LA to Vancouver and back again

Two Kiwis coming to america in june. Got five weeks to travel around and see as much as possible. Really appreciate any advice on must see and must do's up and around the west coast. Were planning to hire a car in LA and travel up as far as vancouver then come back down inland taking in as much as possible before last stop vegas. Any ideas and advice? Want to make this the trip of a lifetime! Also keen to hang out with some locals and meet as many interesting people as possible. If anyones keen to show us around be more than happy to return the favor if you ever make it to Wellington NZ. Cheers all look forward to your replys. Reply to this

Great suggestions from Vevelshemor. I have a few more to add, depending on your interests and time. (All for California though, sorry I don't know much about Oregon or Washington)

1. A baseball game - even if you think the sport is boring or don't know much about it you HAVE to go to a game. The season will be in full swing in June, and it is after all the great American pastime! Tickets are pretty cheap, while in LA you can check and see if the Dodgers or Angels are playing at home, or in Norcal there are the San Francisco Giants or the Oakland A's (I'm a huge A's fan by the way, but I'm trying to be impartial and give you all the options 😊 In my opinion the San Francisco Giants have the coolest park. And don't forget that a lot of going to the baseball game is enjoying the ballpark food!

2. If you are art fans: in LA: The Getty is a must. I also LOVE the Hammer museum near UCLA, and it's smaller so you can see it in just a couple hours. in SF: the MOMA is a must. The Legion of Honor and Asian Art Museum are also cool.

3. I second the idea of going to San Diego, and Mexico if you can. While in San Diego don't miss Balboa Park, downtown's Gaslamp district, La Jolla Shores is my beach of choice, and Pacific Beach and Ocean beach both have crazy people and fun shopping. You can also try a baseball game down there, see if the San Diego Padres are at home. If you go to Mexico: drive to the border and park on the US side, cross over on foot, take a bus to Rosarito for the day and enjoy music, margaritas and tacos on the beach. Or if you're really adventurous, stay in Tijuana...haha...

4. On your way up the coast from LA to San Francisco, Monterey is a great stop, check out one of the world's best aquariums and John Steinbeck's Cannery Row, and eat lunch at the Forrest Gump inspired Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

5. Absolutely go to Santa Cruz. Try and head up the coast from the Beach Boardwalk, you'll get more a sense of the real city. Eat some crazy vegan food, check out the galleries and boutiques, and definitely rent a surfboard. Santa Cruz is awesome!

6. Another idea for a detour: from Santa Cruz you can take Highway 17 to San Jose. There's some fun stuff to do, check out the tech museum downtown, and the nightlife. Campbell is also a nice area, day or night. The Winchester Mystery house is pretty cool, but overpriced. From San Jose to San Francisco you can stop at Stanford University and walk around the campus, it is really beautiful!

7. Wine tasting in Sonoma/Napa! A gorgeous part of the North Bay and great wines and cheeses!

8. YOSEMITE...of course this was probably already in your itinerary. But I just wanted to make sure 😊

9. In N Out Burger...anywhere in CA. You will not regret it.

I've been away from my beloved home state for almost a year so I'm really jealous of your trip! You guys will have an amazing time. Please let me know if you have any more California-specific questions! Reply to this

Once you leave the California wine country and start getting to the coastal areas of Northern California you will find some of the world's last great redwood forests. Walk through and camp in these. They say this is the one part of the world that has retained the same climate and plantlife that existed all over during the age of the dinosaurs. There are lots of petrified forests you can visit here too.

When you're driving north from California to Oregon, you might go through Weed - stop and get a T-shirt : )

About 15km into Oregon, you'll see a little town called Ashland. Believe or not, one of the largest and oldest professional Shakespeare companies operates here. Stop and see a play. Check their schedule, but I believe this year in June you have Hamlet and 12th Night, plus several non-Shakespeare plays to choose from. There are also approximately 45 million hotels, motels, and B&Bs here, so it's a good place to stop a bit. Then drive from Ashland up the coast (not up 5 through the middle). The Oregon coast is full of great stuff, including some world-class dune-buggying about halfway up, and good camping the whole way.

Re: Death Valley in June/July. Don't forget it's the hottest place on earth. Seriously, you can die. Be careful. Make sure to take plenty of water for your car and yourselves. If you park, leave a window open a bit, or you can shatter a windshield (this happened to me once). Reply to this

The IYH-affiliated hostel in Santa Monica is great and always has tons of travelers from all over the world. They can also help you with hiring a car and maybe find some minor discounts from the big places. Most of the big-name car rental places are about the same though in my somewhat limited experience, but if you get away from the airport, you can find places like Rent-A-Wreck (exactly what it sounds like) that are cheaper. If you're driving out into the desert though, you might want to pay a bit more for a reliable car. Reply to this