California Dreaming with the Firth family from Sherborne School and Marlston School

Where did you go on your family adventure?

We travelled up the West Coast of California, starting in LA, then visited a ranch in Solvang and on to San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Death Valley and Las Vegas. We ended with a 6-day RV trip round the Canyons.

Why that particular place?

Our eldest was about to start boarding school and he wanted to have the trip of a lifetime. 
We felt America had everything to offer.

What were the trip highlights?

The Alisal Guest Ranch in Solvang  – it’s a dude ranch!  Lots of of riding and rounding up cattle.  I loved the fact it was quite old fashioned and that the boys had to wear jackets at dinner.  We also all loved San Francisco and became slightly obsessed with Alcatraz.  And Las Vegas was definitely worth a visit, but perhaps next time around we’ll go without the children!

Where there any low points?

We couldn’t visit Yosemite as there was a big fire so we went to Lake Tahoe instead which meant missing the white water rafting.  Oh, and on the RV trip you had to empty all the contents of the bathroom down a hose… you definitely need a strong stomach for that!

Was there a piece of kit that you wouldn’t travel without?

I’d say Sat Nav and a really comfy pair of walking boots, otherwise you can get it all whilst you’re out there – America literally has EVERYTHING.

Your advice to others thinking of doing the same?

Our trip took a lot of planning.  You need to pre-book everything as Summer is super busy.  If you are planning an RV trip it’s worth having a professional company to organise it all for you.  They booked all of the parks in advance for us as we wouldn’t have known where to start.

Your next big adventure?

Hopefully Sri Lanka.

If this has tickled your travel tastebuds then you might also be inspired by our Postcard from…South Africa