Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8149
Holiday help - New York and Canada fly/drive
Got a rough idea for holiday later this year; Fly into NY and then drive in a 'circle' with rough itinerary of, New York - Buffalo - Hamilton - Toronto - Ottawa - Montreal - Boston - NY or Home.
As we've found numerous times initial enquiries at travel agent have had the response of "tell us, exactly, what days you're flying, exactly what airports, exactly what hotels you will stay at, exactly how many days each, exactly what car you will have, etc. and then we can book that for you"
I can do it myself but know very little of this area/route, etc. to get an idea if plans/choices are realistic/good/worthwhile, etc.
Is there anybody who's done similar and/or any specialist companies out there that can tailor this type of trip.
I've always thought we're great customers to have as we are flexible/open-minded to their 'expert' advice with good budget and able to flex our dates to suit +/- a week at least from what we start at but it appears not
27th Jul 2016 10:31 am
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26779
This sounds very much like the holidays we have just done this year and last. We decided that using travel agents was just another layer to deal with, and also more expensive.
Whilst I have not yet done this in USA and Canada, It is on my radar for next year, we have friends who live in Ottawa, and I want to see the Hamilton air museum, amongst shopping in Toronto etc.
Whatever route you decide, I find booking flights very easy using Internet search options, such as skyscanner. We then decide where we want to stay, and I personally use Booking.com to find all our hotels. I always read the reviews and have not gone wrong yet. We even got a very decent upgrade on the last stay of our recent trip to Spain, I would like to think it was a booking.com reward, because the lady on the checkin responded to us "you have already been upgraded" when we asked for a museum view in Bilbao!
Most airlines have a car hire partner and probably a good discount too.
When we went to Australia in 2014, we found the flights and booked the dates we wanted to fly in and out. Then we decided where in Aus we wanted to visit. I then found and booked local flights, which also had car hire partners in each location. Then I looked for accommodation, and in Aus we found a combination of Booking.com and Airbnb worked best.
If your prepared to do the research, and spend a few hours on the net doing the bookings, you can save a lot of money over a travel agent doing it for you.
Of course it can seem expensive when you are sat in front of the telly, credit card in hand making all these flight and hotel reservations, but when you sit down afterwards and compare it with a travel agent, you will probably save. There is also an element of risk that you make a mistake, but careful notes and a "time-line" of the whole trip on a large piece of paper, with all bookings, emails, phone numbers, booking references laid out will make it a simple job.
If you feel uncomfortable doing all that, then maybe a travel agent is best. They are also useful if you want to use their suggestions for local areas, they will have knowledge. My view is that all local knowledge is now so accessible via online resources that you can easily research the perfect trip.
27th Jul 2016 11:09 am
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26779
Another recommendation is a company called Complete North America. We used them in 2005 to design a USA West coast trip. They did sort everything out, if I did it now I would do it myself. We had young kids then and wanted it easy!
27th Jul 2016 11:13 am
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8149
Thanks Gareth I did the "DIY" plan for our 'round Europe' trip last year but felt more comfortable with that as knew many of the places/countries and what a 'description' really meant and/or hotel 'areas' etc. but for our coastal California trip a couple of years back we used a travel agent and have to say they got it at better rate than our (up to then) potential self-booked trip itinerary and we were pleased with every motel/hotel from the cheapest one (quick overnight stop) to the most expensive one (few days in one place).
Will do an online search of a few hotels and see what they show up as to see if confident enough to do the whole lot.....
In my experience the major rental companies (Hertz, Avis, Alamo, Enterprise, etc) should let you drive into Canada without problems, but be sure to mention this when getting prices.
Beware quite a few of the smaller car hire companies may have geographical restrictions. I hired a car in Florida some years ago, and the car hire company said I could only drive in Florida!
Not helpful as I was visiting family in Georgia & South Carolina, as well as working in Florida.
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
I've done a few of these in the US and New Zealand and used Trailfinders. They were competent, friendly, and competitive. Very flexible, spent some time finding out what we liked and what places we especially wanted to see. Recommendations and arrangements were very good.
Happy to recommend.____
Gone: 10MY L320 RR Sport HSE, Ipanema Sand
Gone: 20MY Jaguar iPace HSE, Silicon Silver
Gone: 17MY RR Evoque SE Tech, Loire Blue
Gone: 08MY Discovery 3 XS, Stornoway Grey
Gone: 07MY FFRR TDV8 Vogue, Stornoway Grey
27th Jul 2016 11:54 am
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8149
Hadn't thought of cross-border use of rental car...... will check.
Will look up Trailfinders as well - seen their adverts about
27th Jul 2016 2:14 pm
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8149
All booked though company called 'US Airtours' (coincidentally same company who did our Cali' trip two years back).
Local indy travel agent in town - spent an hour with a few brochures of fixed trips (most did 'straight line' trips, not circular route we were looking for) but stitching a few together gave us an idea. Gave a destination and number of days for each stop and agent priced it up with 'recommended' hotels.
We checked every hotel on booking.com and flights, car rental etc. and came out some £700 more than they had quoted (same as last time with them).
Tweaked a few hotels (late night arrival into a motel rather than hotel as off again early next day so saved a few bucks that way) and dates. Also handed the rental car in for three days while in Boston as cheaper to pay 'one-way' hire than parking for three nights there. Re-booked a car to drive down to NY and hand in again for the three days there before flying home.
Hotel, flights and car-hire prices changed daily. Hotel in NY went up so flipped it to another similar rated one in same location of Times Square and then the rates reversed so flipped back. Flights went from £486 to £530 and back to £490 in less than 24 hours.....
Got PO cash-cards for Canadian and US dollars for convenience so just the visa's and driving licence codes to do now and good to go
I used to work in Boston and did Boston to NY in a day, also did Boston to Montreal but did that in 2 days stopping over in Vermont on the way up; but drove back in a day. Did that in the Winter and I can see why most of Montreal is underground as that was the coldest I've ever been. Any exposed skin hurt!
Really like Boston as a city. Never made the trip but many colleagues spoke highly of Acadia National Park as a place to visit if you like the outdoors.
9th Aug 2016 12:10 pm
scraig
Member Since: 06 Feb 2011
Location: Langley, BC
Posts: 100
Most all major car rental companies allow cross border use (but check for sure) - it becomes an cost issue if you want to pick up in the US and drop off in Canada (and vise versa). You will want to also look into what type of insurance the base rental comes with along with spousal additional driver coverage - this all seems to vary tremendously from point of pick up state to state.Stewart
9th Aug 2016 6:53 pm
SN
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
If you doing this part of the USA here's a list of places which I haven't seen mentioned so far that I've been to and recommend:-
1. Cape Cod and Hyannis - feels like you're in the movie Jaws - too hard to get to Marthas Vinyard where it was actually filmed
2. Concord just outside Boston - real American Revolution history
3. Plimouth - only worth it if travelling between Boston/Cape Cod - there's a replica Mayflower and allegedly "the" Plymouth Rock
3. North of Boston towards Cape Ann - Salam, Gloucester & Rockport
4. Franconia Notch in New Hampshire - the Flume and Cannon Mountain
5. Also Atlantic City - Las Vegas crossed with Blackpool
And finally make sure you have a go at driving in Manhattan
or The Bronx Steve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
9th Aug 2016 8:16 pm
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8149
DRMC - Boston is a specific three day stop for us as heard such good things about the place and looks loads to do there
scraig - car sorted and confirmed cross-border no problem and our pick up is NY, in and out of Canada, drop at Boston and then a Boston to NY hire.
SN - quite a few of those are on our 'to see' list (and/or mentioned by others who've been to area) but not all of them so will check on maps and against our itinerary, I can't imagine driving in Manhattan/Bronx areas as a tourist will be that appealing
Like my last trip to USA I've bought a second hand TomTom loaded with US and Canada maps - will sell it when I get home (made a modest profit on it last time)
10th Aug 2016 5:50 am
Mr.Tom
Member Since: 01 Jun 2014
Location: St Neots
Posts: 1641
If you are north of Boston, try Bar Harbour and go whale watching. If you are a little further south go to the home of LL Bean and fill your suit case with outdoor kit... it's their home store and like a couple of B&Q warehouses full of stuff.
In Boston have a look at the "duck" rides and take in a Red Sox game if they are playing.Sill protection - LED internal lights - LED reverse lights - boot liner - Dog Guard - Rock sliders
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
| 08MY Discovery 3 (history) 
