· Several years ago I had a less than satisfactory experience with a fly-drive package. The car hire element was very basic and needed various upgrades and extra insurance, which were costly. And, of course, you are not at your best dealing with high pressure American car hire sales people after a long flight across the Atlantic.

Now I always purchase my flights and car hire separately. This means that you can hunt around for the best flight and car rental deals. I always buy a comprehensive car hire package such as Alamo Gold, which includes all the insurances you will need and extras such as a tank of gas, so when you arrive you can just pick up your car and drive off.

All of North America is perfect for fly-drives. My family has done seven or eight. Last year we started in Denver and drove though the Rockies and included Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, the Black Hills and cowboy towns, as well.
Graham Norman

· Packages can be a little cheaper than arranging it yourself but don't have as much choice or flexibility. The US is the easiest country on earth in which to be an independent traveller (not just because of the mostly common language) and the planning can be half the fun. However, it is a vast country so you need to focus on a specific region (New England, The North West for example) and not be too ambitious in the distances you intend to travel - US motorways are not much more interesting than ours!

The American Automobile Association publishes wonderful "Tour Books" (free to members) for each region, with masses of details on tourist attractions, hotels and restaurants, but very few of them are available through their UK affiliate, the AA, so the answer is to cultivate a friend in the US who is a AAA member.
Ian West

· Last year, my boyfriend and I did I fly-drive to California. We flew to LA (booked through Virgin) where we picked up our hire car (booked through Alamo) and spent a couple of days there before driving up the breathtaking Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) over three days, passing through Big Sur (amazing redwoods) and Monterey (fantastic aquarium) and making many other stops on the way.

We ended up in San Francisco where we returned the hire car and had four days before we came home. With the LA and San Fran hotels pre-booked, we found other motels along the way. It was a fantastic and very varied holiday with something for everyone. I'd particularly recommend the Madonna Inn en-route in San Luis Obispo with every room done out in a different theme.
Kate Sclater

· I have been travelling the USA since 1993, doing my own thing with my husband. We have only ever booked one fly-drive - we found that when you book this package you are not told about the extras involved, such as an amount between £80 and £160 for insurance, not included with the car hire, which you have to pay for. Also, the car pick up point is always a coach/minibus drive away, so you have to lump your luggage around for approximately 1 or 2 hours after your long flight, then you have to remember to go upon your return. I have never used this package again as it caused so much stress.

We always book our own flights; they are so low in price at the moment, and there are always good offers in the papers. For car hire, we have always used Avis as there is a reception in most US airports and the cars are in the airport car park.

The other companies that are usually in the airports are Hertz and Alamo, but it's best to ask when telephoning. Do not book a car when you get to the USA as this can work out very expensive (I have done this too). When booking a car ask for a 'fully inclusive rate', which will include what we call fully comprehensive insurance.

You can obtain all relevant information about the area you are going to at the airport as well, and all maps are free. There are also 'hotel coupon' books at fast food outlets, these are very useful because they give you discounts on hotel rooms in your area. I would advise you to book a hotel room for the first night when you land, somewhere near the airport, this will give you time to survey your area with your maps and unwind to get in line with the time difference. I would also suggest that you try and stay awake until at least 10.30pm local time.

The route I would suggest is Highway 1 coast road from LA to San Francisco, this is absolutely beautiful, you can stop at all the villages on the way, then make your way back to LA on the Interstate which is much faster. The weather is always warm.

Check out California.com for all the info - hope I have helped a little. I am actually going in March for the second time, really looking forward to it.
Lynne Moore

· When we went to Canada (2 adults and 2 teenage children) five years ago we booked separate flights and car hire. The money we saved paid for accommodation.

When you book a package every member of your party pays for a hire car, even though you only have the one car!
Susan Bailey