Wow, no matter what tips you get, a holiday like that will require lots of cash! What an expedition with kids in tow

How exciting, going by this, your trip is nearly here! Are you all packed and ready to go yet?

If you haven’t already go into trip advisor gives peoples experiences from hotels to restaurant and everything great starting place.

Sounds so good. I wish we could go Travel agents are good for advice!

Thanks for asking this question; following as I am looking at a trip.

lucky you. hope you have fun

you’ll be surprised at how cheap things are in the US – food, take away, restaurants etc

I hope your trip goes well

congratulations on being able to take this trip

Have you thought at staying in cabins in campgrounds. I have heard they are well equiped and some have great facilities for kids in the USA.

First thing I’ll say is be wary if you book anything online. I’ve heard tons of stories of people rocking up to a hotel and having to pay again because there is no record of their booking, or turning up to a rental to find that someone else lives there!! Check out http://www.bblodges.com for accom in New York. Consider catching a bus or train between cities, eg the Luxe Bus goes between L.A, Anaheim (where Disneyland is) and Las Vegas. If you go to Las Vegas it’s cheaper to stay between Monday to Friday. If you go to Orlando you can do a cheap 4-5 night cruise to the Caribbean. Do LOTS of research before you go to find out what there is to do in each city, as well as accommodation and transport options.
ps to the people who are asking how the trip went, look again at the question……

I don’t know how to save on costs when we go to the US, however some great places are the San Diego Zoo, Kennedy Space Centre, Knotts Berry Farm (hubby liked it), Universal Studios – basically all those touristy places that you’ve probably already looked at.

If you take the ferry out to Liberty Island you might also enjoy Ellis Island on the one tour, a lovely relaxing time. There is also a zoo in Central Park, the nicest and safest way to get around the park is on horse drawn cart.

If you end up in Boston, one trip I can thoroughly recommend is a ferry to Cape Cod and a day trip to Salem.

I bet you’ll have the time of your lives.

how did your holiday go ..

how did it go ?

What great tips and ideas. It’s great to get advice like this – always makes planning things so much easier.

if your going to the usa get travel insurance…

Hello, if you are a member of Qantas frequent flyer or Velocity you’ll be able to use their global wallet cards overseas. The global wallet allows you store money in a variety of currencies, and you can transfer AUD$ to US$ when exchange rates are favourable. If you have money in U.S. currency on the global wallet, you won’t get charged foreign transaction fees when you spend money in the U.S.
I have noticed foreign transaction fees are quite high on my Australian credit card when I order stuff online from overseas

There’s a great site called Housetrip, I have booked apartments in Paris & Italy with them & you get to live like a local while you’re there. Manhattan is great !!
I agree with the subway, everybody uses it & it’s the easiest way to get around, NY can be so very cold in winter so rug up. I love the west coast, San Francisco is worth a look in, so friendly & you’re kids will love Disneyland too. Food is cheap in the US as are clothes so don’t pack too much & enjoy yourselves.

Oh I’m so very jealous! Can I come too?
NYC – Don’t waste your money on the open top tourist buses, especially at Christmas time as it’s too cold to sit up top to see the sights, and the traffic makes the trips very slow. You’ll be surprised at how easy the subway is there, and much cheaper & faster!
Yellow Water Taxi for the tour around Statue of Liberty was fantastic, really enjoyed it.
If you don’t have a transfer from airport included in your package, then be sure to only take a cab from the taxi rank. You may be approached by independent drivers, but they charge far more than the fixed rate the genuine taxi’s charge from JFK to the city.
If you want to catch a broadway show, and your are flexible with times, then wait until you get there & buy your tickets from the stand under the red stairs in time square. Very cheap last minute tickets.
and most importantly, ENJOY YOUR TRIP!

very envious here Have you thought about whether you want to hire a car and drive, or other transportation. Think about that first, then think about your budget