Breaking Down The Pacific Coast Highway For Families

Young pups can drop everything and organize a road trip at the drop of a hat. With very few cares in the world, the planet is their oyster. Families are different because there are multiple responsibilities to take care of first. As anyone with children knows, they aren’t the easiest people to manage! Still, this shouldn’t mean that a trip of a lifetime, the Pacific Coast Highway, is never fulfilled. A journey from San Francisco through Portland, Oregon up into Seattle is possible; you’ve got to break it down beforehand, though.

Moms and dads, you may want to keep the itinerary underneath fresh in your mind.

Car Hire

Without a vehicle, there is no point in the trip in the first place. Hitting the road requires a car, and you may not have one. Or, it may not be up to the job of traveling thousands of miles. Don’t worry because hire companies such as Hertz have excellent offers on family cars. Whatever you do, though, don’t assume leasing for a couple of days is the best, cheapest option. Renting from West County Volvo has its advantages because the rates are low. The lease could be long-term, but families need transport and this is cheap and flexible.

D.O.D

Nope, this doesn’t stand for the Department of Defense. It means Date of Departure and it’s incredibly important. Kids only get certain chunks of time to miss school and go on vacation. But, because families have the same idea, the roads are clogged and the towns filled with people. Apart from being the traffic being annoying, it also increases the price of the trip. The PCH is there all year round, so don’t be afraid to go out of season. Schools go into recess in the spring, autumn and winter, not just the summer.

Where To Stop?

This may be the hardest part of the journey, aside from keeping the kids from fighting! There are too many stops to do them all so you’ll have to choose a couple of favorites. If you’ve never visited any of them, there is no way to tell what is going to be awesome and what will be a dud. So, lady luck is going to play a role in this vacation. As well as rolling the dice, you can check out places such as Santa Cruz, Pismo Beach and Big Sur to name three. Santa Cruz, CA, has a boardwalk and whale watching so it’s fun for all of the family.

Money, Money, Money

Although it’s a vacation, no one wants to go home to a mountain of debt. Therefore, it’s a good move to try and keep the costs down wherever possible. Take the car as an example. As well as finding the cheapest rental, why not opt for a fuel-efficient model? That way, you won’t blast the budget on filling up with gas every 50 miles. Choosing an out-of-season departure date also helps, as does stopping at motels. The Days Inn isn’t luxury, but they’re cost-effective. Anyway, it adds to the experience!