?

  • Am I better off going to a travel agent and finding someone to organise the whole itinerary for me? I want to be sure I'm not planning too many long 'hops' - the kids won't want to sit in a car for 8 hours a day so really need to think of 4/5 hours max per leg.

  • Has anyone done something similar? What sort of cost should I budget for? I know Disneyland tickets are ruinously expensive.


  • Any advice gratefully received!

    This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/06/28 14:05:52


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    The Great State of New Jersey

    I drove from coast-to-coast in the span of a week, made quite a few stops along the way, took some scenic detours, etc. So yeah 3 weeks should be more than enough time if you want to go slow with it and spend some more time along the way and do shorter legs. Can't give you a cost estimate at this point as its been 10 years and gas prices have since tripled - also Uncle Sam and the Army picked up the tab.

    Otherwise yes, still plenty of motels in the US. Personally I find them gross and desperately avoid them, but they're still around in large numbers. Currently in the post-COVID era many hotels have much higher vacancy rates, so you shouldn't have much of a problem getting a room anywhere if that pattern continues into next year - however major events (conventions, sporting events, etc.) may still cause vacancy issues. You may have trouble walking into a hotel/motel in Orlando, if you know you're starting your trip there I would try to get reservations in advance. As long as theres nothing hot happening in NOLA, Vegas, or LA on your way through you shouldn't have too much of a problem in the others I would imagine. Worst comes to worst you can always try to book last minute ABNBs if you're not finding vacancy in hotels/motels in major cities.


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    Yes, I should clarify that I did intend on pre-booking anything around Orlando - it's the legs after that where I was hoping I could freestyle it.

    I'm guessing the sensible thing to do would be to take a cell phone and make the hotel/motel booking for the next day online on the prior day.

    This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/06/28 14:31:10


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    The Great State of New Jersey

    Seems a reasonable approach. If nothing else it saves you from driving into town and then having to cruise around looking for vacancies - having a definitive "end point" to each days drive is always a plus, especially if you have kids in tow who will undoubtedly start to "are we there yet" while you're trying to figure out where to stay.

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    Philadelphia PA

    I drove cross-country to relocate for work - Los Angeles to Philadelphia, and IIRC it was about 4 days. Though we drove much longer per day than you seem to plan to, but I think your timeframe looks fine.

    My only takeaway is driving through Texas is fracking boring. It's huge stretches of nothing, not even scenery, just flat wasteland.

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    SoCal

    If possible, save some of the route maps on your phone. You will drive through a lot of land with no reception. Also, bring water in your car. The Southwest is very hot and very dry, and you do not want to get stuck somewhere in traffic or with car trouble without plenty of water.

    What kinds of stops do you want to see? If you’re into history/archeology, you might see if you pass close to Cahokia or Poverty Point, or any of the cliff dwellings or Pueblos in New Mexico/Arizona. Hovenweep for example is someplace with stone buildings you can visit without going up a mountain.

    Old Rte 66 is a less direct but more scenic drive in Arizona, with a ghost town and other roadside attractions. Or you can go closer to the border and see the saguaro, cholla, ocatillo and other desert plants.

       
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    Crystal Lake, McHenry, Illinois, USA

    May I offer a few suggestions - it is possible to create an itinerary using Google Maps with waypoints where you anticipate stopping - with Google then suggesting where to stay and what to do and where to shop around the particular location. You may also wish to pick a brand of motel - and use their website to make some tentative reservations near your definite places to stop - especially if you decide to use the brand's credit card for its benefits. For example, I usually stay at Holiday Inn Express - relatively new, relatively cheap and very ubiquitous along the interstates - usually with a pool and 'free breakfast'. Their card allows you to easily change reservations without a penalty and gives you a late checkout and other freebies.

    This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/06/28 17:51:16


    Doug
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    Texas

     filbert wrote:
    I am planning a special family holiday for next year but I am struggling to find the best way to go about doing it. The intention is to fly from the UK to Miami, pick up a hire car, drive to Orlando, do the whole Disneyland thing and from there drive on ultimately to LA via New Orleans, Texas, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas etc, flying back to UK from LAX. Ultimately, I'd love to be able to bung all the details in a web site and have it spit out an itinerary telling me where to go and when but I appreciate that is probably futile. On the other hand, can one just arrive in the US and go from motel to motel without pre-booking? Last time I was in the States ('93) there were loads of motels but is that still the case?

  • Is 3 weeks sufficient time? Plan is to only spend 3/4 days in Orlando - rest of the trip will be going from place to place and stopping off at the sights along the way.


  • Assuming 45 - 50 hours total driving time between Orlando and Los Angeles 3 weeks is plenty to see and do a lot in between. Las Vegas/Grand Canyon is a bit of a detour off of the preferred routes between Orlando and LA, but definitely worth it.

     filbert wrote:
  • [list]Are there still tons of motels in the US? Can you just exit off the freeway at a given location and be reasonably assured of finding a room?


  • Lots of motels still, but definitely check 24 hours ahead. Hotels.com or Expedia should sort it quickly for you during your trip if on your own to find a place.

     filbert wrote:
  • Does anyone have any suggestions for waypoints along the way, things one should absolutely see or a route we should take?


  • Maybe just a few and definately more than what I can properly share here, but what follows would be what I would probably consider if taking the trip myself;
    - Orlando to Panama City Beach – (6 hours) Spend a couple of days on some of the best beaches the continental US has to offer.
    - Panama City Beach to New Orleans – (5 hours) – Might stop in Mobile 2 ½ hours into the drive to see the USS Alabama History Park if you have any interest in see a big World War II US battleship along with a submarine and various air craft.
    - New Orleans to Houston, TX – (5 hours) – Houston/Galveston has some interesting things to see, which probably for you and the kids top of the list would be Space Center Houston located on the Johnson Space Center campus since there is nothing comparable in the UK. Also enjoy the view of the Atchafalaya Swamp during your drive from New Orleans to Houston.
    - Houston to San Antonio – “only” 3 hrs, but almost obligatory stop as lots to do in San Antonio. If nothing else get your picture in front of the Alamo. Also stop at Buc-ees on the way to San Antonio, you and misses will thank me.

    After San Antonio is where the drive becomes more challenging, and the waypoints more spread out. West Texas, southern New Mexico and Arizona have some real natural beauty and of course coming from the UK likely to be utterly unique, but at least for me personally it has been more often how quickly can I get through it than where to stop and do stuff. That said, some places to check out possibly;

    - Fort Stockton, TX – (4 ½ hours from San Antonio) – Not a lot to do but keeps you within the 4 to 5 hour cruising range and does have some unique places to take some photos.
    - El Paso, TX/Las Cruces NM (8 hours from San Antonio) – White Sands is worth seeing
    - Tucson, AZ (5 hours from El Paso) – IMHO not a lot touristy to do, but good place to stop for the night.
    - Tucson to Grand Canyon (5 hours) – It’s the Grand freaking Canyon – nuff said.
    - Grand Canyon to Las Vegas (4 ½ hours) – Don’t lose your shirt (or the kids)!
    - Las Vegas to LA (5 hours) – Consider stopping to check out the Mojave National Preserve along the way.

     filbert wrote:
  • Am I better off going to a travel agent and finding someone to organise the whole itinerary for me? I want to be sure I'm not planning too many long 'hops' - the kids won't want to sit in a car for 8 hours a day so really need to think of 4/5 hours max per leg.


  • Your travel interval maybe challenging to keep to 4 to 5 hours consistently, so may be worth some professional input on a possibly itinerary. Though would not be surprised if they try to talk you into flying some of the legs instead of driving the whole way. Also do not plan on hiring the same type of hire car as your typical UK style saloon. Definately think SUV for the extra room if driving all that way with kids!

     filbert wrote:
  • Has anyone done something similar? What sort of cost should I budget for? I know Disneyland tickets are ruinously expensive.


  • Have never attempted that whole trip in one go. But have done half of it (mostly Houston to Florida) more than a dozen times for buisness and pleasure, most of those driving.

    Disneyworld for many is a trip unto itself. Definitely worth getting a travel agent to help you find the best and most sensible deals for that leg of the trip. The rest of it depends on the season your traveling as prices for hotels in the US definitely go up doing the summer, but can be quite inexpensive offseason, especially in places along the Florida Gulf Coast, San Antonio, and Grand Canyon. Given your proposed travel plans, a 3 week one-way hire car will likely be at least $2,000 USD not including gas which as you know right now is the highest it has ever been and likely to be another $1,000 USD.


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    Leicester

    We did a similar trip from Albuquerque to San Francisco over 10 days back in 2014. Cost about $1800 for the one-way car hire. If you’re heading towards the Grand Canyon, before that is Meteor Crater and the Painted Desert / Petrified Forest. Both are well worth a stop; we stopped at the painted desert towards dusk by chance and it was stunning in the evening light.

    I would highly recommend looking for local restaurants; we had some amazing food apart from in the chain places!

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    Cadia

     filbert wrote:
  • Is 3 weeks sufficient time? Plan is to only spend 3/4 days in Orlando - rest of the trip will be going from place to place and stopping off at the sights along the way.


  • That depends on how many sights you want to see. Driving time alone, doing nothing but going from hotel A to hotel B with a minimum of stops, is going to be a week. If you've got 3-4 days in Orlando that leaves a week and a half to split up between the rest of your stuff. Or if you're doing half days that means you'll be traveling pretty much every day to keep on schedule and have very little room to spend an entire day somewhere.

  • Are there still tons of motels in the US? Can you just exit off the freeway at a given location and be reasonably assured of finding a room?


  • There are lots of hotel options. But it will be much easier to get an app and book your hotel for the evening on your lunch break. That gives you time to get off the freeway anywhere +/- an hour or two, and with that kind of radius you'll definitely find something.

  • Does anyone have any suggestions for waypoints along the way, things one should absolutely see or a route we should take?


  • One route concern: be aware that you are crossing some absolutely massive mountain ranges when you go across the US. All those pictures of the rocky mountains look impressive but the flat land at the base of those mountains is at a higher elevation than the highest point in the UK. Summer is pretty reliably ok but if you're going outside of peak tourist season winter weather will regularly shut down the mountain routes. This will be less of an issue going south through the desert but be aware that in summer it gets mercilessly hot there and you have a thousand miles or more to drive through that region.

  • Has anyone done something similar? What sort of cost should I budget for? I know Disneyland tickets are ruinously expensive.


  • Let me put it this way: you'd probably be better off buying a used car. Three weeks on a one-way rental is going to be horrifyingly expensive. Then add in a few thousand dollars for gas, hotel costs, etc. You're pretty quickly getting into "if you have to ask you can't afford it" territory.

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    For the driving?

    From my admittedly limited experience of roads in the USA? They tend to be very, very straight.

    I’d take that into account when planning your journey, as it’s arguably a different experience to the UK’s windy roads. And as such, it may alter your driving stamina, because it requires a different kind of attention. And nobody needs anybody nodding off whilst behind the wheel!

    Definitely familiarise yourself with US road signs too. I’ve been largely exploring on foot, and it took me a day or two to get used to where street signs are in New York, and the general signs are different to what we’re used to.

       
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    In my Austin Ambassador Y Reg

    Lots to think about, many thanks all.

    The itinerary/route may need to be subject to revision - from my initial research the flights and the car hire are going to be hugely expensive. It may be better to manage expectations and confine ourselves to driving from Miami, maybe as far as New Orleans and then back to Miami so that the hire car isn't one way and the flights aren't multi-city bookings. Will see what the travel agent says.

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    MN (Currently in WY)

    You can use a travel booking app (You can choose the one you wish) to see all the hotels and prices in a city you are approaching. This tells you a lot about the hotel/motel and you can often use these apps to book online as you enter the Hotel/Motel for a cheaper rate than you would get at the counter.

    I have done this many times.

    Also, make a rule to not eat at any chains and instead go to local restaurants instead. Better food for sure. The only exception is Wafflehouse, you need to visit one of those at least once and preferably around midnight or later. After visiting once, you will be good.

    Also, when you are travelling across the South, you can never judge a restaurant by how rundown it is. The best tasting places look like they are not fit to serve food in, as a general rule of thumb.

    This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/06/30 17:09:47


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    Leicester

     Easy E wrote:
    You can use a travel booking app (You can choose the one you wish) to see all the hotels and prices in a city you are approaching. This tells you a lot about the hotel/motel and you can often use these apps to book online as you enter the Hotel/Motel for a cheaper rate than you would get at the counter.

    I have done this many times.

    Also, make a rule to not eat at any chains and instead go to local restaurants instead. Better food for sure. The only exception is Wafflehouse, you need to visit one of those at least once and preferably around midnight or later. After visiting once, you will be good.

    Also, when you are travelling across the South, you can never judge a restaurant by how rundown it is. The best tasting places look like they are not fit to serve food in, as a general rule of thumb.



    Second that last bit and shout out to the Mesa Bar & Grill in Holbrook, Az.; attached to the side of a stereoptypical small town, sheet metal clad American bar (complete with neon signs) is an amazing Italian restaurant. Random pick from the AAA guidebook that turned out to be a highlight of the trip.

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    Upstate, New York

    To be fair, run down but good is not just a southern thing. Some of the best seafood in NE is going to be from a place that looks like it washed up onto the shore during the last storm, and the next might take it back to the deeps. But until then, they will sling the best fried clams you will ever experience.

       
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    SoCal

     Jadenim wrote:
     Easy E wrote:
    You can use a travel booking app (You can choose the one you wish) to see all the hotels and prices in a city you are approaching. This tells you a lot about the hotel/motel and you can often use these apps to book online as you enter the Hotel/Motel for a cheaper rate than you would get at the counter.

    I have done this many times.

    Also, make a rule to not eat at any chains and instead go to local restaurants instead. Better food for sure. The only exception is Wafflehouse, you need to visit one of those at least once and preferably around midnight or later. After visiting once, you will be good.

    Also, when you are travelling across the South, you can never judge a restaurant by how rundown it is. The best tasting places look like they are not fit to serve food in, as a general rule of thumb.



    Second that last bit and shout out to the Mesa Bar & Grill in Holbrook, Az.; attached to the side of a stereoptypical small town, sheet metal clad American bar (complete with neon signs) is an amazing Italian restaurant. Random pick from the AAA guidebook that turned out to be a highlight of the trip.


    We ate there once, too. (Well, we ordered food and then I walked in and picked it up, because pandemic.). I got a safe choice since I was driving, and it was good, but my wife and son ordered items they wouldn’t usually get and both raved about them. It’s been a while, but I think that’s where my son got something with steak and fish. He would recommend, 10/10.

    Edit: There was another place in AZ my son really loved, near a Retro Hotel and a Walmart, but I can’t remember the name of it or the town. A Mexican/Italian restaurant that looked a bit like a biker bar.

    This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/06/30 19:26:38


       
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    Eye of Terror

    A little more advice.

    I've made the trip along the Southern Route a few times. Important to understand it's an endurance trip, you are driving into the sun in the afternoon. That can wear you down.

    For that reason, it's better to book motels the night you arrive. You don't always know how far you are going to travel and the last thing you want is to make a mistake in a remote place. Have had that happen.

    The American Southwest is like no other place on Earth. Take you time with it and explore. While I absolutely love Texas, leaving it is the best part because that's where things get more exciting.

    Get to Arizona and stop at the Hoover Dam. It's an impressive piece of engineering and water levels are historically low.

    If you are going to stop in Las Vegas, consider a trip to the Valley of Fire. Painted desert, looks like the surface of Mars. They have 18,000 year old petroglyphs where people bragged about the number of goats in their part of the valley.

    If you are going to skip Las Vegas, consider stopping in Jean, Nevada. It's right along the I-15. Old school casinos, the food is better for the price, and there's more for the kids to do than they'd see on the strip.

    The Calico Ghost Town is really wonderful and worth stopping for. Also, Mad Greek, you will see the sign around the time you see the thermometers for the Mojave.


       
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    Oh. Another top tip from a fellow traveller?

    Sod Roaming Charges. Get yourself a SIM when you’re out there. Job jobbed.

       
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    I live in San Antonio and I've done the drive to the Grand Canyon and back before. I also went to college in west Texas so I've done a 4-5 hour drive into the sticks more times than I care to remember.

    West Texas is a real eyesore. New Mexico is beautiful.

    San Antonio is completely skippable as a tourist destination. The only thing noteworth here is the Alamo and it's really nothing particularly special. Road construction is bad right now so even getting downtown to see it might be a PITA to the point of not being worth it.

    Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands are both interesting destinations in New Mexico en route to the Grand Canyon. I definitely second going to see those.

    A warning about the Grand Canyon. It is the most beautiful natural location I've ever seen, but it's also a tourist trap. Prices on everything in the immediate area are a solid 50-100% higher than what they are at last town en route (it was like 30-45 minutes away).

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    London

    I did a roadtrip from SanFran down to LA then across to Vegas. While it's not as long as what you have planned I thoroughly enjoyed it but there are a few things you should consider:

    - Plan ahead in terms of breaks and refreshments. Some of those roads are just straight for hundreds of miles, keep an eye on your fuel levels and avoid tiredness or highway hypnosis. The drive from SF to LA took about 12 hours because of a flat tyre, and by the end I was trying every single tip to stay awake.

    - If you want to do the Grand Canyon it's about a 4 hour journey each way. We decided against it as we only had 3 days in Vegas.

    - When we picked up the hire car we paid an extra $150 or so at the desk for some sort of Satnav which had built in Wifi, calling as well as vouchers for restaurants and attractions. Definitely worth it in my eyes, as the Wifi really helped with working out what we're doing without relying on other sources or data roaming.

    - The US roads can be a bit odd at times, besides driving on the wrong side. You can turn right on a red light if it's safe, and I don't know wherever it's allowed or not but undertaking is really common.

    - Disneyland, IMO isn't worth it unless you have kids.

    - You don't necessarily need an hour-by-hour itinerary, but have your hotels booked in advance, just so you have some reasonable goals.

    - LA is absolutely massive and the traffic is horrendous. If you want to drive anywhere in LA, give yourself an hour leeway just in case.
       
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     Valkyrie wrote:
    I did a roadtrip from SanFran down to LA then across to Vegas. While it's not as long as what you have planned I thoroughly enjoyed it but there are a few things you should consider:

    - Plan ahead in terms of breaks and refreshments. Some of those roads are just straight for hundreds of miles, keep an eye on your fuel levels and avoid tiredness or highway hypnosis. The drive from SF to LA took about 12 hours because of a flat tyre, and by the end I was trying every single tip to stay awake.

    - If you want to do the Grand Canyon it's about a 4 hour journey each way. We decided against it as we only had 3 days in Vegas.

    - When we picked up the hire car we paid an extra $150 or so at the desk for some sort of Satnav which had built in Wifi, calling as well as vouchers for restaurants and attractions. Definitely worth it in my eyes, as the Wifi really helped with working out what we're doing without relying on other sources or data roaming.

    - The US roads can be a bit odd at times, besides driving on the wrong side. You can turn right on a red light if it's safe, and I don't know wherever it's allowed or not but undertaking is really common.

    - Disneyland, IMO isn't worth it unless you have kids.

    - You don't necessarily need an hour-by-hour itinerary, but have your hotels booked in advance, just so you have some reasonable goals.

    - LA is absolutely massive and the traffic is horrendous. If you want to drive anywhere in LA, give yourself an hour leeway just in case.


    You mean the correct side of the road.

    Also California is a silly place, never go there.
       
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    MN (Currently in WY)

    California has a lot of cool stuff in it, and did you know Catto that it has more Republicans in it than any other state in the country!

    I personally would NOT book my hotels in advance BUT then you have to be willing to stay in some questionable places on the way. However, to me that is half the fun!


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     Easy E wrote:
    California has a lot of cool stuff in it, and did you know Catto that it has more Republicans in it than any other state in the country!

    I personally would NOT book my hotels in advance BUT then you have to be willing to stay in some questionable places on the way. However, to me that is half the fun!



    No, they have no idea what Old Bay is. Are all English people unfunny, it would go along with their taste in food.

    This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/07/15 16:10:04


     
       
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    SoCal

    Old Bay seasoning? Common in California, usually on fries. Or is there some other Old Bay?

       
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    There’s the Old Bay they use in Crab House in NYC. Very nice it was too.

    Still regret not picking some up to bring home.

       
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     Easy E wrote:
    You can use a travel booking app (You can choose the one you wish) to see all the hotels and prices in a city you are approaching. This tells you a lot about the hotel/motel and you can often use these apps to book online as you enter the Hotel/Motel for a cheaper rate than you would get at the counter.


    I did about a one month's trip driving around the USA, but mostly the east coast to the mid west, didn't hit the west coast. What you said there is mostly what we did, in major cities we booked a week or two in advance and everywhere else we booked on the day or the day before. We'd grab a meal in a diner and scroll through the phones to figure out what places were available in the next destination, generally avoiding places that seemed too cheap, lol.

    But also ring up and ask before you book through an app, sometimes the app is cheaper but a couple of times booking directly with them was cheaper.

    I was going for fun and site seeing but also had a couple of missions which defined the general path, we'd stay 1 or 2 nights in a place, check out the local area, eat at the local pub/diner/whatever, drink some local booze, then move on. Generally we tried to find hotels close enough to the town to just walk in so we could have a few drinks and not worry about driving back, these days we'd probably leverage uber or similar I guess.

    This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/07/16 07:56:12


     
       
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    Our two big road trips so far started in CA, one moving through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. The other trip was more of a Southwest trip through AZ, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and AZ again. We stopped at all the national parks until we became sick of gorgeous rock formations. We mostly booked hotels by sites way in advance and motels along the road by one of us calling while the other drove, which mostly worked out okay.

       
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    Grand Canyon from the north side is about 90% as cool with 90% less bullcrap, though may be out of the way in driving terms.

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    AllSeeingSkink wrote:
     Easy E wrote:
    You can use a travel booking app (You can choose the one you wish) to see all the hotels and prices in a city you are approaching. This tells you a lot about the hotel/motel and you can often use these apps to book online as you enter the Hotel/Motel for a cheaper rate than you would get at the counter.


    Generally we tried to find hotels close enough to the town to just walk in so we could have a few drinks and not worry about driving back, these days we'd probably leverage uber or similar I guess.


    Good fun. Be aware that Uner and similar ride sharing services are not available in many "rural: or even smaller, regional cities.

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