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!

Oh wow!

Would love to do this when ds2 is older! (he is nearly 3)

Would love to take a slow train through europe...france, switzerland, austria Italy...sigh...

wonder how much that would cost??????????.......

Becaroooo - Here you go :) It's on our list too!

Thanks everyone! :)

Although I think I may have to push it back another year while I take onboard and research all your advice!

Forgot to say in my last post that the grand canyon is a must, thinking about just doing it as a one day trip though while in las Vegas as we have so much to squeeze in, anyone have any advice on this? Also needing recommendations for las Vegas hotels with 3dc 11,9 and 2. Want something WOW for the children but not OMFG for the budget. Poor dh dreams of staying at the oceans 11 hotel but dont think it's the best for dc.

bumble ooohhhhhh......

Wow MRsgg, fantastic trip. I thought for a horrible moment your trip of a lifetime was going to be Disneyland

Er no hellish day

We actually did that a few months ago and while some parts were fantastic (discovery cove,Kennedy space centre, wizarding world of Harry potter) I don't think we will ever do it again!

There are so many amazing National Parks near-ish to Las Vegas - by near-ish I mean within a days drive, although not a days round trip in most cases.....Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon (my favourite), Arches, Zion, Kings Canyon and many more.

Enjoy the planning! I'm guessing the problem is going to be fitting in everything you want to do!

You'd be hard pushed to do the Grand Canyon from Vegas in one day unless you took the option of the helicopter ride. . It's amazing and worth spending a day or two there.

I can't help with hotels, as we stayed in our RV in an RV park slightly south of the Strip. The hotels on the strip are MASSIVE, my dc were particularly curious about one that had a swimming pool where you could only swim naked.

YANBU. How exciting. I have lived in the US for many years and some of my favourite holidays have been road trips. I agree that the Grand Canyon from Vegas in a day is very tough to do unless you do the helicopter ride or plane (well worth it). If you go though Arizona Sedona is worth stopping in rather than Phoenix. There is a natural slide (Slide Rock Park) which is so much fun. I was uncomfortable doing Vegas with children but that might just have been me, but make sure you research well - I think there are some websites about visiting Vegas with children. Don't miss the Hoover Dam. It is spectacular and you can do it as a day trip from Vegas. I have visited most states and my best memories are of Yellowstone Park or Napa Valley (bit boring for the children though!). My favourite city was Charleston, North Carolina. Anyway, it isn't all about me. I hope you have a great time planning!

mrsgilbertgrape I have been to vegas lots of times and our favorite hotel and dd1's is caesars palace,plenty of wow factor,they also put us in touch with a nannying agency which we used whilst staying there www.nahusa.com/
The bellagio(oceans 11) is beautiful but not at all child friendly,in fact i hear they have now banned pushchairs!!

That's great, thanks everyone! Obv we can only do this once so we want to get it right, the more info I get from you lot the more fun I can have reading up on it all!

It was the helicopter or plane ride we were thinking of from Vegas, can guarantee I will be motion sick but will put up with it for the sake of not driving for hours.

We are not to fussy about spending long in Vegas, hopefully 3 nights at the most. We just want to visit the hotels on the strip do the trip to the grand canyon and hopefully see penn and teller (sp? It's dh's dream to see them)

Sorry to be really thick but what is dv? I know it will be obvious once someone tells me

Stay at the Luxor hotel in Vegas, it is the one shaped like a pyramid, and like all the hotels in vegas, it really will not break the bank. A room has 2 huge bigger than king size beds in it, so you would all easily fit into the room..

Plan to stay in Vegas during the week rather than at weekends, it makes a huge difference to the room prices.

A midweek night at the luxor in August is about £80 for the room..

Alternatively there is the New Orleans, which is just off the strip (but a free shuttle bus that takes you to the strip which is only 5 minutes away), and that is approx £35 and the buffet there is about £5.. absolute bargain, and it is still a luxury hotel with a great pool area.

DV is Death Valley, it is absolutely amazing to drive through.

Yep, knew it would be obvious

Sounds amazing! We are going to start doing the same post-Xmas, but we are giving ourselves 5 years to save for a blow-out holiday to DisneyWorld. The children will be 5, 8 and 16 by then so should be great.

I'm so jealous as would love to do a road trip in the US! DS is 5, so think it'll be something to do in a few years' time. Will finish paying off my debts next year so might start saving then. Just how much are you aiming to save? I've never been to the US so have no idea what it all costs out there.

Car hire is very cheap and fuel is extremely cheap in comparison to the UK.

We hired from Alamo, and an SUV cost us about £300 for two weeks.. filling up the tank was less than £20 a time.