Vacation Plan in 13 Days
Replies: 11 - Last Post: Dec 3, 2012 10:18 PM Last Post By: abarasia
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Vacation Plan in 13 Days
Dear Experts,We are a couple planning a vacation of 13 days from 23rd of March to 4th May. We will fly from Houston but haven't booked the ticket yet. We are flying out from San Francisco on 5th morning which is booked. We prefer nature over cities but this is our first trip so want to cover cities too. Main areas of interest are Grand Canyon and Yosemite NP as well as Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. If possible also like to cover Death Valley and Joshua Tree NP or even Hawaii. Our budget is close to 150-200 for two. For accommodation we are okay with a hygienic room with ensuite bathroom, but will prefer good locations to minimize travel time.
The major drawback is we will not be able to drive as we are very new to driving.
Please guide us how to plan.
1
23rd of March to 4th May
I assume you mean April 4. We will fly from Houston but haven't booked the ticket yet.
You are starting your trip in Houston? Do you plan to fly from Houston to a western city such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or San Francisco? Are you then flying to somewhere in Asia, so could stop over in Hawaii?You really do not have the time to do everything on your list. Some places, such as Death Valley and the Grand Canyon will require you to take a tour if you do not drive. There are many Grand Canyon tours that leave from Las Vegas. You can get to Yosemite by a combination of train and bus from San Francisco, or you can take a tour.
You may want to do the trip in two parts. Las Vegas, plus the Grand Canyon. San Francisco, plus Yosemite. Fly between Las Vegas and San Francisco.
2
OK, now I'm confused.First of all, budget. 150 - 200 what? Dollars, Pounds, Euros, pieces of eight?
I assume you are flying TO San Francisco FROM Houston on March 23, and then returning to (somewhere) FROM San Francisco May 5th. Is that right?
So, you have 13-days and want to see everything from Death Valley to Hawaii. Well, you could do that given unlimited funds, but still don't know what your budget is. I suspect it is limited, so forget Hawaii. I'd rent a car in San Francisco, - drive to Las Vegas through Death Valley National Park to Las Vegas, do a Grand Canyon tour out of Las Vegas, then return to San Francisco, return the car, and head off to wherever.
3
If you can't drive, then you are going to have to compromise on what you can see by public transport or tours.You can get some (difficult) public transportation to Yosemite. Some to Grand Canyon. Nothing to Joshua Tree or Death Valley.
Hawaii is another entity entirely and you either commit the trip to Hawaii or the mainland. You need to budget another $1000+ for airfares (RT) and would need to stick to the island(s) with decent public transports- which leaves Oahu or maybe Maui.
I'd get ahold of the Lonely Planet USA guide and read it thoroughly for the areas you are interested in.
5
In general nature destinations are driving destinations. for some of the really major ones (San Fran to Yosemite, Vegas to Grand Canyon) you can get a bus tour but i'd recommend booking far in advance. Each are worth an overnight from what I've heard.San Fran
Yosemite
Vegas
Grand Canyon
Los Angeles
Death Valley
Joshua Tree
Hawaii
All in 13 days. You're joking right?
6
Some places, such as Death Valley and the Grand Canyon will require you to take a tour if you do not drive.
The Grand Canyon is reasonably accessible for the not-tour, non-driver. Transit to Williams or xFlagstaff, then a shuttle to the rim.Another place somewhat accessible: Muir Woods. (though you'll need a tour at that time of year).
See FAQ 271.
8
If you can get lodging in Yosemite (in the park), which may be possible off-peak, my suggestion would be SF (including Muir Woods) and Yosemite. Full stop. Don't succumb to the temptation to turn your first trip into a survey course, which would mean you spend all your time transporting instead of seeing sights and vacationing.11
Sorry guys for creating some confusions...Total it is 13 days from 23rd March to 4th April. I can fly to LA,LV or SF as per the plan. But my retun ticket is booked from SF to India on 5th April. Budget is close to 200 USD per day...I can stretch maximum to 250 for two which is total and not just for hotel.
Main things to cover is Yosemite, GC and 3 cities LA, LV and SF.
For GC I am planning to take a day tour from LV. Can you suggest any good companies which can do a good tour to GC and not a tourist trap. Googling can give n number of companies and I cant decide.
Is there any good tours that can take from LV to Death Valley and Yosemite and drop in SF?
Is flying between LA, LV and SF is the only option or there is good bus/train connectivity?
thanks in Advance.
