Los Angeles Travel Forum

Hi Everyone

This will be my first visit to US from Australia and my travelling partner whom I was supposed to meet up with cannot be contacted!! My tickets are already booked so I was hoping to get some advice off locals or fellow travellers as it loks like I will be travelling alone now. What are the must-sees of LA and where is it safe and affordable for a young female travelling alone to stay and travel? Would also be interested in meeting and travelling with other travellers as I will be visiting for three weeks. I need to make my way to New Orleans from LA in a period of 8 days. I have been assured that staying in hostels is cheap and a great way to meet other people. Any suggestions?

When staying in LA, I'd recommend the Hostels International hostel in Santa Monica ( SM is a suburb of LA )

There is a lot of bleak, empty desert in the southwestern US, so you may want to fly the last 500 or 1000 miles to LA. I would rephrase the issue as "What are the must-sees of California?"

If you decide not to fly, then the best places to visit might be Austin, Albuquerque, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Vegas?
I'm trying real hard here, but in nearly 2000 miles there are only a handful of spots worth seeing.

Southwest Airlines will fly you from New Orleans to Phoenix for 129 USD + taxes.

I'd also recommend Santa Monica. Are you going to visit any other cities while in the United States. I've lived in Australia for a few years and the majority of my friends who came to visit me said they were really disappointed with Los Angeles. It's a fun city, if you have a car and know where to go, but it is definetly not glamorous as many people think. Las Vegas and San Francisco are nearby cities that are completely different and worth a visit to anyone visiting Los Angeles. www.tripadvisor.com is great website to look for reviews on hostels and hotels. Enjoy!

Oops, sorry I just missed a full sentence in your details...

1. Los Angeles, CA
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. Zion National Park/Bryce Canyon National Park, UT (Springdale, Cedar City)
4. Sedona, AZ
5. El Paso, TX (via Scottsdale, AZ)
6. Austin, TX (via San Antonio-Riverwalk)
7. New Orleans, LA

It should be quite safe for you to travel alone here to the US. Just stick to the major cities and tourist destinations if you can. Becareful of being out and about at night if you plan to walk. To meet with other VTer's you should post a little more about yourself - photos, places you have been, age, interests, etc, and the travel dates you will be here.
Enjoy your visit!

I shouldn't post before breakfast. Correction to my first post:

"There is a lot of bleak, empty desert in the southwestern US, so you may want to fly the FIRST 1000 or 1500 miles to LA."

En route to New Orleans...consider:

Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Painted Desert National Park, Santa Fe...and yeah...that's about it if traveling by car.

GC