30

A regular on here used to recommend this outfit - Grand Canyon Tours - and they have shorter tours than three days. If pushed for time, I would suggest one night Las Vegas, one night Grand Canyon (on the bus tour), and one night back in Las Vegas.

If you do not wish to stay in one of the mega-hotel casinos (on or off The Strip) I can recommend the Desert Rose Resort - an Australian-style low-rise place, with parking almost at your door, a reasonable pool area, and quite a decent non-gambling vibe about it (and when we were there, everyone was non-American - not sure what that says). It's only a (big) block back from The Strip.

31

If you are going all the way to Las Vegas dear lord, stay on the strip and live it up. Stay at Bellagio or Wynn for luxury, or just be like everyone else and enjoy the Mirage or Ceasars....

32

Dear lord ... queuing for an hour to check in, in the midst of a casino floor packed with zonked-out pensioners playing the slot machines, and then a half-mile trek to your room dragging your luggage ... that's living it up for sure.

33

Yeah im not sure how keen we are on Vegas but it seems like a good base for taking a 3-4 day coach trip out through Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and Zion NP.
My thought process is now something like, LA and surrounds 5 days, Vegas 1 day, 4 day trip out around the canyons and national parks, then 5 days for theme parks and different scenery in Florida. Not necessarily in that order. Ill run that past Dad and see if that covers what he's keen on doing :) And of course if we decide Orlando is overkill then theres 5 days up our sleeves for something else.
Its starting to come together i think!

34

Your trip is starting to take a good shape! Might not include Monument Valley unless it's an absolute must-see for your father - it's a bit of a diversion off the Vegas loop that sort of requires some backtracking ... but if it's definitely in the mix, then it's worth doing.

35

A lot of the tours ive come across include Monument Valley in the trip. The Navajo Indian culture there sounds facinating and that seem like the best way we might be able to experience some Native American Culture on the trip. If we were self driving we might miss it, but im leaning towards a tour to save some of the hassle of planning and then we wont be tired from having to drive.

36

Take a look at the Navajo Nation's Discover Navajo web site. Look at the tour section. Does this appeal to you:

37

Sounds fair enough ... Monument Valley definitely has a Native American vibe if you take advantage of it - most US parks (even the taxpayer-funded visitor centres) pay only the barest lip-service to Indigenous culture - compared to the way many Australian national parks embrace and show-case Aboriginal culture in their museums and other presentations. This is partly because the underlying title of our national parks is often held by Indigenous groups too.

38

An out-and-back from Vegas to Zion is doable.

You really don't want to attempt a 'day trip' from Vegas to Bryce, Page, or MV; it's just too far. Get a room in Kanab or Page or even the Bryce Lodge (reserve now!).

39

This is a very good 4-day tour that does exactly what you want, but it only runs until October. Once you get to November you will find that a lot of tours stop running because of the weather in the higher altitudes.

40

Yes - unlike Australia, where for most of it seasonal variation is not very great - the Southwest can go from a balmy late-autumn holiday playground to a very cold high desert gig quite "suddenly". But in any case - if the package tours you want don't run in November, just rent a car and get around. The driving is easy and securing accommodation is not a real drama at that time.

41

LA is flat and dull and crowded... I avoid it whenever possible... The smog and crazy traffic starts about 100 miles away from the actual city...

San Diego is very nice...tropical really... Nice Zoo...also check out the surfing areas along the coast ...worth seeing...sits in meandering valleys...so the Interstate connects the various parts...

I'm not "into" Texas...too large and too loud... The Alamo sits right in the downtown area and is surrounded by large stores... I'd Make that flight to Phoenix instead...which is very unique...

And I'd rather see the Grand Canyon and Arizona first... Also next to the Grand Canyon is the Navajo Reservation ... Very large and you can see a lot of Native American culture there...

If you have time Flagstaff is not far from Vegas...if you have a car...

Orlando...if you must, OK... But I'd prefer Miami Beach with its Deco Drive...or Key West...the Keys are a long way to go... Florida is a shrubby state...mostly flat with lots of swamps...good for bird watching.

Chicago...a mid-west knock off of NYC...but friendlier...and easier to find parking... The Art Museum is world class...and right on Michigan Ave...you can walk north to the Water Tower...and you'll see a lot of the "Loop"... Take the "L" Train to OHara if you're flying...takes about 1 hour from the Loop.... The Field Museum is worth seeing...close to the Art Institute...walking distance... If you have time walk Dearborn and State Streets...they run next to Michigan Ave... Its a big city...but safe with lots to see...

For mountains...if time is of the essence...do Colorado... The biggest mountains are right outside Denver...rent a car and do a short drive west on I-70 to Vail, Breckenridge or even to Aspen. And if you have time...go north on I-25 to Rocky Mountain National Park ... worth the trip...for above the timberline driving and views...

Montana is a very large state...and there is not much to see there unless you have time to get into the wilderness...and know what you're doing...The sky in Montana really is "big" for some odd optical reason...

If you rent a car...go for a weekly rate (at least 5 days)...subcompact...is the cheapest...unlimited miles...and shop around in advance for the best price.. Americans don't really "hire cars"...we call that "taking a cab"...(a/k/a taxi LoL)

42

I've read your itinerary and several posts too. And I feel you are just flying around and you gonna have to spend a lot of time travelling to airports and waiting for your flights. If you want to see Native American culture and natural parks, then fly to Wyoming from LA. Experience what you haven't seen of LA in three days, and fly to Wyoming, spend three days in Wyoming, book a tour of the mountains and a reservation. Then fly to DC. Why you are going to the States and not seeing the Smithsonian and the White House? Where all the corruption...haha. Then fly to Orlando and spend the rest of the time in that city, if you guys really want to see the real Disney World. Then return to LA for you flight back home. Also, as you are going to be travelling from California and the Midwest and Florida. Be aware of the weather conditions and the change of temperature. I hope this helps.