Planning a trip to America in the summer, and was after some suggestions from one of the many Americans on here or perhaps anyone else who has experienced the American dream…..



So far the basic plan is this:

Fly to New York, spend a long weekend there for some crazy shopping, then hire a car and pop down to Miami for a night or two (I think the drive is about 4.5 hours??)

Then fly to LA, do some more shopping, maybe have lunch with Dave & Vicky, pop into CTU to see Tony and then hire another car and drive to Vegas for all the casino action.

I wanted to do the complete holiday in a road trip style, as in drive coast to coast but my mates are not really up for that.

So any suggestions on the basic plan would be good, as I would like to squeeze in a few more places. Any ideas of somewhere worth seeing by making a slight detour??

Also i would like some specific information about what exactly happens when you arrive at the airport and they want your fingerprints/dna/fav colour etc....


(yes i have read the huge 2000 page thread about the way the american airports treat tourists, but most of is is just moaning, im after details please)



Thanks
SC

You will find that your estimate of 4-5 hours to drive to Miami is, erm, "optimistic". 12-15 hours is more reasonable (that's driving time).

Crazy, thought it was much closer.


Whats the drive like?? scenic views etc..??


Is it better to just jump on a plane??

20 hours...... it's over 2000kms

Reminds me of European visitors to Perth. "We want to drive to Broome for the weekend". 2300km each way, without leaving the state.

But yeah, road trips in the states are cool. I'd drive LA to Vegas if I were you, nice desert and open road.

It takes a little bit longer than that to drive down to Miami. It's probably closer to a 24 hour drive.

dull

&


yes


I found Miami to be a complete let down to be honest.

I've driven Chicago to Savannah in about 12 hours. That's possibly less to drive than you're intending....we did 600 miles on the first day alone.

Do bear in mind that each state has a different speed limit and that the median is not for safety but for the cops to sit in waiting for speeders...

Picturesque? You won't care after the first 500 miles

New York to Miami is 1300 miles apart so probably more like a 18 -20 hour drive. All of the those cities are great to see. Miami is very hot in the summer, but can still be fun.

Fly to New York, fly to Vegas hire a Mobeel Home (recrehational veheekul) and drive to California.

American immigration has treated me very well for the 40 odd times that I have passed through them in the last 4 years.

As long as your country is a member of the visa waiver programme, you just fill in the green immigration form and the white customs form, tell the officer your holiday or business plans, put your left and right index fingers on the scanner and smile for the photo.

The queues are not as long as they used to be either. I normally get through immigration before my bag is on the belt.

If you're in Miami, then you could do a trip to the Everglades. A bit touristy but quite interesting. While in Vegas, go to the Grand Canyon, also touristy, but great to say you've been there!

Nah, fly from Vegas to LA. Unless you really desire visiting Barstow. But, drive up the coast from LA to San Francisco on Highway 1. There you can get the views you're looking for. Hang out for a night in Santa Barbara, Moro Bay, Big Sur or Monterrey, they're all really cool places. Take a side trip to Carmel. Visit the Hearst Castle if you want.

The Grand Canyon is defo on the cards (no vegas pun intended), what is there to do/see at the Everglades?? other than getting eaten by matie

Make sure your passport is chipped and machine readable or apply for a visa long before you go.........................

not all passports must be biometric to get into the US under the waiver scheme (yet) but they certainly do need to be machine readable.....

Savannah, Georgia! Have always wanted to go there after reading (and watching) 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil', but that's not exactly to your pals' tastes, is it, Swiss Cheddar?

Have done the Yellowstone National Park and Grand Canyon bit though -- worth your while.

California redwood trees! (Haven't seen those but always wanted to.)

Have done the drive from LA to Las Vegas. Very straight road across the desert. Awesome, as they say. "Look, ma, no hands."

Cheddar so JLo wants you to show her USA? Boy she is demanding

I took a boatride through the everglades and fed alligators

Unfortunatley i just sold my ''Passport-Machine-Reader-PMR2000'' on ebay, how on earth do i tell if my Passport is machine readable????