US West Coast or Central America in October half term

[Askingadvice123]

Hi, my husband is going to be on the US West Coast for work for the week before October half term. As he’s there already, I thought it would be fun to take the kids over there for a holiday. Originally I was thinking of exploring California but have been put off by reports of how extortionate everything is there at the moment. I then thought about Mexico/ Caribbean but it looks like it’s still hurricane season.

Can anyone share some ideas of where we could go that will have good weather and be interesting/fun for a family holiday? I’ve only been to New York before on that side of the world!

Do California - it’s expensive but honestly so worth it. My all time favourite family holiday that we’ve done, so much to do + see as well as such a variety of landscapes to explore in one state. DD was 14 at the time and still calls it the best trip of her life!

@goldenretrievermum5 would you be able to recommend an itinerary? We can be there for about 10days.

California. Did it as a family trip when we were 10/12 then again age 14/16

Depends if you want to travel a lot or stay put
Laguna Beach area is beautiful, great restaurants and beach plus only 20 mins or so over to Anaheim if you want to do Disney/Universal
San Francisco - Fisherman's Wharf/Alcatraz
Highway 101 between San Francisco and Southern California is a fantastic drive with lots to see on the way
Yosemite, Sequoia, Big Sur for National Parks
LA - downtown isn't great but they might want to do Hollywood/Grauman's theatre
Six Flags theme park if they like rides
San Diego - you can go over the border to Mexico

California.

Im going for the first time with my kids in June. Can’t wait.

Our plan is …

2 nights/3 days in Yosemite National park (sleeping in curry village)
4 day tickets for Disney California
1 day for universal Hollywood (we do have 1 day free for this too so might do 2 days)
A day at Sante Monica pier / Venice beach
some time doing all the classic Hollywood sign, downtown LA, walk of fame etc
LA Zoo
A relaxing day at Newport Beach too.

Yes it’s going to cost but everything is expensive at the moment. You only live once.

September/October is a great time weather wise for Northern California. Much better than the summer months which on the coast can be cold and foggy. There's a famous Mark Twain quote complaining that "the coldest winter of my life was the summer I spent in San Francisco."

@Askingadvice123 Your best bet for 10 days is going from San Francisco to LA down highway 1. Don’t race around putting in too much or miles and miles of driving.

Yes, it’s expensive but presumably you aren’t paying DH’s air fare? Your flights won’t be cheap. You should look at cheaper accommodation options.

Plus, for what it’s worth: we thought Fisherman's wharf very tacky and pointless. There are much more interesting places to see and museums to explore and the cable cars are fantastic.

Monterey has great whale watching opportunities. There are historic missions to visit all the way down the coast. Carmel has a fantastic beach where you can chill out. Go in search of wildlife. Go to Big Sur and Nepenthe cafe for the best views of the coast. You might even get to see lots of Harley Davidsons arrive!

Further south, go to San Simeon and Hearst Castle and enjoy the beach city of Santa Barbara. Don’t discount LA. Santa Monica is great. You should go to the Getty Centre in LA: an amazing building. Malibu and the Getty Villa are interesting too. We avoid theme parks because in 10 days you can enjoy the best of the coast.

Wow, thanks everyone for your responses. This is really helpful. It sounds like I should definitely look into California! Can anyone recommend a travel agent or have you booked independently?

Big sections of Big Sur are currently inaccessible due to landslides. If there are not any more storms this year it should be accessible completely by October, but I recommend keeping an eye on it in case anything changes.

October is a good time to go as it isn't as hot and you aren't battling as many tourists. Just be aware of the risk of fires and have some flexibility, just in case, and you'll be fine.

Oh dear! Yes it’s partially closed yet again. Never ending saga and lots of issues for local businesses. There’s always around San Diego which we didn’t enjoy as much. Or go to redwoods and others NP areas if you can get a booking.

I booked everything separately myself. Works out cheaper then doing a package with someone like Tui

I would not do a package either. However you run the risk of flight issues and no comeback for unused hotels. We don’t find it cheaper but more flexible to book our own accommodation. However a packaged holiday gives you greater protection.

You can book hotels where you pay on arrival and can cancel last minute. They cost slightly more but if you are worried you won’t use the hotel for some reason it’s a good option.