USA holiday to LA, SF, Hawaii & NYC... how to do it on the cheap?

[FFGrey]

Hi there!

Me and my significant other have plans to go to USA next year on a budget.

We're planning to go in April (prepared to move date if it is cheaper/off peak)

We're planning to go for about three weeks, and want to go to Hawaii, LA, San Fransisco and New York.

I have 93,000 QFF points
She has 50,000+ QFF points

What would be the best and cheapest way to achieve this?

I was thinking we could fly Qantas to LAX and use up our points, then book American Domestic flights, or maybe fly Virgin to LAX... or Jetstar to Hawaii.

I was thinking a budget of about $1500, is that being unrealistic?

We can drop a city (maybe NY as it is further away) but would like to do them all

I'm hoping some of you clever, well traveled folks can help me out!

Thanks so much in advance,

Graeme.

 

[Sprucegoose]

you couldnt live in Aus for $1500 for three weeks!!!!
how do you expect to get around?

how did you determine the budget?

Happy to review your breakdowns for further suggestions. accommdation, transport, food and drink, tips budget!!!
SPRUCE

 

[11sjw]

USA is the land of the car (especially California). To make your life easier factor the cost of one into your plans. Definitely a plus in LA and SF. A must have in Hawaii. However not really needed in NYC.

1. Hotels (experiences from a few trips)

We went relatively cheaply and stayed at
*Best Western in Santa Monica (LA) as we had a car (& a Tom Tom) everything was easy to get to.
*Portland Square Hotel (NYC) though this has been upgraded since we stayed there so it may not be as cheap as it was a few years ago.
* B&Bs in Hawaii were plentiful so stayed at a few of those

I think your budget is unrealistic even if you just factor in that cough hotels will be more than $100/night. Food will set you back $50-$100/day if you eat cheaply.

In all seriousness if you're going to take all that time/money to get there you don't want to say no to anything so wait until you're more cashed up and you'll enjoy it much more than you would otherwise.

 

[FFGrey]

I should've been a bit more clearer.

I meant $1500 all up for the cost of flights/transport, not total budget, as we will actually have money to spend when we're over there! ;-)

I apologise for the confusion.

 

[Maca44]

Consider consider pooling your FF points, getting an award return economy ticket SYD-LAX-JFK, and then see what is available to buy the second ticket for the same flights. You would need to confirm your award seats first, then purchase the second fare and have the two tickets linked.

With your spending allowance (and I don't know what might consider appropriate) but you should allow say 10% of your spending money at least for tips.

Alternatively, you might purchase a package to say Los Angeles (two person sharing), do the touristy/park things and get an add on flight to New York (2 sharing needed for a good priced package though).

 

[Sprucegoose]

ok so what's the total budget including flights?

 

[FFGrey]

What I am most interested in is the cheapest and best way to fly around USA from Australia, either using cash, points or both.

For eg - should we pool our points and get a ticket together? or should we fly to Hawaii first, then buy American domestic flights?

I can post a total budget but we'll look after that once I can work out how much the flights will cost.

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

i would say drop hawai.

A return flight to NYC is not much more than the cost of a SYD - LAX return.

I think VA are slightly cheaper than QF, but then you're QFF members so the QF points might be tempting?

try using Vacation rentals, private rooms, sublets by the night - Accommodations on Airbnb as I've foudn them to be quite good for getting reasonable accomodation eg I've got a WeHo 1 b/r apt for $80 USD which is way better than a hotel in that price range. The same site is also getting be a small apartment in tokyo for just 55 USD a night.

If 1 of you transfers their points to the other, you could use points + pay to reduce the price of a ticket, or you can both do that with each of your respective point's balances.

depending on what you want to do in LA and SF public transport n a few taxis might be a better option than car rental. I found the buses in LA to be amazing. Certainly far better than anything in Australia. In SF the trams are OK, and plenty of buses as well, though not as good as the LA ones. NYC is a grate city to walk around, and the trains will get you most places on Manhattan and Brooklyn. make sure you try some bagels and a philly cheese steak from a cart vendor .

I'd suggest checking out http://www.smartdestinations.com/los-angeles-attractions-and-tours/_d_Lax-p1.html which has cards for most major cities in the US. Once you've done a few of the sites you're saving big time eg Universal studios basic entry is 60 USD.

i used super shuttle for my airport transport and you can get $2 off each trip on Amex using PGRV7 discount code. Some people say they are bad, but I didn't have a problem over 3 re turn trips last yr. In SF you can get %15 off http://airporttaxicabbayarea.com/online_reservation using Amex as well with AMEXWEBRESVTAXI

Travel smart, save ya $ so you can worry about enjoying yaself, not that you'll melt ya credit card

 

[straitman]

i would say drop hawai.

I was going to suggest dropping some part of the trip. To me it looks like you are trying to fit too much into one itinerary.

There will be time for other trips.

 

[Fantic125]

I would also suggest dropping either Hawaii or New York.

For the amount of time (and budget) do one or the other, but not both.
If you flew into LAX, I would suggest hiring a car & staying in LA for a day or two (I've stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, Marina del Ray, close to Santa Monica / Venice Beach).

Possibly consider driving to San Francisco? (From LA it's only about 6 ~ 8 hours depending on traffic).

From San Francisco, fly to Hawaii. A work colleague of mine does it every year (on points/miles) and loves the place.

Just my thoughts. Take from it what you will.

 

[Maca44]

Possibly consider driving to San Francisco? (From LA it's only about 6 ~ 8 hours depending on traffic).

Great idea, but why not take a little longer and travel up Hwy 1 along the coast through Santa Barbara, Solvang, San Simeon, Hearst Castle etc etc. Nice drive.

 

[ShaneN]

I agree that you may be trying to fit too much in. I could easily spend 1 week each in SF or NY. I do not find LA so interesting, but a matter of personal interests. Cannot comment on Hawaii, since I have not been there.

As others have suggested, the coastal trip along Highway 1 between LA and SF is one of the world's great drives, not to be missed. If you do not wish to drive yourself overnight coach trips are available. It would be a shame to fly and miss the scenery.

Also recommended is a visit to Yosemite National Park. While available as a day trip, an overnight visit is much more relaxed. The waterfalls are at their best in April - May when the snow melts.

 

[AV8]

As others have suggested, the coastal trip along Highway 1 between LA and SF is one of the world's great drives, not to be missed.

I have done this drive and would recommend that you start in SF-> LA - why? Left hand drive and you are closer to the water (better views) and not hugged against cliff face. Also suggest that if you have plenty of time for this drive I can vouch for staying at Solvang , Carmel (Clint Eastwood was mayor when we stayed).

 

[straitman]

I have done this drive and would recommend that you start in SF-> LA - why? Left hand drive and you are closer to the water (better views) and not hugged against cliff face. Also suggest that if you have plenty of time for this drive I can vouch for staying at Solvang , Carmel (Clint Eastwood was mayor when we stayed).

I have had the same experience and agree completely. I would also look at a tour of Hearst Castle but remember to pre book.

 

[TanyaGordon]

As others have suggested, the coastal trip along Highway 1 between LA and SF is one of the world's great drives, not to be missed.

If your thinking of doing this drive, check out Cheap camper van rentals. Lost Campers - San Francisco Campervans they have depots in both SF and LA and it makes a really cheap way to combine your transport and accommodation costs.

I have used their Vans a few times and it's a blast.

 

[Stephen65]

I agree with those who say the journey is better going SF > LA because then you are on the water side of the coastal road. There are lots of interesting places to stop along the way and things to see so you should allow at least a couple of days.

 

[yohy?!]

random thought but would the lax route be the best value for burning QF points?? it's awfully cheap to get there atm with Delta, maybe worth paying for your airfares in this case so you can get better value for your hard earned points elsewhere...

 

[FFGrey]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!

We'll drop Hawaii as we can go there some other time and flights are cheap there.
I totally agree - we were trying to do too much. We could easily spend three weeks in SF/LA alone!

How about this:

Pool QFF points, and buy the second ticket.
Fly Melbourne > LAX direct with Qantas.
Spend time in LAX. (A few days) Coach/?? up to SF.
Spend time in SF. (Few days to a week). Drive back to LA.
LA > NY flight (Is this a good idea? - USA Domestic?)
Spend time in NYC (A week)
NY > LA
Last few days in LA
Fly LAX > Melbourne

Still totally open to ideas and suggestions. The idea of driving in the right lane in the States is a bit strange but I'm up for it!

Thanks heaps for your help. We're getting excited!

 

[FFGrey]

random thought but would the lax route be the best value for burning QF points?? it's awfully cheap to get there atm with Delta, maybe worth paying for your airfares in this case so you can get better value for your hard earned points elsewhere...

How much are the fares with Delta?

You know - this is the issue at the moment with QFF points - there are so many excellent deals to be had it's often best to keep them and buy the flights!

 

[ShaneN]

Your suggested itinerary currently has three separate visits to LA. Why not fly directly to NYC by Qantas - change from the MEL flight to QF107 at LAX. After spending time in NY (a week is the minimum in my view), fly from JFK to SFO. Finally, drive down the coast to LA and spend some time there before flying back to MEL.

The advantage of flying direct to NY is to do with time zones. Flights from Australia land in LA early in the morning. Unless you are very good at sleeping on planes, you arrive very tired and with a whole day to kill before it is dark. If you continue to NY you arrive in the evening, just in time to check into your hotel for a good nights sleep and ready to explore the city the next day