The scariest thing is the fact one in three drivers in CA are uninsured, so if you rent a car take out the non-insurance cover, otherwise you could be faced with a hefty health insurance bill as holiday insurance small print will show a not so worrying $$ limit that would get eaten up in weeks in a CA hospital.
In terms of driving in CA its easy, although even though they have slow / fast lanes like us nobody really uses them. Plus being stuck in LA rushour traffic on a 12 lane freeway like the 101 or 405 is even more soul destroying than the 3 lane M25. I lived there for 2 years, the funniest thing is when it rains.....people turn into retards in cars as some people have never driven in the rain.....but to be honest the roads do turn into ice rinks as the oil rises to the top of the tarmac...and chuck can't control the wheelspin on his 550bhp Tundra !! avoid !!
The Driving test is about the same.....the bike test is rediculous....pay $25' get 20 out of 25 on a theory test and you can throw your leg over ANY bike. I went from never riding a motorbike to a SV650 in about 24 hours !!
Went San Francisco to Yosemite and back again. Was fun.
Freeways are a bit weird as the vehicles like HGV's are massive.
I drive a left hooker over here anyway so used to them and being on the other side of the road was fine
Always ask for a free upgrade on vehicle. Tell them you are excited about being in America and stuff and they love that stuff.
I lived there for 2 1/2 yrs & drove a VW GTI so a tiny car by US standards & never had one single problem.
Just drive normally, you'll be fine.
Don't know about CA, but I drove around when on holiday in Florida a couple of years ago. The roads are designed for huge cars and driving was easy. If all American cars are like our hire car you may find them the most gutless boring vehicles. Driving wasn't much fun. Mind numbing pretty much describes it.
The scariest thing is the fact one in three drivers in CA are uninsured
you could say that about parts of Bradford 😯
The two hour drive home from Manchester airport (weekday afternoon) was one of the most unpleasant journeys I've ever had. I realised how impatient and uncourteous UK drivers can be
+1 to that
never been to the US but I have been to Canada & I guess it's pretty similar. Canadian drivers are sooooo polite 🙂
Did 3600 miles on a Harley in two and a half weeks for our honeymoon, starting and finishing just north of the golden gate bridge, taking in Vegas (free parking for Harleys on the strip at the HD cafe), death valley, Yosemite, grand canyon, Lake Havasu (where London Bridge went) LA and highway 1 back up to San Fran. Was one of the most awesome experiences of our lives. Driving (riding) was usually relaxed, enjoyable and scenic. Getting overtaken by a big rig like we were standing still (90+, no 56mph limiter in the states!) on a desert road was an eye opener, and LA and SF main arteries were a little busy, but great fun. Recommended.
cheers everyone, insurance will def be fine from NV to CA as the hire is organised as a pick up in vegas drop off in san fran....
asking for free upgrade has to be worth a try 'its our first time in america and its our honeymoon sir, oh and we're all out of crumpets and tea dash and blast it' 😆
haggling on room rates will be a new experience... i'm british and as such i'm not used to trying my luck lol
noted on learning how to use stuff like lights, locks and handbrake in the car before leaving the yard 🙂
read about the pay at pump situation with needing a zipcode for the card... apparently you've just got to find a gas station with an attendant during the day ideally and get them to swipe the card. so will be filling up during the day as much as possible.
websites state that you can pay for most things by card, will still be taking dollars our there with us... anybody got any advise on best way to get cash out there or is it just ATM's and deal with the extra charges?
mrsconsequence has iphone on orange... will that work over there if we download the maps or is it worth just renting a satnav?
will try booking that first night motel online today 🙂
thanks again for all the advice everyone!
Orange will charge heavily for using maps on the iPhone.
My BiL found this out when he moved from ca to Paris.
Cue massive bill.
mrsconsequence has iphone on orange... will that work over there if we download the maps or is it worth just renting a satnav?
It'll work OK with one of the SatNav apps, NavFree or GPS Navigation 2
Won't you need a car charger and some sort of mount for it though?
I have a Tomtom with the US on it you can borrow but it's out in the US with my brother till the 7th Oct and then with me in Spain till the 16th. If those dates fit in, give me a shout and I'll post it of to you
Orange will charge heavily for using maps on the iPhone.
My BiL found this out when he moved from ca to Paris.
Cue massive bill.
Don't turn on data roaming then and use a satnav app, it won't cost anything
Hi Phil,
You'll have a brilliant time - road trips are addictive. The negotiating with hotels is a bit odd, and I never got the hang of it - but my wife did. $15 a room was her best. Some offer a breakfast, which is often just a muffin but they are good enough for early start mornings where you don't fancy a massive breakfast just then. It's nice to crack off 100 miles before breakfast some days.
And yes, the miles are big depending on your route. Some tiny, tiny towns can be 200 miles apart and they will have nothing in them. Sounds dire but in the end that's the appeal of a road trip. Off the Freeways there can be nothing but that nothing holds an appeal of its own.
You will have massive arguments. Some days will be dull - 500 miles on a Freeway does things to you. We followed the101 for four days once, and it was foggy the whole time so we saw nowt, stopped the night in crummy little towns, and wife missed out on retail therapy. Same may happen for the Grand Canyon - it has weird weather so you may have to allow a few days to see it. Didn't do the Southern rim, but I should imagine it is the same as North, with accommodation nearby. North rim is miles from anywhere.
Oops, digressed. Arguments - end of a long day can be tough, so no big decisions straight out of the car. Give it ten and things chill out.
It is fun arriving at random towns, finding a weird motel, then deciding which restaurant to go to - Mexican or Texan seems to be the order of the day. Family restaurants do not serve alcohol and every person in them smiles at you. Odd at first but some days you'll join in for the crack.
Yeah, ten minutes with the car at the start pays dividends as they hide the buttons everywhere. But us Europeans are the same, so fair play.
Good luck, I'm jealous now ;-(
ohhh an old school friend has just offered me an american sat nav through facebook to use, the windscreen mount has been left in san diego though so i've gotta keep a look out 😆 it'll mean becca will have to hold the sat nav and give me directions which'll be nice as she normally sleeps the moment a car engine starts!
do most motels/hotels have staff on early morning so we can check out and get on the road? as i can see me really enjoying the early morning drives it'll fit my body clock hopefully
Yep, you'll be fine. Depends what you mean by early morning of course but there will always be a night shift if you want to check out at 5am or something. Half the time they're sleeping in the office but will come out if you knock/ring/scream. Bloke at one hotel was asleep on the lobby couch in pyjamas but was happy to check me out at 4am.
i'm both excited and nervous in equal measure.... never been to america... furthest i've been is turkey! or maybe romania... i can't think which is further away.
You'll be fine Phil, no worries on that score. America is easy - far easier than the UK in pretty much every single respect. Pretty much all towns have motels and food, which you can't say about the UK. Generally not an issue turning up in a strange town and at least finding accommodation for the night. Just follow your nose when you get there and enjoy the experience. The worst bit will be American immigration officials when the plane lands - whatever you've read about their badness will be true. But they are just jobsworths on minimum wage, so be patient and no bomb jokes please! Get past them and it is all plain sailing.
ahhh we've done the ESTA visa waiver thingy already, guessing the biggest problem we'll have at the airport is explaining where we're staying?
Yes, America is very much set up for road-tripping. There's always somewhere to stay if you are on major routes. If everywhere's full up, then just go to the next town.
It can be a little harder if you are really off the beaten track mind, but still not really a problem.
Re explaining where you are staying - just book somewhere for your first night and give that. That's what they expect you to do - they know people move around, but they need to put something down.
MUST. REMEMBER. TO. BOOK. FIRST. NIGHTS. ACCOMMODATION. 😯
Also, remember that Americans are really friendly. Take the time to find some stuff off the beaten track and chat to people. I've met some very interesting people in small town diners. Small town bars though I would avoid like the plague unless someone I know recommends them as they can be quite strange places.
Just be ware - in the UK most exits off a motorway go onto a roundabout so if you do take the wrong exit it's just a case of rejoining. A lot of freeways tend to exit onto roads that often don't have a roundabout (they just merge onto new freeways). Been caught out a couple of times trundling 10 miles up another freeway to find a way of turning around.
Get an automatic (you probably won't have a choice). Have to put your foot on the brake to start the car often (and putting it in gear!).
MUST. REMEMBER. TO. BOOK. FIRST. NIGHTS. ACCOMMODATION.
or at least get the address of one to put on the form 🙂
edit: here put this one down
http://www.railroadpass.com/
It's not too bad actually for the money
Look at airbnb.com for some interesting places to stay. Not all do one night stops but you do encounter some interesting landlords/landladies.
jota.... i might actually book that place tonight! not bad at all and ideal location to scoot off the the hoover dam in the morning 😀
thank you!
Take the time to find some stuff off the beaten track and chat to people.
This is always a good idea wherever you are. Touristy America can be the lamest part imo.
On the subject of road layout - there are some bizarre things in some places. In Maryland and a few other places I've seen they've put a service station INBETWEEN the two carriageways. Ok great, it's accessible from both sides, but you have to merge into the outside lane when you leave it! 😯
ohhh we're going to milk the 'we're from ingerland on our honeymoon' angle, talk in posh accents, use silly english words and when asked more specifically where we're from we're going for 'berkshire, where the queen lives, well actually sandhurst where prince harry and wills did their training... yes actually we do bump into the regularly doing their shopping' 😆
A lot of freeways tend to exit onto roads that often don't have a roundabout (they just merge onto new freeways)
Sometimes on the dual carriageway the slow lane just turns into a slip road with little or now warning - you get used to it after the third or fourth time.
I'd like to say driving from Reno to Tahoe in a blizzard was the scariest, but getting stopped for speeding on the way back was much more terrifying.
i'm going to be avoiding anything that might get me in trouble with the 5.0! drinking, driving too fast, smiling, expressing an liberal opinion, being black.
When I got in the hire car in America, I sat there for ages wondering where the handbrake was, too embarassed to ask.
It was a foot pedal!
I bought a USA maps SD card for my Garmin and it was helpful. I cannot read a map and drive at the same time, and I couldn't trust my kids to navigate , so the satnav was well worth the money, it only cost about £40ish for the card.
booked that room for the first night 😀 muhahah
Did LA - Lake Havasu - Yosemite - Grand canyon - Vegas - death valley - frisco last year . 2000 miles in 2 weeks - dead easy , an absolute BLAST !
Lots of road trips over the years , never been to the states before but it was superb , no other word for it ...
Top tip if your on the wrong side for the first time is dont get giddy and overtake when you dont have to . it`s much easier to follow until you get your head around the change .
Sort out a satnav , makes getting in / out of the cities sooo much easier so why not ??
I make a point of never driving after dark - just something i`ve alus done when in forrin parts , but 500 miles a day is easy over there .
Pay the extra few quid for a decent size/spec car , you`ll be spending hours in there so air-con and cruise control are a must.
Get off the beaten track and take in a diner or two for breakfast , the more remote the better !
Best to book ahead if you`re going to frisco as the place is renowned for its national conferences and daft as it sounds the rooms run out pretty quick . When we were there a conference had just finished - 7500 people !
I could go on all night but the Americans we met were great - they love us for some bizzare reason so stop reading all the scarey internet crap , drive well and you`ll not go far wrong ...
Most of all just chill out and ENJOY !
cheers lasty 🙂
we're looking at about 1600+ miles over the 2 weeks i think, should be picking up a sat nav from an old friend tonight. will definitely try for a free upgrade when we pick up the hire car... play the 'first time in america, on our honeymoon angle and see if it works 🙂
quite a chilled driver so no worries about rushing around trying to overtake everything!
The Grand Canyon Cafe in Flagstaff AZ was very nice. Ate breakfast as a blizzard blew through, very evocative looking across the old Route 66 to the Amtrak lines. Happy memories 😀
I also had a blizzard blow through after our visit to the grand canyon. Got up in the morning and the car was frosted over - had to scrape ice off the windscreen
Within a couple of hours we were driving through the dessert - surrounded by millions of butterflies. Loads died splitting onto the car.
By the end of the day swimming in an outside pool, in baking heat in palm springs. This was Easter time
Dont expect anyone in vegas or California to be remotely impressed by the fact that you are from the uk.
Also the honeymoon angle in vegas isn't that uncommon 😉
dont expect anything cos we're from the UK and on honeymoon, but if the question is asked why we chose america then i'm sure it'll come up 🙂
