Hi - this is the story of our 2001 holiday in the USA on a tour of Southern parts of California and Nevada and Northern Arizona. Our adventure started in Los Angeles CA at the Disneyland Resort (for the kids) after which we took a scenic desert drive to Arizona, where we enjoy some of America's most breathtaking natural wonders. We then headed to the glitz of Las Vegas NV and then back into California for some R&R in Palm Springs. We then headed to Beverly Hills 90210 to chill out with our movie-star friends before our return home.

You can keep track of our progress on this adventure by visiting these pages regularly!

Click on days in the schedule below to follow our progress!
[Our digital camera only has enough memory for around 30 photos - so we will be uploading some of our photos to this site at the end of every day!]

Southern California

Whilst in Southern California we will be visiting the following places:

• Keeping the kids satisifed at the Disneyland Resort which now has a brand new theme park called Disney's California Adventure!
• A daytrip to Universal Studios.
• An amazing feast at The Medieval Times Restuarant (Only in California!)
• The famous Stinking Rose Restuarant - where they "season their garlic with food"!!
• Some desert adventure driving to Joshua Tree National Park.
• An interesting evening out at the Palm Springs Village Fest.
• Catching up with some of our movie star friends in Beverly Hills.
  

Northern Arizona

During our holiday we will be driving the distance (7 hours) between LA and Flagstaff through picturesque deserts and the famous Route 66! check out some of the places we will visit:

• On the road again - the famous Route 66!
• A wild western train journey to the Grand Canyon.
• The amazing Grand Canyon itself.
• A typically British pilgrimage to the original London Bridge - recreated in Arizona!
• A trip through the scenic Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation

Southern Nevada

We will also be popping in to Nevada to experience the following:

• A drive over the breathtaking Hoover Dam.
• The glitz of Las Vegas! We will be staying at the world's largest hotel - the MGM Grand.
• The famous Fremont Street Experience.

About our holiday

Like last year's Florida vacation, this year's holiday was researched, planned, put together and purchased entirely over the Internet. If you're interested, this is how we did it:

• Return flight booked on Expedia.
• Long-term airport car parking and commission-free currency conversion through BAA Advance.
• Hotels booked through Expedia.
• Fully inclusive "Full Size" car rental for UK visitors to the US through Dollar.
• Disneyland Resort tickets purchased on-line through Disney's ticketing website.
• Trip route, time and distance planning through MapQuest.
• Travel insurance for the family through Travel Insurance Direct.

Now - we spent a lot of time researching prices etc. and we certainly feel that we've got a much better deal than a package holiday. Most of our hotel bookings (Anaheim, Flagstaff, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Beverly Hills) are in famous-name hotels and in two-bedroom suites (much needed for the kids) and as much as possible was pre-paid. The total amount we've paid out for our custom holiday for two adults and two children is just over 3k pounds - and that includes Disney tickets, car, flights, hotels, car parking and travel insurance.

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