How much does a young family need for a holiday in California?

Question

Me, Hubby and 2yo going to LA/California for a big family wedding but trying to budget! We have a house organised for 1 week, but need accommodation for 2 days before, 3 days after in Las Vegas and then 4 days in Santa Barbara before coming home. How much do "people movers" cost to hire and run (gas)? Food? (hopefully this will not be in restaurants every day - groceries and cooking in the house will get us by). Probably a few big nights in nightclubs (while mum looks after 2yo), Disneyland shopping for clothes and anything else I've forgotten!! Any help would be appreciated! thanks.

Answer 1

From your spelling of "organised", I presume you are British, or not in the USA.  We spell it organized, ha ha.  That brings up the issue also of converting British pounds into USA dollars, and you will get a Big Deal on that today, with the lower value of our dollar compared to pounds.

But, in USA dollars, most motels in Vega or Santa Barbara will average (cheaper ones) $60 per day, that's 7 x 6 = $420.00.

Gasoline is cheaper in USA, and if you are renting a van (is that what you call a "people mover"), that will cost at least $200 for a full week, and another $200 for gasoline, excuse me, petrol.-- that will buy about 50 gallons of gas, times 15 miles per gallon, get you 750 miles of driving.

Disney Land, tickets cost around $100 per person, the 2 yr old should be free. (you may be able to work out a package deal for hotel and tickets).  Parking and eating at Disney land will cost you another $100, and buying a gift for child another $25.00.  

Figure another $30 per day for food and groceries.

7 x 3 = $210.

Nightclubs and clothes?  Budget $200.00

I'm estimating, that for the things you menitoned, at least $1,500.

Gift for you Mom, another $50.  Tips for hotels and other services may be another $100 or more.

And, of course you may have additional cell phone charges, or costs for pictures, or movies.

If you brought $2,000 for the week, you should have lots of fun.

Enjoy California.

Answer 2

Hi Summer,

That's a tough one. I'm not a travel agent, but I do love to travel extensively and California and Nevada, so I feel qualified to answer this.

You don't mention when you are coming to America/California/LA, and that makes a huge difference. Summer is the high tourist season, and everything is more expensive. We also seem to have a bit of a language barrier, even thouth we all write English. I'm guessing you are from the UK. (I love the Internet. It just makes the whole world a little bit smaller).

OK, on to my answer: Hotels in the SoCal area are going to cost $100-$200 per night, depending on area. You can find budget hotels for less, but you greatly increase your risk of coming upon a disastrous hotel. 2YO's tend to find small things that some adults might miss, like the cockroaches playing under the bed, or even worse, the roach bait. Having a 2YO, I would make very sure you don't go below a certain standard of hotel. You didn't mention where you need to stay for two days, so I'll throw out some of my favs.

With a 2YO, you really should take the opportunity to go to Disneyland. It's an institution, the top attraction in Southern California. To that end, I highly recommend staying at the Howard Johnson or the Candy Cane Inn in Anaheim. They'll cost about $125 per night, a little less during the off-season. You are VERY close to the front entrance of Disneyland, which means you can walk back to the hotel in the afternoon for a nap. I have 4 kids, including a 7YO, and remember how important the nap is.

As for eating out, we tend to budget $50 per person per day. That's two meals of "fast food", and one nicer sit down meal. Disney tends to be more expensive, but you can still dine on a budget. They tend to serve rather large portions at many of the restarants so you can split a plate. I recommend the Carnation Cafe on Main Street in Disneyland. They serve a variety of tasty "comfort food"... the chicken pot pie and roast beef medallions are my two favs, and they have a lovely PB & J for kids that my youngest has loved now for the majority of her lifetime. Call 714-781-DINE locally to make reservations, which saves a lot of time waiting in line, which is important when you have a hungry 2YO.

As for Vegas, you might get better answers from the Las Vegas forum, but we have had very good experiences at Sam's Town. It is 6 miles from the Strip, which is where all the big (and expensive) hotels are. The impression I always get from visitors from other countries is that Las Vegas is a city of sensory overload. There is a dazzling array of lights, and a constant cacophony of sound in the casinos that truly boggles the mind. Sam's Town is considerably cheaper than staying on the strip, and you can get a room for less than $100 if you go any days other than Friday or Saturday night. On the weekends, you have tens of thousands of cars driving from LA for the weekend. Buffets aren't cheap like they used to be. Back in the day, they were subsidised by gambling.

By "People Movers", I'm guessing you mean vans or a car. Check out www.enterprise.com for rates. It all depends on the size. Gas here is about $4 a gallon now, which is about $1 per liter. I hear it's more expensive where you are.

As for Santa Barbara, we never really stay in Santa Barbara. We always stay just down the road in Carpinteria, "The World's Safest Beach". If you are on a budget, the Motel 6 (south) there is adequate, and close enough to the beach for an easy walk. The Holiday Inn Express is much nicer, but it will cost around $100+ per night.

I have to run. now! Good luck!

Answer 3

People movers - you can call various companies for free quotes. I would say about $2500 at the very least for the trip alone.  

Answer 4

My family flew form Memphis to LAX, we visited Disneyland and also when down to San Diego. The total cost was about $2,900, for a family or 5, and we spent a week there. Go to hotels.com and restaurant.com, and you can find some great deals. Also check out Price line.com. You may find cheaper flights, if you fly, or other accommodations as well. Go on line and look for Southern California Go Passes, this will cut the cost of Disneyland in half and provide reduced transportation cost. Email me at [e-mail], if you need me to go more indepth with anything that my family did to reduce costs and have fun. Another point, the travel agent would have cost us about $700 more.  

Answer 5

i think you are going to need like 5,000 dollars if not more