Travel Advice for Visiting US

[ScottishA4B9]

Hello All.


I'm looking at visiting the US in the next month or so, San Antonio/Austin in particular and possibly San Francisco.


Any tips or good advice would be very much appreciated.


Also any pointers for cheap flights or hire car advice would be welcome.


Thanks in advance.

 

[Lord]

Don’t upgrade the car. I’ve never done it and every time they’ve tried the hard sell on upgrades. I always say no and have had a free upgrade every time after saying no. The reality is that they don’t have the cheap little cars that you’ve bought so they have no choice but to upgrade

 

[L80EWY]

Check British Airways, usually cheaper the earlier you book though. Remember to drive on the right side of the road, and no one can drive or indicate over there just a word of warning

Don’t forget to tip when you go out for food or drinks.

 

[stamford]

Sometimes you can get a better deal on flights with BA if you include a nights hotel. Play hardball with hire car desk when picking up a car, book one in advance is best. Get an upgrade for nothing or pay something more for something special. I had a Mustang convertible booked on my Avios points back in February. They claimed to not have any and tried flogging a brand new Corvette for $200 a day, told them to stuff it. Said I wanted what I booked or better, after some haggling I agreed on $200 for the duration of my stay. Was a great way to enjoy the week during the Daytona 500! Depends on the freeways sometimes it pays to pay for the toll pass up front rather than pay as you go. When filling up with fuel you pay up front, give them cash and get change if you over paid or if underpaid the pump will shut off at that amount. Always tip, it is the way, they rely on tips as the service industry is poorly paid. 99% of the time you can turn right on a red, keeps traffic flowing. U turns are common on most main roads at lights etc. I have driven thousands of miles over there, had loads of different cars. Prefer it to the UK any day!

 

[BarryG79]

I've also used BA for flights and car hire on a number of occasions and the price is always good. They use Avis and includes all insurances you need so no need to take any extra ($$$) offered at hire desk. To avoid the hard sell at desk sign up for Avis Preferred and you can go straight to the garage, other hire companies do similar schemes and imho it's worth it. Opt to return the car with a full tank works out a lot cheaper.

Make sure you have change for any toll roads when leaving airport in case they are unmanned, been caught out with that before.

Right turn on Red unless a sign tells you otherwise.

Remember and apply for your ESTA or they won't let you in the country!!

Hope your not driving from Austin to SF it's miles!!!

You shouldn't need a car while staying in SF, city is small enough and public transport a plenty to see lots with out one. If you feel you want one then factor in city centre parking and check if hotel has a garage.

If flying internal then check luggage allowance as it will probably be less than on the flight from the UK.

Must visit Alcatraz when in SF, just don't do it with a connected city tour. We ended up not having enough time on the island.

Might be worth looking at connecting in somewhere like Chicago or Atlanta, it's a pain but might save a bit off the flight cost.

Happy trip planning.


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[Dan_G]

Did a similar trip a few years ago:

San Antonio - The Alamo, which is pretty central and then the river walk. There is a 'hidden river' below street level (you'll see what i mean) flanked by bars and restaurants. Its worth a walk around thereas the rest of the place is a bit, meh.

Austin - there are two main areas of Austin IIRC. The Domain area is hotels and shopping and nice bars and then there is 6th Street. Austin is a huge college town and seemingly makes money from students drinking. 6th Street is dangerous! Young women and plenty of drinking - i have little memory of the evening to be honest, but have some spectacular photos of me riding a bicycle rickshaw thing with two girls in the back of it with cops watching and laughing - its a hoot!

San Fran - you can do it in a day and its a nice place to be. If you have the time, hire a car and drive to South Tahoe through he forests. One of the best drives of my life. Scenery is stunning. Wine and food, amazing! Stay at the Inn @Union Square. its old fashioned and quaint but is central and has FREE WINE TASTING!

Flights, fly from Austin to San Fran - you may have to go via LA, most flights do - and do it first class on a US carrier. The tier points you get are the same for a business transatlantic return flight on BA and it'll cost you $250.... good if, like me, you want to stay in Silver for lounge access each year.

 

[ScottishA4B9]

I’m planning on staying at a mates near San Antonio so no need for hotels.

I had flights to San Antonio only at £517 return then next day they are £1200!! I literally can’t get flights for under £1000! It’s ridiculous.

I’m meant to be flying the start of next month so really need to get flights booked.

Any recommendations on where to look for cheap flights?
Expedia and skyscanner are coming out most expensive!!

 

[Tj 0785]

Make sure you have change for any toll roads when leaving airport in case they are unmanned, been caught out with that before.

Right turn on Red unless a sign tells you otherwise.


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Definitely agree with this we hit a unmanned toll on our 1st night looking for the
Villa just had to drive thru it in the end was worried about getting pulled over or a bill when returning the hire car, neither happened.
And remember they drive on the wrong side of the road the amount of people I seen in Florida forgetting that when on side streets or coming out of car parks was unreal

 

[BarryG79]

Definitely agree with this we hit a unmanned toll on our 1st night looking for the
Villa just had to drive thru it in the end was worried about getting pulled over or a bill when returning the hire car, neither happened.
And remember they drive on the wrong side of the road the amount of people I seen in Florida forgetting that when on side streets or coming out of car parks was unreal

Haha bet this was the same toll as me in Florida (Celebration off ramp??).
Leaving MCO going to the Villa too, had been up 24hrs and kids car seat was missing from the flight. Unmanned toll and no change just topped of the journey.


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[Tj 0785]

Couldn't tell you we got a bit lost villa in Kissimmee was about 30min drive from stanford airport took us 3 hours to get there haha had hire car for 2 hours and the step son throws up in the back and stepdaughter spills a full milkshake all over back seats. Can't wait to go back going Orlando airport this time

 

[Audi Bairn]

My very first US holiday was California, Nevada & Arizona.
Can't add too much to what the guys have said as the only place which matches your list of destinations is SF.
I'd back up the comments re not needing a car, although I did have to take the convertible we hired out of the parking garage to cross the Golden Gate and back, then drive down Lombard Steet too. Then rein acted Bullitt lol.
Get a hotel near the waterfront which is the touristy bit. From there you're near Fishermans Wharf and boat to Alcatraz. You can alway go into downtown and visit places like China Town, Transamerican Pyramid etc.

 

[sve170]

Hello All.


I'm looking at visiting the US in the next month or so, San Antonio/Austin in particular and possibly San Francisco.


Any tips or good advice would be very much appreciated.


Also any pointers for cheap flights or hire car advice would be welcome.


Thanks in advance.

You will love America, they certainly know how to do things right. The driving is easy, take your time at first, don’t worry about driving slowly at first, the Americans will just go round you, not like UK where everyone will be shouting, screaming and tooting to get a move on.
The roads are huge with plenty of space to just pull over if you need to.

The fuel is almost cheaper than water, just back from Gulf Coast and fuel at $2.65 per gallon, yes not a typo a gallon.

Everyone is so friendly as well, all willing to help if needed, don’t hesitate in asking for directions or advice they are always happy to assist, especially if from UK.
One last point, certain states don’t allow alcohol inside the car, must be in the boot (trunk in USA)

Enjoy your time over there, good luck.


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[stamford]

Forgot to add, if driving on the freeways etc undertake as much as you like, off ramps can be on the left and right. One rule change, plus turn on a red if clear, we should adopt here imo.

 

[malph]

The best Clam Chowder you’ll ever eat on Pier 39 in San Fran. Alcatraz is a great trip, don’t forget the Golden Gate Bridge, and if you’ve got the time, get yourselves to Yosemite National Park, it’s awesome!
Car hire? Yeh, don’t let them fleece you, and as others have said, book in advance! Driving over there is a breeze, we go every year. Just got back from Colorado (what a fabulous State) and New Mexico, covered 2,200 miles in 12 days. Had a great time....hope you do too!

 

[ScottishA4B9]

Thanks for the advice. Managed to get cheap flights to Houston from Manchester, direct with Singapore Airlines. I’m not going to bother going to SF. Internal flights in US are really expensive.
Just got to book my hire car now. I’ve now got Membership with all the major hire car companies. I do fancy hiring a V8 Muscle Car.

 

[Tj 0785]

You might aswell petrol is dirt cheap over there

 

[BarryG79]

Thanks for the advice. Managed to get cheap flights to Houston from Manchester, direct with Singapore Airlines. I’m not going to bother going to SF. Internal flights in US are really expensive.
Just got to book my hire car now. I’ve now got Membership with all the major hire car companies. I do fancy hiring a V8 Muscle Car.

I wanted a V8 muscle car last time too, unfortunately kids and buggies dictated that it was an SUV that I needed. Still managed the V8 part though

Not exactly the prettiest thing on the road!

Was fully loaded with a 5.6 litre V8 and was massive. That was until I parked next to this monster truck!!

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[stamford]

If the hire desks are pushing on you to take a particular car it is because they need miles on them as they are new and not many hire them. Haggle hard and you will get a good deal.

Got this Corvette Stingray for under $200 more for the duration of my Daytona 500 vacation back in February, was brand new with delivery mileage. Great fun, 6.2 V8 480bhp.

Year before had this in Florida. Was what we booked so happy with that.

This was a free upgrade back in 2014, Ford Expedition 5.7 V8, felt like Jack Bauer! Hire desk had no cars left for what we had booked, so they said take anything. So we did! Didn't realise how big it was until the next morning. It was 1am when we left the airport and after 2am when we got to the hotel so was very tired! Too big for us but great fun as no-one bothered us as they thought it was government! However 14mpg, good job fuel is cheap.

 

[ScottishA4B9]

@stamford Yeah a Mustang Convertible would be good but that Corvette Stingray is amazing! Bet you had great fun in that!

 

[Audi Bairn]

If the hire desks are pushing on you to take a particular car it is because they need miles on them as they are new and not many hire them. Haggle hard and you will get a good deal.

Got this Corvette Stingray for under $200 more for the duration of my Daytona 500 vacation back in February, was brand new with delivery mileage. Great fun, 6.2 V8 480bhp.
View attachment 139471

Year before had this in Florida. Was what we booked so happy with that.
View attachment 139472

This was a free upgrade back in 2014, Ford Expedition 5.7 V8, felt like Jack Bauer! Hire desk had no cars left for what we had booked, so they said take anything. So we did! Didn't realise how big it was until the next morning. It was 1am when we left the airport and after 2am when we got to the hotel so was very tired! Too big for us but great fun as no-one bothered us as they thought it was government! However 14mpg, good job fuel is cheap.
View attachment 139473

We had an Expedition also with the 5.7 V8 on one of our Canadian holidays. Nearly got it wedged in the multi storey at Chateau Laurier in Ottawa!

 

[BarryG79]

We had an Expedition also with the 5.7 V8 on one of our Canadian holidays. Nearly got it wedged in the multi storey at Chateau Laurier in Ottawa!

Nothing worse than a squashed bairn!


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[Audi Bairn]

Nothing worse than a squashed bairn!


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We always rented a Large SUV and this was the year they tried to palm us off with a Buick Rendezvous, f*****g ugliest car I've ever (almost) had to drive. When I saw it I stormed back to the office and, when confronted by a mad Scotsman, they immediately gave me the key to the Expedition......... so big it has its own weather system! The Rendezvous would've fitted in the back of it

 

[stamford]

@stamford Yeah a Mustang Convertible would be good but that Corvette Stingray is amazing! Bet you had great fun in that!

Believe it or not Mustangs are common over there now and not seen as quality hire cars, but to us tourists ideal! The Corvette was awesome to coin a phrase, full of toys, various settings from cruise to track with different diff settings and exhaust noises. It would also drop to 4 cylinders when cruising to improve mpg. I costed this one up and was just under $90k with the options, mad! Licence loser for sure, would love one!

 

[ScottishA4B9]

I didn’t realise how expensive it is to hire cars over in the US! The prices I’m getting so far ain’t cheap!!
The advice I’m getting so far is book the hire cars over here before you travel.

 

[BarryG79]

Have a look at rentalcars.com or other comparison sites, also have a look for voucher codes.
Every little helps


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[Audi Bairn]

It's a couple of years since we hired a car on holiday but used to use this crowd
https://www.holidayautos.co.uk

 

[Tj 0785]

It is cheaper to hire before you leave for some strange reason I used Alamo when I went,

 

[stamford]

I've been lucky and used my avios points up on the last couple, mostly for upgrades. It does pay to get a package in advance. I have hired whilst in the states but find it cheaper if done in the UK beforehand.

 

[sve170]

Forgot to add, if driving on the freeways etc undertake as much as you like, off ramps can be on the left and right. One rule change, plus turn on a red if clear, we should adopt here imo.

I like your suggestion and where I live I thought it was already in place, the amount of vehicles I see everyday going through red lights is scary.

Yes the Americans have got it just right, but in the UK no one follows the rules so bad idea.


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[A4A4]

Make sure you get 'Sat Nav' in your hire car.

 

[Audi Bairn]

Make sure you get 'Sat Nav' in your hire car.

You've reminded me of my first trip to the US in 1991. Me and my mate were not long out of college and in work and decided to hit the West Coast.
This was pre-Sat Nav days. Collected the convertible from Los Angeles airport on day 1 and decided to "go for a run" in the car before returning to the hotel. Well, 400 miles later and having travelled through some "interesting" areas and not ever left the city limits, we eventually made it back. We bought a map after that! Clueless we were

 

[Dan_G]

One tip - get your phone 'unlocked' over here before you go and get a US PAYG sim card when you get there.

and just use their LTE network for sat nav and other data - way quicker than 4g.

 

[LawrenceH]

Turn on “avoid motorways” in google maps for some interesting roads. This was between Sedona and Williams, took almost 2 hours to do 12 miles

Parking is expensive in San Francisco so try to get a hotel with it included.

Oh and take a good camera!

 

[A4A4]

Get a 'Three' PAYG sim if you don't mind changing your number for 2 weeks.

You can now use data out of your £20 top-up allowance, saving a fortune on roaming costs in the US.

 

[LawrenceH]

Regarding car rental, our car was broken into some time in the last 36 hours in the hotel car park. Avis managed to get me another car at San Francisco airport and swapped them over no problems customer service was excellent, highly recommend them.


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[Alex Richardson]

There are few websites to compare flight tickets. You may check those Websites.