Trip to US in Fall of 2017 - any advice appreciated

onekeano

Thinking of travelling in October / November next year. I was thinking of heading to Boston and ending up in New York maybe heading up through New England when foliage is changing.

My budget is not unlimited so I'm wondering if there are particular dates / airlines I should be following.

Also for car hire - any recommendations?

Is it much more expensive to go into Boston and travel back from NYC?

Any other recommendations regarding where to stay in Boston / New England / NYC?

Any advice would be much appreciated,

Roy

Yamanoto

You're not there yet, it's AUTUMN travel you're looking at.

Norwegian may be flying there by then & they'll be a game changer in terms of travel to the US, so keep an eye on when they start selling seats.

onekeano

actually great point Yamanoto, any idea a) when they are likely to start and b) are the only going from Cork?

Roy

Yamanoto

Next summer apparently, though it looks likely it will be to smaller regional airports, as opposed to Logan etc.

DUB & SNN on the cards also.

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2016/12/norwegian_air_grounds_logan_for_ireland_flights

InTheTrees

Hiring a car in one state and returning it in another can incur penalties. Worth checking on.

onekeano

Damm! Never dawned on me that InTheTrees...thanks for the tip.

I had just assumed that if you were hiring from a large(ish) company they'd be fine dropping it off at any of their larger depots.

Roy

InTheTrees

onekeano wrote: »

Damm! Never dawned on me that InTheTrees...thanks for the tip.

I had just assumed that if you were hiring from a large(ish) company they'd be fine dropping it off at any of their larger depots.

Roy

If its in another state it there can be large charges BUT my experience is mostly in the west where the states are larger. NY and Mass may have some kind of arrangement. But certainly check because it can vary between rental companies too.

rednik

Nice train journey from Boston - Penn Station NYC. A 4 and a half hour trek with some great views. Well worth it.

DM addict

InTheTrees wrote: »

If its in another state it there can be large charges BUT my experience is mostly in the west where the states are larger. NY and Mass may have some kind of arrangement. But certainly check because it can vary between rental companies too.

We once paid as much in one way fees as we did for the entire car rental.

We were dropping off two states over, so I get it. But yeah, watch for that

Dave1442397

I took my parents to Vermont for fall foliage viewing, and they really enjoyed it. You can go to places like the Killington ski resort and take the gondola to the top of the mountain for the views, and there are some really nice back roads to drive. 
This site has some good info - http://www.foliage-vermont.com/

Fr Tod Umptious

Hi OP.
Just to note that car hire and accommodation is very busy that time of the year in the New England area, especially at weekends as "leaf peeping" is a major attraction.

So book early.

I'd concentrate on the areas north of Boston (New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine) as they are more senice for leaf peeping than the areas between Boston and NYC, (Connecticut/Rode Island), mind you the latter have nice costal towns.

Also consider the Catskill Mountains area in upstate NY.

onekeano

rednik wrote: »

Nice train journey from Boston - Penn Station NYC. A 4 and a half hour trek with some great views. Well worth it.

Thanks Rednik - definitely sounds like an option.............

onekeano

DM addict wrote: »

InTheTrees wrote: »

If its in another state it there can be large charges BUT my experience is mostly in the west where the states are larger. NY and Mass may have some kind of arrangement. But certainly check because it can vary between rental companies too.

We once paid as much in one way fees as we did for the entire car rental.

We were dropping off two states over, so I get it. But yeah, watch for that

 Thanks DM addict.... message received and understood|!

onekeano

Dave1442397 wrote: »

I took my parents to Vermont for fall foliage viewing, and they really enjoyed it. You can go to places like the Killington ski resort and take the gondola to the top of the mountain for the views, and there are some really nice back roads to drive. 
This site has some good info - http://www.foliage-vermont.com/

Cheers Dave - probably skiing is not for me but the gondola and drive sound spot on.
From my initial research I was kind of thinking along the  lines of some of these:

• Kicking off with Boston
• Kennebunkport
• Jackson
• Woodstock
• Lenox
• Cape Cod
• NYC

We've both been to NYC and I've been in Boston a couple of time but apart from that neither of us have been to the other places so any feedback would be appreciated. White Mountains is somewhere I keep hearing about too?

Roy

DM addict

onekeano wrote: »

Thanks DM addict.... message received and understood|!

The chap at the car hire desk actually called over his supervisor as he couldn't believe the one-way cost was that much :-/

onekeano

:eek: noted!

DM addict wrote: »

The chap at the car hire desk actually called over his supervisor as he couldn't believe the one-way cost was that much :-/

InTheTrees

Timing is the important part isn't it? You've got to hit that two or three week window. I've had friends who have done it successfully and also friends who booked the wrong time and missed it.

Will it be an early autumn or not?

Esel

Book the smallest/cheapest car. They will probably all be out on rental, and you should get a free upgrade.

First Up

onekeano wrote:

Thanks Rednik - definitely sounds like an option.............

If you are on a tight budget Greyhound coach is comfortable and just as scenic.

onekeano

Thanks InTheTrees & Esel - that's very interesting about booking a small car and hoping for an upgrade. It'll be just the 2 of us anyway.....

I'm kind of restricted in that it'll have to be after the 5th or 6th of October so I'm thinking maybe Oct 6th to 20th or 22nd?

I'll have to take my chance with the changing colours but it looks like those dates should be my best shot based on some of the foliage maps like this one https://www.yankeefoliage.com/peak-foliage-forecast-map/

So' I'll be looking to book flights early in the New Year, while my initial plan is to start off in Boston another alternative is to start in NYC and finish in Boston.

Vermont seems to be a good spot for the foliage too so I'll add this to my initial wishlist for the time being.

Anymore tips much appreciated

onekeano

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Hi OP.
Just to note that car hire and accommodation is very busy that time of the year in the New England area, especially at weekends as "leaf peeping" is a major attraction.

So book early.

I'd concentrate on the areas north of Boston (New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine) as they are more senice for leaf peeping than the areas between Boston and NYC, (Connecticut/Rode Island), mind you the latter have nice costal towns.

Also consider the Catskill Mountains area in upstate NY.

Thanks Fr Tod, yes veering towards Maine and Vermont now

Esel

Esel wrote: »

Book the smallest/cheapest car. They will probably all be out on rental, and you should get a free upgrade.

Forgot to say: Don't hurry to the rental desk. In this way, you maximise your chance of an upgrade.

InTheTrees

onekeano wrote: »

I'm kind of restricted in that it'll have to be after the 5th or 6th of October so I'm thinking maybe Oct 6th to 20th or 22nd?

I'll have to take my chance with the changing colours but it looks like those dates should be my best shot based on some of the foliage maps like this one https://www.yankeefoliage.com/peak-foliage-forecast-map/

Flexibility's the thing. Once you're within a few weeks of arriving you'll be able to adjust your itinerary to go where its peaking.

InTheTrees

Esel wrote: »

Forgot to say: Don't hurry to the rental desk. In this way, you maximise your chance of an upgrade.

Also if they dont offer an upgrade for free, ask for some kind of deal on an upgrade anyway. You dont want to spend that time in a small car.

Although it works better at smaller "off airport" locations US rental agencies will usually do almost anything to end up with an empty lot at the end of the day.