I am from Australia…My family and I am wanting to go on a 4 week holiday to the USA in their summer (in July
Question by Lauren R: I am from Australia…My family and I am wanting to go on a 4 week holiday to the USA in their summer (in July
Leaving around the 1st or 2nd (Perth in Australia dates and returning at the very end of July or the beginning of August (Perth dates).
We are wanting to fly to Los Angeles with Qantas Airlines (get return airfares, there are 5 of us my two brothers and I are between the ages of 17 and 14.
We want to only spend about 3 days in Los Angeles and then fly to:
Los Angeles to Houston
Houston to Chicago
Chicago to Cleveland
Cleveland to Boston
Boston to New York
New York to Washington DC
Washington DC to Los Angeles.
We want to fly to Houston and stay for a few days. We want to drive to New Braunfels, Texas and stay around the area so we can go to the water park Schlitterbahn (the 1st one) for a couple of days.
We then want to fly from Houston to Chicago and stay in Chicago for 3 or 4nights.
From there we want to either drive or fly to Cleveland and then drive to Sandusky in Ohio to go to Cedar Point amusement park for 2 or 3 full days. (We will be hiring cars at the different places).
We are then flying from Cleveland to Boston, spending a few days there looking at museums and attractions and then driving down to New York City. We want to spend about 5 nights there sightseeing and then drive
down to Washington DC (or fly).
We want to spend just 3 nights there at museums etc and if we get time we are wanting to drive to the themepark called Busch gardens Europe (there will be a new ride called Griffon..floorless rollercoaster which will hopefully be open).
We may add a few extra days at the different places. My question is: Is continental airlines a good and safe airline to travel on for most of the flights?
What is better for the other couple of flights US airways, American airlines or United airlines?
Also, what are good motels/cheaper hotels to stay at (which are still safe)
in Houston, Chicagom Boston, New York and Los Angeles? Reasonably priced ones. One Australian dollar only buys 79US cents. We don’t want to stay in lots of luxurious places but we want to stay in good areas which are very safe. What areas would you reccomend in the different places?
Will most places allow use to get a quad room even though we have have 5 people in our family?
What are must do things in the different cities I have mentioned?
Thankyou!
Best answer:
Answer by rhsaunders
This sounds like an ambitious and interesting (and costly) itinerary. But, what is your question?
Add your own answer in the comments!
Hi,
I am from Australia too and have travelled around quite a lot … spending a few months in the states.
In regards to your question on who is safest to fly with – to be honest, it really doesn’t matter! Airlines are pretty much the same and you should really only be worried about what’s included i.e. movies, food etc as from memory you have to pay for a bit on board – I would go with the cheapest flights, you should check out some budget airlines such as southwest airlines or use the search engine kayak.com – its good for the USA
Flying vs Driving from NY to DC, well, we did a day trip on the China Town bus from New York and it was about 5 hours each way from memory – so as an aussie, you should be able to drive no worries!!
In saying all this, if you are planning to travel from place to place on the road you are gonna have to pack quite light so as to fit everything in the car – sounds obvious – but easily forgotten
Hope that helps a bit – probably not a great deal though lol
G’day Lauren:
That’s all the “Australian” I know. It sounds like you have quite an adventure in store for you and your family. It’s also going to be quite expensive. July is vacation / holiday time in the U. S. One of the best vacation bargins in the U. S. is Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m surprised that you’re by-passing it. However that Nevada desert does get well over 100F./ 38C. in July
As far as airlines go, most are safe and offer fairly good service although some do not fly to all of the cities you mentioned. Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com) is a low cost carrier that goes to most of the places you wish to visit, but they often “overbook” their flights and part / all of your party could be “bumped” from the flight even though you have confirmed reservations. May I recommend Jet Blue Airlines (www.jetblueairways.com) for your Boston-New York- Washington D C segments. They are a discount airline that has comfortable planes and EXCELLANT service.
A good travel agent can help you with the hotels and car rentals, but expect New York, Boston, and to an extent, L. A. to be quite expensive.
Don’t purchase the car rental “collision damage waiver” insurance. It’s over priced, and if your family is using any world recognized credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex,etc.) it will already cover this.
You and your brothers may enjoy the “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” while you’re in Cleveland. Your family might like to get tickets for the tapeing of some television shows: in L. A. “The Price is Right” (game show), in Chicago, “Ophra Winfrey Show” , or in New York, “The David Letterman Show”.
What ever it is you do, enjoy your time here in the “States” and as you’re returning to LAX you’ll fly over my house, I’ll be in my yard waving “Hello”.