AdZ9
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Registered: 14th Apr 06
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I've wanted to travel round america for the last 4/5 years but have never got round to doing it. I wanted to do it after i graduated but money issues etc meant that i couldn't. I've decided its something I want to/need to do. I'll be planning to go next summer time or so, and can leave my job (im only here atm to get my experience) unless they can let me have a month or 2 off then I can stay.
Whole point in this thread is to find out if any of you have done something similar before, and how did you do it? How did you find out about stuff etc..
I'm hoping to fly out and then have a return date for say a month or so later so i have a month to go around and do what i want. I've been to California and Florida before and done the Universal Studios, Disneyland etc etc etc so not really looking at those type of sights. More of the major landmarks of places and just places you should see at least once in your life.
Any help is much appreciated!
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Dean_W
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Registered: 13th Dec 05
Location: Downham Market, Norfolk
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Off topic, but i've always wanted to drive route 66.
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AdZ9
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Registered: 14th Apr 06
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Yeh same, stuff like that is what i want to do. Ideally like to go with a mate to and i have one who is up for it but we both need to find out the best way to do stuff. I could hire a car to or even buy a cheap one although not sure how there insurance etc policies work
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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I bout a plane ticket to Chicago with a return from NYC two weeks later. I had no where to stay so I hooked up with some friends and we stayed in hostels all over the place. We rod Greyhound busses all over and went to loads and loads of places finally ending up in NYC. The americans are a bit rubbish about visas so you need to tell them that you are staying somewhere - find a hotel and address before you land to put on your landing card unless you pre-book somewhere. Doesn't cost too much money either. The most expensive part was the plane ticket for me which was about £700 return including the transfer from NYC to Chicago. Spent about £200-£300 while I was out there which was good 
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AdZ9
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Registered: 14th Apr 06
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Sounds good ed, thats what i want to do! Maybe i should try 2 weeks at first as i think a month or so might be a bit to much. Just want to get away and its always been something i've wanted to do!
did you enjoy it out there? must of been good seeing alot of sights that alot of people will never see in a life time. did you see alot of landmarks etc?
Also did you plan a route before you went, or just chose where to go when you got there?
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Simon
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Registered: 24th Apr 03
Location: Oxfordshire
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My mate is doing this at the moment, he went over there a few weeks ago with couple of his uni mates, got a cheap second hand car and are just travelling about, think they are nearly finished now so are trying to sell the car now, sounds like they've had an ace time.
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AdZ9
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Registered: 14th Apr 06
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Ah man sounds awesome, more i talk/think about it the more i want to do it asap 
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Tom
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
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Remember the top gear fly and drive feature? I'd be tempted to get a shitter, and sell it at the other end also
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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Grand Canyon. No words can describe its real life presence.
Las Vegas, close to the above, got to go, its just brilliant.
Yosemite for parkland views
San Francisco, again, so much to see.
Go down Route 66 and theres a really good set of caves and caverns (between vegas and GC). If you go GC to Vegas, theres also the Hoover dam.
Not been anywhere else of importance over there yet.
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lil_g
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Registered: 29th Oct 06
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Las vegas  so huge and in the middle of no-where it seems! so different to anywhere else I've been!
Grand Canyon! - Absolutely speechless on this. there is nothing like it! + you can get a helicopter from Vegas to the Canyon 
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Rus
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Registered: 24th Jan 05
Location: SE London, Kent
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sounds awesome! i hope to spend a few months traveling east asia/japan after i finish uni. Defently do it as before you know it, you've settled down with the wife and kids. can't go exploring anymore 
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by AdZ9
Sounds good ed, thats what i want to do! Maybe i should try 2 weeks at first as i think a month or so might be a bit to much. Just want to get away and its always been something i've wanted to do!
did you enjoy it out there? must of been good seeing alot of sights that alot of people will never see in a life time. did you see alot of landmarks etc?
Also did you plan a route before you went, or just chose where to go when you got there?
Loved it, wished I went out there for the whole trip now really. We packed in so much and saw so much. I can't remember where I went without looking at my photos
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AdZ9
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Registered: 14th Apr 06
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I wanna do east asia/japan to, visit some old school temples etc and historic places. Would love it.
VXR that sounds amazing, all those listed are the places i definately want to visit, i wrote a list of sights i'd like to see and all of them were on it, man i wish i could just go tomorrow!
I want to go to an american university party drink beer out of kegs and plastic cups! haha, i reckon i could go to one just randomly turn up, they'd never know! Plus they'd love my english accent!
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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Some pics of the road trip.
LA - Palm Springs - Lake Havasu - Grand Canyon - Las Vegas - Yosemite - San Francisco.
2199 miles in 2 weeks. And while in San Fran and Lake Havasu, we didn't really use the car.
http://public.fotki.com/DaimoB/general_me_-_pastti/usa_holiday/
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AdZ9
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Registered: 14th Apr 06
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Ahhh much appreciated, looking through them now although its just going to make me angry/upet i can't go 
Wonder if i could go to an american university and get my degree, i left with a HND and only need another year to make it a degree, wonder if i could go out there and do the final year?
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AdZ9
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Registered: 14th Apr 06
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Just looked through your pics daimo, jesus that has inspired me, looks amazing. All those places are where i want to go and do! (bar the Uni studios, disney etc as i done it already).
Looks amazing, really has helped motivate me, good news is my mate from college said he would be up for it to 100%!
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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Canyon is so worth it. I want to go back and do a few days tour walking down to the colorado river. Not enough time though.
HElicopter trip is a must, simply amazing, keep your eye out for "the battleship" shaped rock (got a piccy of it). Go for the 40+ minute trip, spend out on a good ride, its well worth it.
Disney studios etc was good, but theres also Venice Beech, Long Beech (Queen Mary boat, again, worth a trip, but quite expensive). I wanted to drive all the way down to San Diego, but not enough time.
Palm Springs is strange, everything closes at 9pm, so when we went out for food at 9.30pm, we found 1 place open in the whole area  Found a ok bar though for after But its got the highest cable car or something like that, you travel 10,000ft up, then its like a new set of mountins. Nothing like the palm springs dry land below (used to be one big lake millions of years ago). Its lush, green, trees, loads of animals, and loads of trails to walk. Take water and a spare jumper, its much colder up there.
Lake Havasu, don't bother unless you have a seriously sexy boat, or jetski.... Theres not much else there.
Vegas, well it speaks for itself.
Yosemite, again, so many walks to do. We got really badly bitten by mozzis. Donna got 39 bites in under 30 minutes, i got 15.... Not good. We left the main area and went for a drive into the mountins and found an awesome lake + dam. Be aware of the area though, we had a 13 hr drive from Vegas to Yosemite (Via Death Vally, and a famous lake (white rocks, former volcano)) as the roads were blocked under 13m of snow. We had to go the very long way. Again, stunning area, take mozzi spray, and good walking boots.
San Fran, well, what to say, the Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz, the seals, the boat rides, the trams and cable cars, simply a stunning place to live.
I want to do more, next up, the commercial Florida and all the rides 
Hey stuuuuud...
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