Going To California: 2012

Saturday, 21 January 2012

Daily Budget

I love to shop, so I plan to set my budget higher than I normally would just so I don’t run out of money. The money is almost the very same currency in Canada so prices are usually very similar. Most of the time, when you buy something in Canada like a book, the price tag says the price in Canadian and the price in the states. Usually the US price is a few bucks cheaper, so I expect that most things I buy will be a few dollars cheaper than they are here too. My daily budget all depends on the places I plan to go to and the tours I plan to take. Since I am travelling alone, I only have to worry about paying for myself, so it’s probably cheaper that traveling in a group.

In my hostel in LA, the breakfast and dinner are provided, so I will only have to pay for my lunches unless I decide to go out for a meal. That will definitely save me a lot of money. I’m thinking per day, I might set my maximum budget to about 150$. I set it high only because of my bad spending habits and some tours are more expensive than others. I know I am a budget traveler, but if I’m traveling around the world, I want to have fun and enjoy the small time that have there. It will cost a bit more that I probably should spend, but it will be worth it to have the amazing experience and a tour of places I would not be able to go myself. The 150$ will cover my food and spending money plus anything else I need to pay for.

Five 'A' Approach- Amenities

There are many amenities that I need when I’m travelling but here are some of the main things.

-Alarm clock

-Shower

-Clean bed sheets

-Fresh air

-Toothpaste and toothbrush

-Clean Water

Five 'A' Approach- Activities

-Movie Star's Homes Tour- 2 hours- 39$ for an adult ticket, 29$ for a child ticket.

-Hollywood Trolley Tour- 1 Hour- 18$ for an adult ticket, 15$ for a child ticket.

-Hollywood Walk of Fame- located on Sunset Boulevard.

-Glass Bottom Boat Tour from Catalina- From $16.06 USD

-Whale Watching Cruise in Newport Beach- From $19.95 USD

-Hollywood Double-Decker Bus Tour- From $19.95 USD

-Santa Monica Pier.

-Venice Beach.

-Famous Las Vegas Strip.

-Mariana Del Ray.

-Shopping on Rodeo Drive.

-Grauman’s Chinese Theatre- Free

-Craft & Folk Art Museum- Free

-Hammer Museum- Free

-Japanese American National Museum- Free

-Los Angeles County Museum of Art- Free

-See the Hollywood Sign- Free

-See the Venice canals- Free

Five 'A' Approach- Accommodations

My accommodations that I have selected are appropriate to the budget that I have. I have chosen hostels over hotels and decided to use busses instead of renting a car. Also, being a student I might be able to get some discounts or cheaper prices on tours and stuff.

Five 'A' Approach- Access

There are many was of transportation in California. To save my self time and money, I will just be relying on public transportation such as buses. Here is a list of just some of the ways to get around.

-LA Dept of Transportation
-Long Beach Transit
-Greyhound
-MTA (Public Buses and trains)
-Municipal Area Express
-Riverside Transit Agency
-Santa Monica Big Blue Bus
-Torrance Transit
-Simi Valley Transit

So as you can tell there is a huge list that goes on and of ways to get from place to place that are probably much cheaper than renting a car or taking a taxi.

Five 'A' Approach- Attractions

Attractions (Cultural):

Downtown Walking Tours

-Walking tour of downtown Los Angeles. See neat architecture, hotels and skyscrapers. The tour is a fun and interesting way to learn about Los Angeles.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

This Recently built cathedral is Place of worship. It reflects the history and diversity of Los Angeles and It has an 80 foot tall pipe organ.

Spring Reserve in Las Vegas

A “True Desert Oasis” as it’s called, this reserve is what made Las Vegas what it is today. It is a 180 acre cultural and historical attraction that has botanical gardens, historic walking trails, live animal exhibits and much more.

Attractions (Biophysical):

Angeles Natural Forest

Go picnicking, hiking, fishing, camping and more on this beautiful natural forest.

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley has the lowest elevation and the hottest weather in North America.

Travel Motivators and Barriers

A large motivator for me to travel to Los Angeles is just the popularity of it. It is where a lot of movies are filmed, celebrities live and where the Hollywood Walk of Fame is, and those are most of the things that make me to go there. There are so many cool things that you can do there and there is always a chance of spotting a celebrity, which would be really cool! A motivator is also the money. I have been fortunate enough to find some really cheap prices for hostels and tours. Since I am a student and a budget traveler, the more money I can save the better. Some barriers I have are somewhat linked to the hostels. I’m a little worried about the cleanliness of the room I am staying in. I understand it won’t be luxurious or anything but I hate bugs and I’m really afraid of seeing a cockroach or something. I’m also nervous about the amount of people there. Sometimes it freaks me out to be in big crowds of people.

Travel motivators in Las Vegas for me are to see the big bright lights and the Las Vegas Strip. Oh and I heard that ‘Fat Burger’ is a really good restaurant. Similar to Los Angeles, the motivators and barriers for me are mostly with the sleeping accommodations. I feel like if I ever saw a really gross bug in the place I was staying, I wouldn’t be able to sleep. But as I said before, you couldn’t go wrong with the prices I got, so hopefully the hostels are nice enough.

I feel like the sleeping accommodations and crowds are what a lot of people worry about as well. I’m pretty sure that both places I’m staying in have housekeeping, meaning that there will be clean sheets and towels, but not all places have that. There are so many germs and bugs that could be infesting in the bed and sheets; it’s pretty gross to think about.

Climate During Visit

I am going to Los Angeles on July 30^th 2012 and leaving on the 18^th to go to Las Vegas. The weather in both places is very nice. When I’m In Los Angeles, it will be about 21° or 22° and when I’m in Las Vegas it will be around 19° or 20°. The average it will be when I’m there will probably be about 20°, give or take a degree or two. The 20’s is a very good temperature because it’s warm, but not boiling. The last thing you want to have to worry about on your vacation is sweating, so it’s perfect temperature!

Los Angeles

	July	August
Celsius	21.6	22.1
Fahrenheit	70.9	71.8

Las Vegas

	July	August
Celsius	20.4	19.5
Fahrenheit	68.7	67.1

Culture Shock

I don’t expect to have too much culture shock when I go to Los Angeles due to the fact that it is not too far from home. Although, I’m sure I won’t be as use to the amount of people there and the sleeping accommodations. Los Angeles and Las Vegas are both very popular and crowded places so it can definitely cause culture shock if you don’t really know what to expect. I feel like I won’t go much past the honeymoon phase. I’m only away for about 22 days so I think at the most, I will just start to miss home, but I don’t think I’d be there for long enough even for that to happen. But just to be safe I will do a bit of research before I leave on foods and culture in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. There will be many Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai restaurants and the most common languages spoken there are English, Spanish, Korean, Filipino, Armenian and Chinese.

Arrival Accommodations

While I’m in Los Angeles I will be staying at the Los Angeles Backpacker’s Paradise Hostel. This is located on 4200 W Century Blvd, Inglewood, Los Angeles, USA. Per night it is $14.99 and I‘ll be staying there for 19 days. The price includes a free 24 hour airport shuttle, free Wi-Fi, pool tables, swimming pools, cable TV, free continental breakfast, free dinner buffet, and free tea, coffee, champagne and more. It is also located extremely close to the LAX airport. My total price with tax comes to $494.00. That’s super good, especially since it offers all of the complimentary things that I listed up above. The location of the hostel is perfect too, because there are lots of attractions around it to see, such as the Hollywood Park Racetrack. Through this hostel, I am able to book cheap tours around Los Angeles. On the tours you can see Movie stars houses, go to Disney World, Sea World, Museums and more.

When I go to Las Vegas I will be staying at the Hostel Cat in Las Vegas for 2 nights. The Hostel Cat is located on ‘1236 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas, USA’, also known as 'The Famous Las Vegas Strip. The total cost including tax is $26 for my entire stay. The Hostel Cat meets many of my amenities, such as being safe and clean. 'Hangover' the movie was even filmed here! Just outside the hostel, the famous Las Vegas Strip, there is also a bus that is 100 meters from there that can take you up and down the strip or anywhere else you need to go. The Hostel is also just one mile from downtown, so it is in the perfect location for my trip!

Health and Saftey

Los Angeles is overall a pretty safe place. During the day, there is not too much to worry about, but it is a bit more dangerous in the East LA, Compton and Watts. There are more gangs and drugs in those specific areas and it is a good idea to stay away from them during the night. Hollywood and Venice can also be pretty dangerous. Westwood, Beverly Hills and other Westside communities are much safer with the lowest crime rates. Downtown LA is safe during the daytime when it is still bright out. Like most places you do not really want to be out at night and when the streets are empty.

When Traveling to los angles you might want to consider getting your Hepatitis A and B shots. The basics would also be smart to include, such as Advil, Tylenol and a first aid kit. There is nothing too major to worry about because you are only going to the states.

Travel Warnings

The website: http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=308000 says that there are no travel warnings for United States.

Visa Requirements for Canadian Travellers

Since Los Angeles is just located in the states, you do not need a visa to enter.

Currency

The currency used in United States is the ‘US dollar’. I can use all the same currency when I'm in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The US dollar is not too different from the Canadian dollar. 1 Canadian dollar equals 0.98 American dollars. For example: If a bottle of sunscreen is $3.99 in Canada, it would be $3.91 in the US.

$1 Canadian= 98¢ US Dollars

Airline Costing

Departure City: Toronto	Arrival City: Los Angeles
Cost of Flight: C$775.76
Date of Departure: Monday July 30^th 2012	Time of Departure: 8:30am
Airline Carrier: United
Flight Number: 8321
Plane Change: N/A
Website Used: Expedia.ca

Departure City: Los Angeles	Arrival City: Las Vegas
Cost of Flight: Included in cost above.
Date of Departure: Saturday August 18^th 2012	Time of Departure: 7:32am
Airline Carrier: US Airways
Flight Number: 6510
Plane Change: N/A
Website Used: Expedia.ca

Departure City: Las Vegas	Arrival City: Toronto
Cost of Flight: Included in cost above.
Date of Departure: Monday August 20^th 2012	Time of Departure: 7:59pm
Airline Carrier: Air Canada
Flight Number: 556
Plane Change: N/A
Website Used: Expedia.ca