Road trip to California with older teens in August 2013

We are a family of 4 with 2 children who will be 19 and 16 in August this year. We would like a mixture of city, surf beach and nature taken on a 2 week road trip. We have been to LA so don't particularly want to include that but would like to go to San Francisco and Yosemite. We are interested in seeing the retro/Steinbeck, kitsch side of the state. May be a tall order but would be really grateful of any advice

7 day Hawaii suggested itinerary (prob Maui)?

Husband and I are looking to celebrate our anniversary with some R&R early May.

Things interested in:
-relaxing
-beautiful scenery (up for easy hiking - less than 5 miles r/t)
-beaches

Not interested in:
-driving a lot
-tight schedule

Husband is interested in Maui. We're going to Kauai for a wedding already this year, and are open to suggestions. I've realized Hawaii is darn expensive, so I guess $3k with airfare from LA.

Mona Kea

I plan to drive to the summit of Mona Kea in March. Do I really need a 4-Wheel Drive? I have heard that before and get somewhere and there is a Toyota Corola there.

Alaska 2013

Thanks for such amazing travel advice - we use Lonely Planet on every trip. Only just found this forum and already have seen some great topics.

Planning a trip to Alaska in September.
Our plan is to fly straight to either Anchorage or Fairbanks and explore Denali for a couple of days then down to Seward, Kenai Fjord, and perhaps, Katmai, Kodiak or Homer - not sure yet. From there we want to go via the Ferry system through from Whittier to Prince Rupert. We were thinking of using the train system from Anchorage or Fairbanks to Denali. But we have also considered hiring a car or campervan and using campsites.

Can anyone suggest some main MUST SEEs as the ferries are limited in the dates available and we will have to omit some stops. We are trying to avoid the big cruises as its just not our style.

So far I have on the to do list:
Kenai Fjord, Denali, flight to Mt McK... more »

Portland, Oregon

Hey

I'm wondering if i can get some tips on what is the bare cheapest I can spend to get to Portland from London.

In terms of getting a greyhound or trains or even connecting flights

anything you can suggest I will very much appreciate!

I'm gonna need to put it quite strictly between Feb 28th until 10th March.

Thanks!!

Accomodations in Ft Lauderdale Area

I'm planning a trip to the Ft Lauderdale area towards the end of February. I'd like to rent an efficiency - small apt - close to the beach for a month. Is it difficult to find this type of accomodation? The vacation rental sites online seem to be fully booked. Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Would like some advice on Mount Rainier NP itinerary

Hi!

I'm going to visit Mount Rainier national park on June 4th and June 5th. We plan to rent a car in Centralia, drive to Mount Rainier from there, spend the night somewhere in or close to the park, and return back to Centralia on the 5th.

I've been looking at information about the park and lodging, but I can't figure out what the best itinerary would be. I was first thinking to take the National Park highway (706) and visit some interesting spots or do some short walks on the way, and ending in Packwood at the end of the day. However, I'm not sure how feasible this is, as I have no idea about driving times in the park. The second day I thought to drive from Packwood back to Centralia, and again make some stops on the way. I know we're outside the park then, and I don't know if many interesting things are on our way.

What would you recommend? Where would you advise us to stay... more »

applying for a work visa in america

i am 18yrs old and i want to go to America this summer for a yr to work, what kind of visa will i need and how do i get it? also how do you go about trying to save money from work do you have to open an american bank account? im an irish citizen. any replies welcome . thanks.