Looking for Advice Traveling around California for The First Time as a 22yo

LChicky on 01/08/2018 - 19:48

Hi All,

I’m (22yo) planning to go to USA for the first time with my brother (19yo) in October. We plan to travel for 9 days and was wondering if anyone can advise us for cheap hotels and car rentals in SF/LA/Las Vegas area.

Here is our (rough) plan trip:

  • 8-10: SF (visit Yosemite then drive to LA)
  • 10-14: LA (drive to Las Vegas)
  • 14-16: Las Vegas (drive back to SF)

I have read this thread for the cheapest car to rent, but most of them require the driver to be aged 25 and above.

Thanks in advance (any other advice is also appreciated).

Travel Holiday

Comments

  • Randxyz123 on 01/08/2018 - 20:04
    +1

    I have read this thread for the cheapest car to rent, but most of them require the driver to be aged 25 and above.

    You're going to run into issues there with "cheap". You'll find https://www.dollar.com/ rentals do accept young drivers. They always have promos. Signing up to their email list got me 15% off. There will be a surcharge for young drivers. and the policy is different for each state. Your brother likely won't be able to drive.

    You should call the LAX branch via skype and find out the details.

    I would just stay in hostels? If you are travelling by yourselves you'll probably have more fun staying with younger people. Unfortunately, your brother won't be able to drink or get into bars which could be annoying depending on how much you enjoy going out.

    Keep in mind as well that you are better off going all the way back to LA because the car rental company will charge a heap for LA pickup and SF drop off.

    Can you give an idea of your budget? It's really frustrating when people say "I want a cheap hotel". "Cheap" is a matter of opinion.

    • Chicky on 02/08/2018 - 20:02

      Thank you for the suggestion of dollar.com. I will definitely sign up!

      Yeah, I plan to drive back to SF from Las Vegas instead of doing a drop off :)

      My budget for accommodation would be around $200 per day, so my overall budget for 9 days is around 2k? Thanks!

      • Randxyz123 on 03/08/2018 - 09:53
        +1

        Err is that $200 between 2 people ? Or do you both have $2k saved up?

        Regardless I’d suggest hostels and air bnb.

        • TimOfEastBNE on 03/08/2018 - 14:33
          +1

          $200/night for 2 won't get you a lot of hotel in SF or LA, so I agree with knick007

        • Chicky on 06/08/2018 - 11:00

          Thank you! We ended up booking motels as they are cheap and have free parking too :)

  • [Deactivated] on 01/08/2018 - 20:08
    +1

    Get a Camaro or Challeneger from like Fox Rental, the standard rental spec V6 is plenty of fun.

    The drive between SF-LA-LV is awesome!
    SF to LA, take either PCH or the 101, don't take the 5 though as thats the main route for trucks, etc.

    I think under 25 you just have a surcharge at reputable places like Fox, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, etc.

    • TimOfEastBNE on 02/08/2018 - 09:42
      +1

      the Pacific Coast Highway is totally amazing, and a must see. Make sure you stop to see the elephant seals alobg the way (it's well signposted). Your time frame doesn't allow time to do it justice though. The direct route SF to LA takes about 6 hours, travelling by the PCH you should allow 2 overnight stops so you can take it all in instead of just driving.

      Get a topless camaro or mustang, put it down and enjoy. We went in April and although cool, was warm enough to go topless.

      In SF;

      • to get a chance to see a lot, take a Grey Line bus tour. Will show you all the sights and give you pointers where to go to next.
      • visit the Tonga Room bar in the Fairmont Hotel - book ahead if you want dinner, or they have a buffet snacks bar during happy hour for about $20 I think which is good enough. Drink cocktails there. It's fun, and popular.
      • Alcatraz visit is a must - you need a half day for this
      • Anchor brewery tour is good too
      • Swan Oyster depot
      • read up about the districts and go visit some of them - great food in Castro, music and hippy history in Haight Ashbury etc..
      • Chicky on 02/08/2018 - 20:03

        @TimOfMcDowall. Awesome list! I would really love to visit all of the places you’ve listed, but being under the legal age in America kind of restricts the places we go. Thanks for all your suggestions! Will take it into consideration.

        • Randxyz123 on 03/08/2018 - 09:54
          +1

          Only your brother is underage. He might still be able to get into the brewery and do a tour but won’t be able to have a beer after. No reason why you can’t buy a 6 pack for later though :)

        • TimOfEastBNE on 03/08/2018 - 14:31
          +1

          @knick007: same true of the Tonga Room….

    • Chicky on 02/08/2018 - 20:02

      That’s cool! Will definitely take Pacific Coast Highway then. Thank you!

  • theHMASfriendship on 01/08/2018 - 21:11

    (any other advice is also appreciated)

    Try not to attend any mass shootings.

    • muncan on 01/08/2018 - 23:54

      Wow

    • HighAndDry on 02/08/2018 - 15:07

      Should be fine; they're going for holidays I think, not for school.

      • theHMASfriendship on 02/08/2018 - 15:50

        Hopefully the OP doesn't like country music then.

        • Chicky on 02/08/2018 - 20:04

          Ha. Not into country music but we will go to watch NBA games in Las Vegas. Warriors vs Lakers, wohoo!

  • KB2 on 02/08/2018 - 05:13
    +1

    As someone who has visited California multiple times and now lives here, you need a car! Getting anywhere, especially LA is a pain in the butt without one. When we were holidaying, yes it was a pain to pay the underage driver fee, but you have to deal with it - we tried everything to get it waived!

    I've always used Sky Scanner to find the cheapest rental cars. I believe most companies waive one way fees if you're picking up and dropping off in California and Nevada (so many people do the Vegas drive) so that's one less fee you have to worry about.

    You're going to be really pushed for time only visiting for 9 days. If you can, I would encourage you to try and add a couple more. You'll want to spend a lot of time at the quirky little towns you find along the way. I'm probably bias but I don't like LA, so unless you're doing Disney I would only do 2 days and tack more time onto San Fran (it's amazing!)

    Highway 1 is a really nice drive but it's closed near Big Sur due to a landslide last year so that'll add a bit more time to your drive to backtrack inland then back out again.

    One thing we learnt with Vegas accommodation is to book an Air Bnb within a hotel. It's pretty much the same price but you don't have to pay the ridiculous resort fees. Some hotels charge $35USD per day which adds up very quickly! We always try and use Air Bnb in the US as they're good quality and you can stay in one that has free parking - parking costs for hotels are ridiculous here!

    Anyway, that's my two cents! Enjoy your trip!

    • Chicky on 02/08/2018 - 20:07

      Thanks for your recommendation KB2! I’ve heard how LA is mainly about Disneyland so that’s where I’m mostly going to try to cover.

      Unfortunately 9 days was the maximum leave that I could take because I recently just started a new job.

      That’s insane! I wouldn’t know that they would charge extra fees on top of the hotel fees! Does the same extra fees apply for LA and SF hotels as well?

      Thank you!

      • KB2 on 03/08/2018 - 02:18
        +1

        No worries!

        It's mainly touristy places like Vegas and Palm Springs that charge resort fees. It's how they make their prices look attractive and then add another $30-$40 on top per day for things like wifi, access to the gym and the pool. I've tried to say that I just won't use those things but unfortunately it's a mandatory fee.

        SF hotels are super expensive! We hunted for a couple of months and ended up finding a good deal in the Fisherman's Wharf area but otherwise we would have gone Air Bnb - it's heaps more affordable especially if you just get a room rather than the whole place.

        LA is disgusting and overpriced. Spend a couple of hours doing the touristy stuff so you can say you've done it. I wish someone had told us that the first time we visited - we wasted 4 days there!

  • Donaldhump on 02/08/2018 - 05:59
    +1

    Here is a tip for LA if need cheap place near lax , catch thrifty bus down west century blvd. cheap hotels down there, just pretend your getting a rental.

    In San Fran super 8 in san Bruno or near there is ok, cheap and near the train.

    Use vroom web site to see if any cheap car rentals.

    If need be use multiple rentals. I drove from la to Miami and then Chicago , and used 3, after working out the sweet spots to swap them. I even slept in my car a few nights in truck stops.

    • Chicky on 02/08/2018 - 20:08

      Haha. That’s a really great idea to save money from the airport :D

      Thanks for your suggestion about vroom will definitely look into it.

      Great story! I was thinking the same of sleeping in the truck/ car to save more money.

  • askme69 on 02/08/2018 - 14:40

    Does California have "Stand Your Ground"?

    Or should I say, welcome to the wild west.

  • Sterio on 02/08/2018 - 20:08
    +1

    Check Out Arguscarhire.com. I use them all the time in the States. You will usuaĺy find that Dollar or Alamo are cheapest and all the quotes include all insurances etc.

    • Chicky on 06/08/2018 - 11:02

      Awesome. Thanks. Will definitely check them!

  • Lexie123 on 04/08/2018 - 08:19
    +1

    In Vegas you will have more fun staying downtown,the price of 2 people in a hostel would be comparable to a shared room at 4 queens,no resort fee,cheap rooms in vegas if you don’t stay on weekends if you want to stay on the strip cheap,one block away,with the best value restaurant in Vegas look at Ellis island.

    • Chicky on 06/08/2018 - 11:07

      Thanks a lot for this! I just looked into their website and they do provide affordable meals! Will go there for sure :)

  • Lexie123 on 08/08/2018 - 07:40
    +1

    Chicky I find breakfast in the states challenging,pastries and coffee seem to be the norm and there hot breakfast ordinary,but that’s travel.Sometimes I will bring my favourite cereal with me,so I can start the day right and spend more at lunch where there are better options.
    When in Vegas at Ellis island definitely go to the bbq restaurant,best value meal in vegas.Big enough to share.Half bbq chicken rack of ribs,corn on the cob,coleslaw and beans for $14 us.

    Don’t forget to go downtown in the late afternoon a lot of action in a small area and I reckon you could get your brother a drink there easily.
    Factory outlet shopping is better closer to downtown.Have fun.

    • Chicky on 10/08/2018 - 09:15

      Awesome! Thank you for this! :)

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