46 replies to this topic

[ANON]

fingers crossed have got cica payout this year so planning on spending 6 weeks driving around america with my 14 year old lad. want to hire something interesting to drive in, maybe Shelby GT500 Convertible?

any tips, recommendations on things to do/places to visit. looking for odd/interesting museums/hotels, good routes/roads etc...also any strip clubs that allow 14 year old lads in

not interested in stuff like disneyland etc...

[charie t]

any tips,

They drive on the wrong side of the road

[Davethepioneer]

Ive done several road trips in America and each one has been a totally different experience. Please check out this website

www.roadtripusa.com

On there you will see the main road trip routes, each with a different experience depending on what your looking for.

Ive completed 9, 10 and 11 and would reccommend Route 66 to anybody, you dont need a Harley to enjoy what it has to offer.

As for tips, well let your bank know what states you will be travelling through and how long your stay in the states will be, especially if you are using a credit card for fuel. I was caught up in Hurricane Gustav and when I drove into Louisianna it was deserted and I had 6hrs to head north to get out of its way....Luckily the National guard were there to escort me to a fuel station because my bank had stopped my card because of suspicious activity (card was used in several states) I did tell my bank that I was travelling from Florida to Las Vegas but some dim wit decided to block it anyway.

Take a sleeping bag. There are plenty of motels but its good to just pull up in the car and get your head down for a few hours. The nevada, mohjave desert can get really cold at night!

Dont dismiss Disney land, granted its not for everybody but you still have universal studios which is fantastic.

Plenty of things to see on all routes really from the Grand Canyon, Nasa, Daytona beach.....There really is to much to list!

The best way to plan it is to figure out what states you would like to see then research the states to see whats there.

Strip clubs vary from state to state. Not sure about a 14yr old being allowed in but Yanks take there wives which some people find strange. Take your lad to Hooters, gorgeous girls, fantastic food and believe it or not there classed as a family restaraunt and there in most states.

[buck]

Me and my girlfriend are planning to do the pacific coast this summer.
I am considering a few other routes as well not 100% sure yet.

Our plan was to rent a gt500 and put bad to the bone on and just cruise.

Apparently I need to have had my license for 3 years to rent a car though? I am 22
shes only 21 but has had her license for 4 years will she be alright to rent?

I do really want to drive though,

I wish my dad had taken me on such an epic trip when I was a lad, good on ya anon

[Davethepioneer]

Me and my girlfriend are planning to do the pacific coast this summer.
I am considering a few other routes as well not 100% sure yet.

Our plan was to rent a gt500 and put bad to the bone on and just cruise.

Apparently I need to have had my license for 3 years to rent a car though? I am 22
shes only 21 but has had her license for 4 years will she be alright to rent?

I do really want to drive though,

I wish my dad had taken me on such an epic trip when I was a lad, good on ya anon

Going of my experience with car hire in the states, I have never been asked how long Ive had the license, infact when Ive been pulled over by the police they have taken one look at the license and not had a clue what it was lol.

On car selection its really a personal thing, a GT500 would be awesome but depending on what small towns your route takes you through then that is the last thing you want lol. Ive driven the routes in a 4x4 and Ive done a route in a convertable.....It really is personal choice but either way I would say go for it.

[ANON]

cheers for pointing out the road trip site.

rough plan so far is couple of days in new york for a bit of shopping and sight seeing, appalachian, loneliest road, route 66, couple of days in texas shooting and blowing things up, up the pacific coast, couple of days in san francisco and then back across either oregon trail or the great northern.

will have plenty of time to stop on the way for a couple of days if we find somewhere we like the look of and know the score about watching where we go in a nice motor.

[Davethepioneer]

cheers for pointing out the road trip site.

rough plan so far is couple of days in new york for a bit of shopping and sight seeing, appalachian, loneliest road, route 66, couple of days in texas shooting and blowing things up, up the pacific coast, couple of days in san francisco and then back across either oregon trail or the great northern.

will have plenty of time to stop on the way for a couple of days if we find somewhere we like the look of and know the score about watching where we go in a nice motor.

Plenty of things to see on that route you have in mind, sounds like its going to be an awesome road trip!

[minidream94]

How about seeing if you can hire a mini out for the trip I'd like to do a road trip like this, although is like to do Australia instead of america

[Davethepioneer]

How about seeing if you can hire a mini out for the trip I'd like to do a road trip like this, although is like to do Australia instead of america

I would love to do Oz to. I have friends that have done off road routes over there, no one around for hundreds of miles, totally on your own, no hotels just you vehicle and camping stuff....Maybe one day!

[buck]

I am struggling to find a company that rents the GT500 in california, if anyoe knows of any please let me know!

Anon your journey sounds like a really good one.

[ANON]

I am struggling to find a company that rents the GT500 in california, if anyoe knows of any please let me know!

Anon your journey sounds like a really good one.

haven't looked into car hire yet but should be looking into it next week, only decided to do it last week, if i find anything i will let you know. god knows how much it's going to cost to hire one for 6 weeks!! if it comes to it might just buy a lower spec used model and bring it back home with us??

dave, what did you spend per week? haven't got a set budget but will have to work rough costs out before we go.

[Dan]

If you're in San Francisco for a couple of days, leave the car at the hotel. Driving there is horrible, parking costs a fortune, and there is tons of public transport. Get a Muni passport for however long you are there to save tons of money on public transport, it allows you to use all the city transit (Muni) except BART and busses to the ball park. DON'T pay for cable cars one trip at a time, they cost a fortune like that and are included in the passport which is very cheap. You must go to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, it's possibly the best museum I've been to. There's a great brewery in the town called Anchor Brewing that gives a free tour on certain days but you have to book in advance so that will need some careful planning into your trip. Buy Alcatraz tickets before you go (print your own from the internet) and if there's a free slot when you are there, try to get the night tour as it's a lot more interesting. Although if you go during the day you can spend all day on the island. Book at least a month in advance for Alcatraz and remember you can ONLY buy tickets from the official US Government website or Alcatraz ferry pier. All the people up and down Fisherman's Wharf claiming to be selling tickets are a con and the various ferry companies (Blue and Gold, Red and White etc.) that advertise Alcatraz ferries don't actually land at the island, they just go around it. Me and the wife have been to San Francisco a few times, the best hotel I think is the Argonaut on Fisherman's Wharf. All the big hotels are good though but be careful that you aren't booking a place in the Tenderloin if you are looking for cheap deals. That's the only shadey area in town and all the really cheap guest houses are in there. It's an area only 3 blocks by 5 or so and easily avoided. If you have time while you are there, you can rent a bike to ride over the Golden Gate to Sausalito and then get a ferry back, it's hard work but good fun. Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill is worth a look, as is Pier 39 which is a wierd tourist mall type thing on a pier that sea lions are attracted to. SF MOMA is a modern art museum and personally I think a bit over-rated but they have a good shop! There is a brilliant bakery in town called Boudin who have outlets all over the city, but their actual bakery on the wharf is a great place to go for breakfast and not a bad restaurant either. We had Thanksgiving dinner there a couple of years ago. You have to get a bread bowl of chilli or chowder one night from there, but be careful of the MASSIVE monster seagulls that regularly crush the cars in the wharf carpark! Evenings on the wharf are good fun but there's a lot of rip off merchants around so be careful not to get rolled by someone. Everyone's after a dollar! There used to be a chocolate factory in town called Ghirardelli, they do great chocolate that is nothing like American chocolate tends to be. The factory itself has moved out of town but the building it used to be in is now a great little complex and every time you go in the door they give you free chocolate samples! If you are into engineering, the cable car barn (where they are all towed about the city from) is good for an hour or so and it also has a lot of detail about the 1906 earthquake. Take a cable car to get there! Along similar lines there are a number of old ships to tour at the Maritime Museum, and a WW2 submarine and liberty ship further down the wharf. There is a wierd scary museum of old mechanical fun fair junk and player pianos by the submarine, it's not really worth a look unless you are into that. The original Levis factory does tours, and you can buy them all over the city they come from. There are good deals on them at some of the shops on wharf and usually coupons in the city guide book things that are in the vending machines on the street. But if you go to the actual Levis store on Union Square you can sometimes buy some colourways and patterns that are only available in that shop and nowhere else in the world. There is some sort of Disney museum recently opened in the Presidio. There is a revolution era fort under the Golden Gate at the end of Crissy Field but there's not a lot to do down there, and NO facilities.

Basically, it's a great city. Probably the most cosmopolitan city in the continantal US and definitely the most relaxed place on the left coast. There is so much more that I could tell you about but you won't have time to see it all anyhow. Alex and I love the place and given the chance we would move there. As I say, we've been several times and if you want to know more about some more off the beaten track places I can give you more details but this list is the major touristy stuff.

As for after, personally I'd go further up to Seattle but then that's because I'd be touring the Boeing factory.

[Davethepioneer]

I am struggling to find a company that rents the GT500 in california, if anyoe knows of any please let me know!

Anon your journey sounds like a really good one.

haven't looked into car hire yet but should be looking into it next week, only decided to do it last week, if i find anything i will let you know. god knows how much it's going to cost to hire one for 6 weeks!! if it comes to it might just buy a lower spec used model and bring it back home with us??

dave, what did you spend per week? haven't got a set budget but will have to work rough costs out before we go.

Personally I think car hire is really cheap in the states and the same goes for fuel to. The thing with the states is out of the major cities everything is really cheap and even when your in the cities be it Chicago or Las Vegas there is always a cheap place to stay or a cheap place to eat.

Because you will be doing a road trip and obviously driving alot you may find that one day you will drive 300 miles with a few stop offs along the route at a museum or anything else interesting a little bite to eat at a road side dinner and then maybe a stay either in your sleeping back at a truck stop in the car or maybe a cheap motel 8, and then the next part of the route you may find yourself in a really nice hotel living it up. Obviously you need to budget but in my experience and to get the best from the road trip you kind of need to go with the flow because not knowing whats coming next is all part of the fun. You and your lad are going to have so many stories to tell from this trip its gonna blow your mind.

Basically what Im trying to say is if you worked out your budget and its $100 a day to include fuel and food and accommadation then believe me this is more than enough, but if one day you go slightly over and it eats into your next days allowance then thats where your sleeping bag can come in handy.

As Dan says Frisco is amazing and is one of my favourite places, yes it can be exspensive but it can also be cheap, Vegas is the same, people think its so exspensive but the hotel casinos on the strip are very reasonable but if you wanted really cheap you just go off the strip. Motel 8 which are all over the states vary in price depending on where you are. If your in some small town in Arizona or New Mexico (some of the best roads for driving) then you can get them for $25 a room or less but if its a motel 8 close to the Grand Canyon either the Arizona side or Nevada side then its a little more but never to much.

[Scallywag630]

Just some advice from one who has lived there....check out the car hire situation carefully...there are few that will hire to under 25s. Hertz does hire the exotic cars if you ask them. Also, make sure the hire company knows you will be travelling out of the state you hire the car.

[Davethepioneer]

Just some advice from one who has lived there....check out the car hire situation carefully...there are few that will hire to under 25s. Hertz does hire the exotic cars if you ask them. Also, make sure the hire company knows you will be travelling out of the state you hire the car.

Ive used Alamo a few times and have found then to be really good. I would recommend CDW (collision damage waiver) and as scallywag630 says make sure you tell them at the time of booking where you want to pick up the car and where you will drop it off so if you were to just do route 66 well that starts in Chicago so you would fly into O'hare, pick the car up and drop it off at LAX (LA)