Do my homework for me (low cost, rent, hotels, airlines)

[Frihed89]

I am planning a trip to the US from Denmark this summer to be with some old secondary school friends and two of my children.

The destinations are New York City (5 days), Bar Harbour ME (5 days), Denver (7days), Memphis (7days), LA 5 days).

What would be the least cost route, from and to Copenhagen. Should I get an open jaws ticket (for all the destinations), or combine an open jaws ticket with domestic flights on separate tickets?

I would guess that flying anywhere close to Bar Harbor would be expensive and so I would probably rent a car in Boston.

[Chava61]

I would fly into NYC and then take a train/bus or rent a car up to Bar Harbor, ME and then back to NYC and fly down to Memphis and from Memphis to Denver and then from Denver to L.A. But I don't know how cost effective this is or not.

[beachmouse]

Unless you've got family & friends there, it's hard to kill seven days in Memphis. You can pretty much hit the highlights in two days, and then it's an easy drive along I-40 to Nashville for a far superior music scene with a lot more non-music activities going on. And you can also find many decent budget-friendly hotels in the Nashville suburbs.

Denver- rent a car there to get into some of the awesome national parks in the region, and move along from night to night.

I'd go for the open jaw option and then use a few low cost carriers to get cross country. Note that a number of American low cost carriers like Southwest, Frontier, Spirit, etc. may not share their data with the ITA Matrix system- what it means is that you have to search for and book flights directly on their web site rather than through a third party like Orbitz or Travelocity.

[Tallybalt]

Do you have particular reasons for wanting to spend seven days in Memphis and another seven days in Denver?

Denver as cities go isn't particularly interesting. There's a few museums and Lower Denver shopping/bar area. You could do a half day trip to Boulder. But that's about it. It's the mountains that stand out. You will want to get out of Denver and stay in the mountains if that's your goal for the trip. A good route would be a drive from Denver to Telluride then over into Moab, Utah. Spectacular. Then drive onwards to Las Vegas and finally to Los Angeles.

[Ghengis]

go to Memphis, you could probably spend two or three days on Beale St alone (presume that's why you picked it out), you could also make a pilgrimage to where Jeff Buckley drowned, pay the obligatory visit to Graceland, poke around the Mississippi River and take a short drive down Hwy 61 and see the spot where Robert Johnson sold his sold to the devil.

[Frihed89]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Unless you've got family & friends there, it's hard to kill seven days in Memphis. You can pretty much hit the highlights in two days, and then it's an easy drive along I-40 to Nashville for a far superior music scene with a lot more non-music activities going on. And you can also find many decent budget-friendly hotels in the Nashville suburbs.

Denver- rent a car there to get into some of the awesome national parks in the region, and move along from night to night.

I'd go for the open jaw option and then use a few low cost carriers to get cross country. Note that a number of American low cost carriers like Southwest, Frontier, Spirit, etc. may not share their data with the ITA Matrix system- what it means is that you have to search for and book flights directly on their web site rather than through a third party like Orbitz or Travelocity.

Thanks. I know about Memphis. I was just there.

A son! Love and duty.

Also a daughter in my old home town, Boulder

[Frihed89]

Originally Posted by Chava61

I would fly into NYC and then take a train/bus or rent a car up to Bar Harbor, ME and then back to NYC and fly down to Memphis and from Memphis to Denver and then from Denver to L.A. But I don't know how cost effective this is or not.

Thanks. I've wondered about other first routes, too.

Copenhagen to Chicago (non-stop). Chicago to Memphis (only 1.5 hours). Memphis to Denver (wonder if i have to go through a hub?). Denver to LA. LA to Europe to Copenhagen. (I haven't checked to see if there's a non-stop to Copenhagen, but I don't think so).

I'm open to all suggestions for those who know these routes

[Frihed89]

Originally Posted by Tallybalt

Do you have particular reasons for wanting to spend seven days in Memphis and another seven days in Denver?

Denver as cities go isn't particularly interesting. There's a few museums and Lower Denver shopping/bar area. You could do a half day trip to Boulder. But that's about it. It's the mountains that stand out. You will want to get out of Denver and stay in the mountains if that's your goal for the trip. A good route would be a drive from Denver to Telluride then over into Moab, Utah. Spectacular. Then drive onwards to Las Vegas and finally to Los Angeles.

Thanks. I have a daughter in Boulder and actually think Denver is pretty cool: some nice music, Pablo's coffee, Twist and Shout, and a bunch of other stuff.

[Frihed89]

Originally Posted by Chava61

I would fly into NYC and then take a train/bus or rent a car up to Bar Harbor, ME and then back to NYC and fly down to Memphis and from Memphis to Denver and then from Denver to L.A. But I don't know how cost effective this is or not.

Thanks. I've wondered about other first routes, too.

Copenhagen to Chicago (non-stop). Chicago to Memphis (only 1.5 hours). Memphis to Denver (wonder if i have to go through a hub?). Denver to LA. LA to Europe to Copenhagen. (I haven't checked to see if there's a non-stop to Copenhagen, but I don't think so).

I'm open to all suggestions for those who know these routes

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Scandinavian Airlines opened up a San Francisco-Copenhagen nonstop route last year. Aside from SFO being fogged in on a regular basis, it's a good connection.