To be completely over the top excited that we have now started saving for our "trip of a lifetime"?

[Mrsgilbertgrape]

planning on doing a road trip for 4 weeks in America starting may 2013, so we have around 21 months to save. It's only looking possible as poor dh has a long hard slog away from home next year which we will get a good whack of money from.

Have bought one of those tin banks today that you need to open with a tin opener and got the dc to decorate it with pictures of the American flag etc

The serious saving will start in jan once our debts are paid and Xmas is over with but OMG we have actually started!

YANBU amazing!! Delighted for you . Fab thing to do. Lovely to read some good news.

YANBU I'd love to do that!

But my DCs are school age so it's out of the question, unless we went in August and then the price of everything would rocket

OMG sounds amazing! what a trip. Make sure you budget for a great camera as well to record it all :) Very exciting and nice to have something positive to be doing whilst your DH is working away

My dc are also at school but due to dh's work (as well as many other dads in the school) we get a fair bit of leeway as long as we don't take the mick.

I actually can't wait, that first £7.47 will buy us a couple of hotdogs one day

Ooh how exciting - that's our dream holiday too!

Good for you, we did the same thing to get our delayed honeymoon in Aus for a month. Was an amazing time and was lovely having the time to plan and get excited about it. You have plenty of time to book discount flights etc to have more spending money and work out a few 'must do' activites. Will be amazing how fast the time goes whn you have a whole month of fun to plan. Don't forget you will need a few days at home before term starts to recover from your holiday.

How exciting, Mrsgilbertgrape.

We have one of those tins as well and our strategy is that only £2 coins go into it BUT ALL £2 coins must go in.

candr unfortunately due to dh's work it will be about 4 months before we go that we will get his leave confirmed so we can't book until then. Hate having to watch the prices rise all the time esp since I am quite good at quessing what the dates will be but need it confirmed first.

Am beyond excited though!

We're doing the same!!!!!!! US road trip but for 6 weeks hopefully.God knows when we'll have saved enough though. Was aiming for summer 2013!!!!! We'll have to coax each other along on our saving quest.

Sadly not starting saving until next June as want to pay a loan off early first and have a few expenses coming up, although I'm desperate to start saving NOW!!!!!!

Love the tin idea,dtwin (7) is obsessed with New York so we'll be kicking off with a week there.He wants us to drive coast to coast,has plotted it on his map. Was my dream as a child too!!!!

Not sure if we'll actually drive across or train it as after today's shoe shopping experience it's highly possible I may bundle my 3 out somewhere in Iowa.

I bought the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet to start costing things and for an idea of exactly what we'll do,nearly wet myself with excitement reading about New York. The dc are going to be sooooooo excited at the first glimpse of The Statue of Liberty.

Sounds fabulous - I'd love to do that. Tell us your route then....

Yay! :) do you have any idea where you're going yet? West or east coast? DH and I did a 10 week road trip round the US in a mustang convertible while we were in uni - oh the joys of long student summer holidays! :) it was amazing. We were obviously on a very tight budget (blew most of it on the car!) but we managed to get round 36 states and kept the cost down by camping most of the time and staying with some friends/family. Oh I'm so jealous - I would love to do it again with the boys. Fwiw we only booked our flights in April and left at the end of June and they weren't ridiculous.

Well we are doing ny next April for our 10 yr anniversary, had not thought about building that into our trip but then again it's only dh and I doing new York so will work out cheaper I hope than having to drag the dc around.

We are still throwing around 10 thousand ideas about routes! Liking the historic route 66 idea but a lot of what we want to do it west coast l.a/San fran/las Vegas/yosemite/death valley etc so don't really want to waste time on a journey we are not really wanting to do. Thinking maybe flying to Chicago then flying over to the west coast and driving from there.

BUT I also fancy Hawaii so not sure what to do (yet)

good for you!
I love America! It's my favorite holiday destination,i have recently been on my 10th holiday to the states as we love it so much.
As kbear said what is your route?

If you are on the West Coast I would think about going down as far as Arizona and visiting the Grand Canyon - It is an awesome sight in the real sense of the word.

I am jealous!!!

We did a 10 day road trip two years ago, around California, and it was amazing... I am desperate to go back and do it all again.

You must be SO excited... would love to do that.....do you have any must-see places?

You HAVE to read Across America with the boys by Matthew Collins

Chicago and west coast sounds like a good plan. New England is beautiful but there is a lot to see on the West coast. Maybe head back to New England for the Autumn/Fall - or incorporate it into your 10 yr anniversary in NY trip? On the West coast I would recommend Glacier National Park in Montana, Vancouver Island, the redwoods in Northern California, Arches National Park, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon.....but there's so much more in between! :) Maybe you could get a flight to Hawaii for a long weekend or something in the middle of the trip?

I'm using 'coast' loosely there - obviously a lot of those places are well inland! :)

Thats great! but don't have the money in the house, put it in a bank account. Your DC's are bound to share your news, even if you don't, word spreads.

I am saving to see the Great wall of China and Hong Kong, in about four years time, it makes dragging myself to work over winter so much easier.

YANBU.

I went to Death Valley 10yrs ago. I bloody loved it as it was so hot, 124 degrees in the shade in July . Me and my sister drove from Vegas to DV, a sort of squabbling, English version of Thelma & Louise.

Vegas was just mental but the Grand Canyon is amazing.

oh... and DV is beautiful. Blue sky as far as the eye can see, sun, red rocks, more blue sky, more sun, hot ...... etc. We stayed at Furnace Creek ranch which is still there I believe.

MrsGilbert we are just back from 3 weeks in an RV LA/San Diego/Route 66/Vegas/Grand Canyon/Salt Lake City/Yellowstone/and a fabulous end in Wyoming at a rodeo, flying out from Denver. It was awesome. . Enjoy your planning.

So jealous - this is something I dream of doing! Good luck with the saving - it'll be so worth it!