America, Here We Come
Update:
I’m afraid the big recession has reached our Mediterranean shores 
We have lost quite a lot of our savings in the recent market crashes. No final decisions yet, but looks like we may have to postpone the trip
This page is dedicated for our big trip to America plans. The target date is April 2009, so yes, we are planning well ahead of time 
Pretty much everything here is flexible and could yet be changed. This is what we have so far though - comments, ideas, tips etc are all very very welcome! Please post them as a comment to this page and I’ll be sure to reply.
The Plan/Itinerary -
April 2009 - Flying to NYC and from there to Tuscon Arizona.
Week 1 - Arizona
Staying with our good friend Budd at his home in Tuscon. Taking a couple of days to get over the jet lag, spending time with Budd, seeing the neighborhood and just getting ourselves oriented. Then, traveling around Tuscon and Arizona (hopefully with Budd) and doing some sightseeing.
Week 2-3 - San Diego
Renting a car at Tuscon and heading west.
First stop in Yuma, Arizona, if we find hosts via the Hospitality Club (aka HC), mainly to break the long drive. Some sightseeing in Yuma and moving on the next say to San Diego.
In San Diego - spending about 10 days in SD, visiting the local attractions: Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Legoland, with milder days in between to allow the kids time to relax and absorb.
Week 4 - LA
2-3 days at Disneyland, possibly with a day’s break in the middle + a visit to LA including Universal Studios.
Week 5-6- Santa Cruz and San Francissco (Yosemite?)
Meeting friends at Santa Cruz (feels like we know half the city by now :p), visiting the city, Monterey and the aquarium, and lots of time in SF. About 3-4 days in Santa Cruz and a week in SF. We are considering getting east to Yostemite for a couple of nights as well, then heading back to SF.
Week 7 - CA and Oregon coast and Portland
Traveling along the coast on route 101 to Oregon. Stopping on the way at least twice, allowing 3 days for making the distance to Portland. Arcata seems like a nice place for a stop - any suggestions for another one? Arriving at Portland where we’ll be staying with our friend Steve’s family, basically until they kick us out (just kidding!).
Week 8-9 - Portland to Vancouver
In Portland: Mt. St Helen’s, OMSI, and just getting to know people and the area. Ideas for more activities/attractions are welcome. Traveling on north to Seattle (need to figure out what to do there other than lunch at the space needle!) and then crossing over to Canada all the way up to Vancouver. 4-7 days in Vancouver should be about right.
Week 10 - New York City
Flying from Vancouver to NYC where we hope to be able to spend a week and then fly home (probably via England, stopping there for a week to visit my brother and his family).
Some Guiding Principles -
1. We don’t want to rush it - we want to experience various towns and cities, get to know people and places, and provide plenty of rest time. Our kids will probably want to spend some time just being outdoors, playing in parks, watching squirrels etc. and we want to provide them with that time.
2. Accommodation -
We have budgeted our stay at motels along the way, at $70 a night. However, we would prefer to spend at least some of the nights staying at people’s homes. It will not only save us money, but allow us to get a better feel of the way real people live in the US. After all, this trip is about getting to know people, not just sightseeing. We already have two gracious hosts along the way, at Tuscon and Portland. We hope to find a few more people to stay with through the Hospitality Club as well.
3. The Car -
Since we’ll be spending quite a lot of time in the car, we are looking for a reliable and comfortable vehicle. We’ll be renting a car at Tuscon, and our friend Budd was kind enough to offer us help with finding a good car at a good price. Right now, we budgeted $40 a day for the car, but we hear it’s possible to get a good long-term rental for less. We’re still not sure whether we should go for a mini-van or a regular car. There’s only four of us, and we’re used to traveling in our family car here (a Hyundai Accent), but we do wonder about having enough room for the luggage.
As for the price of gas, it’s not much of a concern for us. Coming from Israel, the price of gas in the US seems incredibly cheap
For specific pages, please use the navigation menu in the sidebar - I created pages for each of the areas we want to visit, and welcome comments there as well.
on Jun 11th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Seattle: You have to watching the salmon throwing at Pike Place Market! and the Museum of Flight. Also boat tours of the islands - lots to see and do.
Don’t miss Balboa Park in San Diego and if possible eat outside at The Prado, a great affordable restaurant. Also don’t miss La Jolla, the waterfront, the Cove and the Casa or Children’s Beach!
modernemamas last blog post..File it under Humor
on Jun 12th, 2008 at 2:36 am
We did a lot of traveling during our recent trip to the US as well (though not nearly as much as you’ll be doing!), and we rented a mini-van - the Toyota Sienna (http://www.toyota.com/sienna/). We’re only three people, but did it for the luggage and the comfort, since we planned to spend so much time on the road.
The Sienna was fantastic! Very comfortable, with lots of spaces (glove compartment, special map compartment, door pockets, door arm rests that lift, etc), plus lots of cup holders. I definitely recommend it.
The only drawback to having such a big vehicle though, is the gas. We were filling up almost daily, and the prices are insane (I believe it just broke $4.00 per gallon).
As for hotels, you can find decent hotels for under $70.00, though I would be prepared to pay considerably more than that in the bigger cities like San Diego and LA.
Otherwise, I’ve never been out west, so I don’t have any suggestions. Sorry! If you switch to the East Coast, I can help you.
Liza Rs last blog post..“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 40″
on Jun 12th, 2008 at 3:33 am
Hi! Your trip sounds exciting and I admire your ideas about providing a great experience for your kids. I often find that planning vacations for my family is a form of relaxation for me. What is better than looking at beautiful places and cultural sites?
One thing I might suggest is to visit more places, but drive less each day that you drive. We like a pattern of driving 150 miles or so, spending two or three nights, then driving another 150. I often trace the route I am thinking of on Google Maps and then google towns, sights, and parks I see on the map.
Ten days in SD seems like a long time. It is a wonderful area in which you could easily fill a week doing the big attractions, but you may want to move up the coast after that. I think you may find that you want to spend more time on the Oregon Coast and Washington at the end of your trip. But I am biased being from here.
As for LA, I would spend one day at Disneyland and one at California Adventure. If the kids haven’t had too many amusement parks consider Knott’s Berry Farm. Also take a day trip to Santa Monica and Venice if you can.
Take Hwy 1 north of San Luis Obispo. The Hearst Mansion is amazing for its demonstration of American wealth and excess. And Big Sur is a very special place with mountains that come down to the sea.
San Francisco is a great place with kids. Make sure you go to Chinatown there among all of the other great sights. Yosemite is a special place and worth the drive. You should allow four days to really enjoy it. One to drive over, one to explore Yosemite Valley, one to explore Tioga Pass and the high country, and one to drive back. On the way over or back, consider Columbia State Park so the kids can have the real panning for gold, frontier experience in a well kept real western town.
I will post more ideas for you to consider later and am happy to help. We both camp and hotel so I have some experience with both. And we would love to meet you in Seattle. I can’t promise a place to stay without checking with my wife!
Best of luck.
on Jun 12th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Awesome comments - thank you both so much!
I think I’ll set up separate pages for the main locations we’ll be visiting and make a small links collection in each one. I’ll be using these comments to add to the pages.
Tommy, we’d love to meet your family as well! Take your time checking with the wife, we’re talking roughly a year from now
I appreciate you taking the time to check, regardless of the reply.
on Jun 15th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Liza, I almost missed your comment! We’re still not sure about the type of car. We keep toying with the idea of tenting in some places and if we’re carrying tenting gear, we’ll just have to get at the very least a mini-van.
on Jun 18th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Well, if you need to stop in the middle of the country somewhere, that’s where we are. We could, of course, provide accommodations and a lot of fun stuff for kids to do.
Cakess last blog post..
on Jun 18th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
btw~ Vancouver is one of my husband and my favorite places. We honeymooned there. Definitely take a day or two on Vancouver Island. Victoria is a great little city. You can take a really cool whale watching trip out to see the Orca (killer whales)
Cakess last blog post..
on Oct 9th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
That’s a very ambitious itinerary! You could stay in just one of the places you listed, and it would be the trip of a lifetime. Taking extended trips in a car is an American tradition. I have driven up and down the east coast several times.
Elliott - 21st Century Dads last blog post..Spotlight on Dads