BootsnAll's Travel Community

hey all i have just recently become a member so hello to everyone.

ok, im planning an extended trip in 2007 - along way off i know but i am just starting to research it and put together rough itineraries.

I get into Seattle in mid march and need to be in LA for the end of april, for trek america tours. I want to use a mix of amtrak (preferred), greyhound and flights to get around.

Can anyone give me suggestions for my itinerary so that i dont backtrack and miss out anywhere important. I was thinking along the lines of Seattle - Chicago - Boston - New York - Philly - DC - Orlando - New Orleans - Memphis - Nashville - Austin - San Antonio - LA

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Michelle

Your route seems fine to me, depending on what you want to see along the way. I would always suggest renting a car if possible. You have a couple of long gaps between stops that have many things between them.

Let us know some more details about what type of things you are interested in seeing and doing and we can give you more details.

Sounds like a good trip.

Michelle,

Your route misses out the rockies and much of western USA which are the parts that scenery wise will blow your mind coming from England. America has much more to offer than the cities you list. Make some room for the natural wonders.

For some idea of the places to see browsefrom this page to get a feel for what else there is to see.

thanks for replying guys its much appreciated. The reason much of the West coast is missing is due to two trek america tours which encompass it. The first includes most of California, Nevada and the national parks around that area. The second leads from Seattle up to Alaska. I should have mentioned that Im also spending 6 weeks in Canada before that.

As this is the first part of my trip im keen to see places that i always see in movies and have always wanted to visit hence the big cities but would like a few out of the way places.

I thought about renting a car for some parts but as a solo female traveller thought that it would be better to travel on the train as i would meet more people and it wouldnt be so lonely. Am i being too pesimistic? (spelling?)

michelle

That is a lot of cities in a very short amount of time, especially if you are going to take Amtrak/Greyhound. There is a good thread on here about buses which you may want to check out.

I would suggest a flight from Seattle to Chicago at the start of your trip. You can usually find a good deal (look around this forum for budget airline suggestions). That will give you a few extra days on the east coast. You may also take a flight from DC to Orlando (are you going to Orlando just for Disneyworld?).

I think you will meet the most people at the hostels where you stay.

If your tours don't include it, make sure to do far Northern California into Oregon. The Redwoods are just frickin' stunning (they are also in the SF Bay Region and a little north from here, on the Russian River). And Portland is cool, make sure you hit that.

I don't think that travelling by rented a car would be a problem for a single female. But being on the train can make it easier to meet people. It's just a question of which you like better.

Keep in mind that the cities you are going to have beautiful surrounding areas. If you fly or train to one of them, consider renting a car there so you can visit a larger area. Stepping outside of a city can open a whole new wolrd.

You mentioned movies. Many movies that took place in Chicago were filmed in Wisconsin, mainly in Milwaukee. That's just one of the many side trips you can take.

There are so many things to see that you are best off doing a lot of research before you get here. But you will certainly see a lot of great things.

thanks guys thats definately given me stuff to think about. I wish i could stay longer in the states to see lots more stuff but i know that it will take up most of my money and so will just have to revisit a few times.

I am definately researching the car rental thing especially for seeing the surrounding areas of the cities. I also thought about the flight between seattle and chicago but then i miss the scenery along the way

Sorry this post isnt making much sense im just rambling now
thanks
Michelle

Hi Michelle,
Glad to hear you are going are already planning for 2007. I looked at your potential cities to visit and had some thoughts. Take a look at the map and it might make more sense to go from DC to Nashville to Memphis and then south and then east. Otherwise you do a bit of backtracking if you go to New Orleans and then back up to Nashville only to go South to Texas. I'm not sure what New Orleans will be like by the time you get here, so it's hard to say if you should plan to visit there or not. Austin is a great city and as the time gets closer I'd be happy to give you ideas of where to go and things to do. San Antonio is pretty much the Riverwalk, the Alamo and Sea World...I'm not sure there is much more there to see. Greyhound takes forever to get anywhere and Amtrak doesn't have much coverage in the south, so you should look into either a rental car or cheap flights to cities like Austin. Austin is a LONG way from Nashville and not too close to New Orleans either. You may want to consider stopping in Dallas on your way if you go from Nashville or in Houston if you go from New Orleans. Keep us abreast of your plans.

A good way to travel by train and see the country side is to take the Train from San Francisco to Chicago. The whole trip takes about 3 days and you get to see scenery that you wouldn't be able to see if you were driving. You go trough the Mountains in Cali. during the day and go through the rockies during the next day. It's great trip.

If you want to take the train to see scenary, etc., then I would take a city or two out of your itinerary. You have some pretty significant mileage to cover, and in the four or so weeks you have to do all the cities you listed, you're not going to get to enjoy what you're seeing much.

quote:

I would suggest a flight from Seattle to Chicago at the start of your trip. You can usually find a good deal (look around this forum for budget airline suggestions).

A decent idea for sure. I flew that route one time for $180 round trip! But, I think you'd be selling yourself short. You absolutley NEED to see the Rocky Mountains.

It's worth it to drive accross Eastern Washington (check out Walla Walla and skip Spokane). But really, the highlight would be Idaho and Western Montana. Glacier National Park and the Bitteroot Valley in western Montana are totally unique.

From there, you should be able to find a a decently priced flight from Boise ID or Missoula MT to Chicago.

Someone from eastern Montana or North Dakota might disagree, but I think flying over them will save you a lot of time and a lot of boredom.

hey there,

thanks for your post - it has started me thinking again - i can't believe how much im trying to cram in. im very tempted to skip Alaska for the time being and use that month to spend more time seeing other parts of the States.

Skimaxpower - you are so right i don't know why i forgot about the Rockies - i am reworking my itinerary to fit them in. A place called Walla Walla? sounds interesting. I definately want to see more small towns.

Michelle

quote:

Originally posted by michey_b:
hey all i have just recently become a member so hello to everyone.

ok, im planning an extended trip in 2007 - along way off i know but i am just starting to research it and put together rough itineraries.

I get into Seattle in mid march and need to be in LA for the end of april, for trek america tours. I want to use a mix of amtrak (preferred), greyhound and flights to get around.

Can anyone give me suggestions for my itinerary so that i dont backtrack and miss out anywhere important. I was thinking along the lines of Seattle - Chicago - Boston - New York - Philly - DC - Orlando - New Orleans - Memphis - Nashville - Austin - San Antonio - LA

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Michelle

First of all, Michelle, I'm new here, too - so howdy! Your trip sounds great...

If you're going to be in Seattle, check out the Princess Marguerite ferry from Seattle across the Puget Sound and into Victoria Island, British Columbia. It's just a few hour ferry/casino, but it's spectacular and Victoria itself is just breathtaking. It's well worth spending at least one day doing that - but I wish we had spent the night in Victoria and returned to Seattle the next day. Check that out.

Also, I've lived in San Antonio, Texas for over 40 years, so I know this city inside out - as well as Austin. If you have an idea of what you're interested in seeing/doing, I'm sure I can help.

Good luck - you're being very smart to start researching a trip like this so early!

Ronni

quote:

Originally posted by Ronni:

If you're going to be in Seattle, check out the Princess Marguerite ferry from Seattle across the Puget Sound and into Victoria Island, British Columbia. ... Victoria itself is just breathtaking.
Ronni

The city of Victoria (on Vancouver Island by the way) is really something special. Very English with a beautiful waterfront and tons of good shopping. The weaker Canadian dollar helps too.

There are several ferries to Victoria that run from Seattle, Vancouver BC, and Port Angeles (my home town.)

For the record, Port Angeles is a dive, but is a great base for exploring the amazing temperate rain forests in the Olympic National Park.

Whatever you do, take the passenger ferry - you'll have no use for a car in Victoria. Be prepared for windy, cold wet weather in Victoria - ANY time of year. There's lots of hotels and B+Bs in Victoria. Some are 5-star, many are cheap. I recommend the Strathcona hotel for its quality-price-location.

Finally, unless you're from Afghanistan or some war-torn nation, you don't need a visa to visit Canada. Just bring the passport (if you haven't showered lately, a recent bank statement might be handy too.) U.S. immigration are the bastards on the way back. So make sure your visa permits multiple entries.

PS: make use of the duty free. Canda has pretty high sin taxes. Also, make use of the BC bud. It's budder up there.

I'm curious why you are flying all the way into Seattle, then going back over to Chicago? Do you need to be in Seattle first? It makes more sense to me, since you are coming from England, to fly into the east coast first - see everything out there, then take a train west to California (or a short flight).