Need suggestions for Canada / US trip itinerary

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  [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 18:10

  +1

  To go Perth to Torronto would be over 40 hours I would guess (including layovers).

  From Perth most flights to the US go via Sydney unless you go Perth to an Asian hub. PER - SYD - LAX is pretty long flight I have done it many time usually going onto orlando, I wouldn't want to do it with kids so young. Breaking it up with a few days in LA is a good idea.

  I just traveled to Bali with 2 kids aged 2.2 years and 6 months. It was pretty hard as the 2 year old didn't do well in restaraunts and the 7 month old needed to nap every 2 -3 hours. I would expect your youngest would still be napping and if they don't get a nap they are in a foul mood. It makes it really hard to get out and do anything. The 2 year old didn't sleep well in a port a cot and getting her to nap was a challenge.

  Sorry I don't mean to be so down but the wife and I said it will be a while before the four of us travel again, I'm sure other people have had good experiences.

  • 

    littleburrito on 29/12/2018 - 02:40

    +1

    It's difficult travelling with young children and I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy Bali.

    We've travelled to numerous places with our 2yo and Bali was the only place I truly enjoyed our holiday, all thanks to our very reliable nanny at $6.50/hr. I was going to watch our nanny like a hawk and bub is never going to be out of sight but our nanny was so lovely and put my mind at ease. She's from an Australian owned nanny agency and trained for first aid. We stayed mostly in the Nusa Dua area where security is very strict and we felt very safe. Our nanny will take bub to the pool for a splash or play at the beach everyday while I laze next to them, she'll give her a bath when we get back, feed her lunch/dinner and take her for a walk once she's done while we continue to enjoy our meal. Shopping was also much easier as she'll watch her while we shop etc.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 29/12/2018 - 16:18

      +1

      We had nanny recomendations but our 2yo would not stay with someone she didn't know (we really wish she would). She has been a bit spoilt, since her birth her mum has been on maternity leave with her and then her brother and she has only done day care 1 day a week.

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  Ocker on 28/12/2018 - 18:53

  +2

  Forget Disneyland - the kids are too young to properly enjoy the experience
  Niagara Falls is a maximum 1-2 days as apart from the falls, the town is a dump of a tourist trap.

  Thinking outside of the box have you considered buying a RTW ticket and taking side trips in Asia and/or London/Europe? Fare would be pretty much the same, if not less.

  • 

    try2bhelpful on 29/12/2018 - 09:01

    +3

    +1 on this. We did 2 days in Niagara. The falls are lovely and you should checkout if the fireworks are on. Go on the Maid of the Mist, it is beautiful they give you ponchos but you will get wet. Water proof camera only. The town is a dump, just very tacky.

    In relation to round the world tickets Virgin usually does a pretty cheap one which is HK, London, LA, or reverse. You could to travel agent about Canada rather than LA - or take a flight/rent a car.

    We did a cross country train in Canada which wasn’t cheap but was terrific. You will need to entertain the kids but they will have some room to walk around.

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  Donaldhump on 28/12/2018 - 19:03

  +1

  flight suggestion

  why not fly to lax, then to buffalo in new york state, then cross on land to toronto visiting niagra falls on the way then fly from toronto to home via vancouver

  this way i am sure you will pay less international tax on flights, as you are flying aus->usa, canada-> aus instead of aus->usa->canads->aus, will save a one way trip from toronto to niagra.

  not saying this will work necessarily but just an idea

  example on qantas

  1.) perth to lax via melbourne
  2.) toronto -> vancouver
  4.) vancouver to perth via lax and melbourne

  no point stopping in lax twice, just wastes time, but if your kids need it then up to you

  is 1400 bucks

  chuck on 170 for an AA flight from LAX to bufallo. ($5 if you have qantas points)

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  littleburrito on 29/12/2018 - 02:11

  +1

  Do you know if you'll only have to pay for an infant fare as long as you fly before 13th July or do you have to return to Perth by 13th July so bub is under 2yo on the return leg?

  We flew numerous times Perth to LA and it's usually via Melbourne or Sydney with Qantas. It is a very long flight and you're very brave for flying with bub! We have a 2yo and would love to go to Europe/US but the thought of being on a plane with bub for over 10hours is way too scary.

  A stopover in LA will be good to help with the jetlag as the first day is usually a bit of a blur until you settle in with the new time zone. A full day at Disneyland might be pretty tiring, especially with the 1.5yo and you'll want to stay for the fireworks at night. They have multiday pass which will be easier as you can get there early, head back to hotel after lunch for a bit of a nap and then disneyland again till 9-10pm. Have you looked at the price of the tickets? It's around USD300/day for the 3 of you. Personally, I will wait till the youngest is at least 4-5yo and also depending on his/her height so that everyone can enjoy the day and go on all the rides.

  Have you considered Vegas? It sounds crazy bringing young kids to sin city but there's so much to see and do besides gambling and drinking. Shopping at the outlet's great (stock up on cheap Gap/oshgosh/ralph lauren/carters/gymboree for the kids!) and there's so much to see at the different hotels. This blog post might help http://www.familyvacationhub.com/las-vegas/las-vegas-things-…

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  batrarobin on 02/01/2019 - 11:28

  Thanks everyone for your great inputs. We ended up removing Vancouver/Calgary from our plans because apparently a trip to West Coast Rockies needs at least 12 days.

  Our itinerary now looks like this:

  One ticket:
  Perth -> LAX
  Toronto -> Perth

  Second ticket:
  LAS -> Toronto

  Haven't figured out how to get from LAX -> LAS, probably will drive there or take a flight.

  PS: Flights to Buffalo airport were working out a bit expensive so we chose Toronto.

  • 

    try2bhelpful on 02/01/2019 - 13:01

    +1

    for LAX to LAS I would hire a car and spend a day, or so, at Yosemite then drive down the Sierra Nevadas to Vegas. We've done this trip a couple of times and, provided, it is not in winter when Yosemite is closed or high summer when it will be too hot, this is a great trip. We stopped at Hawthorn on the way down the Sierra Nevadas; a bit of a "nothing there" place but convenient. If you have time I would also look at going to Monterey on the way to Yosemite. It is a bit out of the way, however, they have a great aquarium there with sea otters. Also double check what the drop off price for a different state is before renting.

    We didn't do 12 days for Vancouver/Calgary but you would need, at least, 6 days.

    • 

      batrarobin on 08/01/2019 - 11:54

      Thank you try2bhelpful, will keep these in mind. Much appreciated! :)

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  crave555 on 07/01/2019 - 00:54

  +1

  Go to New York City to visit Wall Street and walk over the Brooklyn bridge. But don’t stay in the city, instead stay in Williamsburg, Brooklyn right across the river. Do get a prepaid SIM card such as AT&T that will work in both canada and us, you can pick one up from resellers such as Arieli Mobile

  • 

    batrarobin on 08/01/2019 - 11:52

    Thank you crave555 for your valuable suggestions, very helpful.

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  crave555 on 07/01/2019 - 00:56

  +1

  For LAS to LAX Get a rental car and take a drive, it’s a fairly short 3 1/2 to 4 Hour Dr. But very scenic and indicative of middle America