Western fly drive
Western fly drive
Many of my friends and clients have experienced the classic West Coast fly drive but most tend to overlook my absolute favourite San Diego. I always recommend taking as much time as possible to see as much as you can and, when possible, include Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. I’ll get to more about the individual locations on separate blogs but let’s just get the itinerary for now.
The glitz of Vegas is always worth a look for at least four nights and, also, to allow for a trip out to the Grand Canyon. Die hard gamblers will want to stretch this out a bit but there is always enough to see as not to move on right away. Exotic shows and bright lights are the normal attractions, but golfers will be spoilt for choice, as well.
San Francisco is the next stop, and you can get there either by road or by air…I’d suggest just getting there by plane and picking up your car on the other end as the 9 hour drive may be too much for some or, alternatively, stopping along the way but this is a wasted night. After about 4 nights in ‘Frisco’, it’s down the coast to Los Angeles and this time it is worth a stop in the Pismo Beach area just to enjoy the scenery.
Los Angeles has a love-hate relationship with tourists; it’s big and smoggy, but there’s a ton of stuff to do, as well. It’s important to consider exactly what appeals to you so a decision can be made as to the length of stay.If you want to explore you’ll need a week but if there are just a couple of points of interest then 3 days will be sufficient.
A short drive down I-5 brings you to San Diego and, arguably, one of the best climates in the world. It’s a busy city with a lot to see but, at the same time, San Diego invites you just to relax. I always recommend at least 4 days but would gladly stay for weeks. Your time constraints may limit you to a couple of days, but at least you’ll get a taste.
In between these major centres, there are other popular options for side trips or stays. The coastline itself has many towns and events to visit, and there are more out of the way choices such as Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and the giant redwoods in northern California. The more adventurous could consider travelling into Oregon and Washington to explore the Pacific Northwest, but you will need to allow more time.
There are numerous other considerations to be had; available time, school holidays when travelling as a family, budget and, ultimately, what you want to see. As I mentioned, I’ll put more detail into individual blogs but this will get you thinking about where to start planning.
If you’d like to discuss a fly drive (or any other holiday), or have these details e-mailed to you, please feel free to contact me at any time.
