Need Vacation Advice...

[Heyo]

Here's what I have been thinking of doing sometime this year. (maybe in fall)

I live in South Florida, ok...

So we ('we' meaning my girl and myself) would rent a car, a nice big comfortable road-trip friendly car...

And drive all the way to California, taking about 2 weeks, then return the car and fly home.

(As far as I know, you can return a car to a different location where you got it from, right?)

We want to spend at least about 3 days in Yellowstone... but mostly just go on a free-form adventure.....seeing all the states and stuff.. basically just relaxing and enjoying ourselves.. we both love road trips, and I am real good with long drives...so is she..

Is 2 weeks long enough? Im not sure I could get more time than that off work...

Any thoughts?

Heyo

[KCDem]

1. the drive from FL to Cali will be LONG

Esp. if you want to go way up north to Yellowstone. You could make it, I'm guessing, but you'll prolly be stressed getting all the way there.

[mmm]

2. sounds just right to me

I love road trips, but after two weeks it can start getting a bit tiresome. You'll have a great time!

[saltpoint]

3. Sounds like a hell of a good plan.

Bring some good music for the highway & off you go.

[historian]

4. drive someone else's car

If you look in the ads in the paper you should find ads for driving someone else's car cross country. They pay for the first tank of gas and im not sure whether you return if full or not. I think they give you 7 days or so to deliver. In any case it'll be a lot cheaper than renting a car then returning elesewhere - they really n ail you for that.

[kckc]

7. I know from personal experience

that in Florida you can't return a rental car to another state. Sorry! Keep thinking...

[MercutioATC]

12. Of COURSE you can. It'll cost more and there might be restrictions, but

it can be done.

1) Plan to pay more for a one-way drive.

2) Don't plan to do it during or just before major Florida events (race week in Daytona, etc.

[gmoney]

5. I'd plan to drive to Vancouver...

See the entire country, and if you time it right, you can be over the border for Election Day, just in case you decide not to come back.

[KFC]

6. I'd fly to St Louis

Start there. Skip anything east of the Mississippi River. Things don't get very interesting until you get to the west.

[Gore1FL]

16. What, and miss Metropolis, IL??

---

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. Isn't Metropolis in the East Coast? Massachusetts to be exact?

Sources please?

Gotham City, AFAIK, is in New Jersey.

[StClone]

8. Fly to Vegas!

Rent a car cheap and drive to Yellowstone and Cali from there. I would not want to call a 2000 mile drive a vacation (1200 is the limit for me one way).

Vegas flights usually are less costly. There is a company Best Fares out of South Florida that is very good.

Check them out:

http://www.bestfares.com/home.asp

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. Here's how I'd do it -

.
.
.

I'd boogie straight across country, switching drivers if possible, then do a slow drive back hitting the "hot spots" that you and your SO have your heart set on.

Rent the car, pay the extra, forget the hassle with connections re "free" cars and planes

AND

- don't forget what a hassle planes can be these days . . .

Just my own opinion, and I've traveled all over the USA, by car, once a wee bit by bus, from Vancouver to Sandee

The bus was the pits

Can't beat the freedom of your own "wheels"

Just a travelin' Canuk's opinion . .

[MAlibdem]

10. Long esp if you plan to go all the way north to yellowstone

I say skip yellowstone and hit up the four corners region. mesa verde and such. good stuff

[Heyo]

13. Thanks all..

This thank you goes to everyone who replied...

Thing is though, in response to this post.. Yellowstone has to be in. that's one of the major focal point of our desired plan...

I am reading and soaking up all these ideas.. thanks all!

Heyo

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. Consider the Appalachians instead....

Driving west WILL be time consuming. Even at 70 - 75 MPH AVERAGE, 10 to 12 hour days in a car get pretty tiring. If you want to stop and see anything along the way, your daily mileage average will plummet. If you want to drive from say, Tampa to Yellowstone then to L.A. you are looking at 4 VERY long driving days just to get to the park. Yellowstone to LA is 800 and change miles (Sorry for the estimate, Mapquest wont work for me and i don't have my road atlas handy)

I agree with the poster above that suggested flying to Vegas and renting there. Best to return to the same place also to avoid drop-off charges. There is some of the most spectacular scenery in the country in that vicinity: Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell (GO THERE! RENT A BOAT!!! HAVE A BLAST!!) not to mention the Sierras along the Cal/Nev state line up to and north of Lake Tahoe.

But if you wanted to rent a car in Fl and return it in Fla, i suggest taking a trip up through the Appalachians. The Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive are gorgeous. Smoky Mountains State Park is well within a days drive of Tampa/Orlando and some of the back roads offer wonderful scenery as well as many historical sites.

[Heyo]

14. Sweet...

question.....

How far is Yellowstone from Vegas?

Heyo

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. 760 Miles from Vegas to W. Yellowstone, ID.

right by the western boundary of the park.

on edit to say, if vegas is 760 to yellowstone, then San Bernardino (east end of the LA basin) is another 200 south of Vegas thus making my comment of "800 plus miles" more like about 1000 to downtown LA from Yellowstone

mapquest worked for me that time, but DAMN this laptop is getting slow.

[Burma Jones]

17. I used to do this every year with a Girl Friend

We would pick up and go to Canada for a couple of weeks, had to leave the USA. Now, she is an expat in Ireland, and I am married to a wonderful, kind woman, that alas, hates long road trips.......

Two weeks is pretty good, especially if you fly home. Depending on when you go, you may want to avoid Yellowstone. I would definitely drop in on Branson, MO for a big laugh. Wife and I honeymooned in Colorado for two weeks, driving around the state. Camped outside of Durango and stayed in Rocky Mtn Natl Park, that was fun. Driving up Rte 101 from LA to San Francisco (and north) was one of the finest trips of my life.

Take a video camera and lots of tunes. Driving through Texas on I-10 is an interminable exercise, but a badge of honor. New Orleans is worth a stop anytime of the year.

That's my advice. You will also know if you want to spend the rest of your life with this woman after this drive.

[bif]

18. Fly to California. Rent a car and just explore California.

You won't do much relaxing if you drive all the way to California.