What time of the year are you thinking of?

It depends what you are looking for. Disney is better in Florida than California, although the LA area has several other good theme parks. Florida is usually more humid than California, though the actual temperatures are fairly comparable, especially southern CA.

If you like going in the ocean, Florida is better. I can't say for sure that the beaches are better (though I suspect they are) but the Atlantic ocean is much warmer than the Pacific.

CA has more varied scenery and there is probably more to do if you aren't interested in theme parks or the beach. I also think it's "cooler" to drive in CA, not in terms of temperature, just that there are arguably more historic and famous routes.

Regarding your driving question: are you asking if you can legally drive in the US or if you will have trouble hiring a car? 1) Yes you can legally drive here. 2) Some rental companies like you be 25 or over but not all of them. If you look around I'm sure you can find some that will rent you a car.

CA is likely to be more expensive than FL which may or may not be a consideration.

I was in LA during July and it was very cold in the mornings. I was on the beach at 9am and was freezing, it soon warms up though.

I would definitely recommend Florida for theme parks and beaches. It is also very easy to tour around. I have driven down to the keys and back to Orlando in a week. I would recommend the Keys, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, the Everglades and Naples to stop at. Clearwater and Cocoa Beach are both an hours drive from Orlando if you dont want to venture too far.

California has some great sights: LA, San Diego, San Fran and Yosemite to name a few but are much further apart. The Ocean Road is very nice to drive down

Renting a car aged under 25 is a problem here- Alamo and Dollar will rent to over 21 at some locations,but impose a daily surcharge.

Hi
could anybody tell me how far the nearest beach is from International Drive Florida?

Also which is the best beach to go to within driving distance?

Would there be much to do if we drove to Tampa and had an overnight stay there?
If so is Tampa near a beach, we wanted to do Busch Gardens Howl O Scream Halloween event but didn't fancy the drive back in the night.

Was thinking of maybe having a day in Tampa shopping or soaking up the sun prior to Halloween night then a nice meal and do the drive home the next day (9what do you think?)

Do you have any recommended hotels?

Thanks Liz.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a "problem" to rent a car in the US if you are under 25. I have done it myself in the past but it is true that some (but not all) rental companies will impose a surcharge. Still, that's not really a problem, right?

Hi Liz mc,

I can answer some of your questions
The nearest beach from I Drive is about an hour
Tampa is a fairly big place so finding something to do should not be a problem. Tampa itself is next to a waterway (Tampa Bay links into the Gulf of Mexico) Probably the most well known beach is Clearwater which is not to far away.
As for Hotels, it depends on your budget
Type in Hotels, Tampa, Florida into Google and see what it comes up with
Remember the main thing is that you are on holiday in another country, so see some more of it
Spending the whole time in Orlando does not give you an idea of what Florida is like. If you are prepared to travel a bit when you are there, which you mentioned, then definitely do it

Thanks Fireman Sam

What is the shopping like in Tampa? Is the beach near Busch Gardens?

Thanks Liz.

Hi Liz mc,

The nearest beaches are driveable

As for the shopping, I cannot answer that one As I'm a bloke, and we are not in to that type of thing