Efficient & cheap travel from Portland, OR to Huntington Beach area? (Los Angeles: calculator, costs)

[ctysrc]

Can anyone recommend viable travel options from Portland, OR to Huntington Beach, CA?

I will be making a few trips down that way this Fall and want to pursue my options.

Bus, train, air? Though, the air will most likely be too expensive for multiple trips.

Thanks!

[EscapeCalifornia]

Does Southwest go to Portland? They're always running specials if you can plan your trips far enough in advance. Otherwise I'd drive it unless your only vehicle gets 10mpg.

[missionhome]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Does Southwest go to Portland? They're always running specials if you can plan your trips far enough in advance. Otherwise I'd drive it unless your only vehicle gets 10mpg.

Southwest doesn't go nonstop from So Cal to Portland. You would have to make a connection/stop in another city first.

The only two nonstop options for flights are Alaska Airlines into Los Angeles (LAX), Orange County (SNA), or Ontario (ONT) and United Airlines nonstop in Los Angeles. You can check and see if you can get good round trip fares. It is a long drive from Portland.

According to AAA gas calculator, driving is $260 round trip if you drove a 2001 Toyota Camry (just an example) at $3.75 per gallon. A larger car like a Ford Explorer SUV would be $370 round trip. Plug in your own car here: http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/TripGasprice.aspx (broken link)

[ctysrc]

I would be ok with a days bus drive each way if the cost is half of typical airfare.

Has anyone made this commute via train, which seems to be preferable?

[missionhome]

You can check out the Coast Starlight route by Amtrak. It is scheduled to take 30 hours and costs around $90 for a coach ticket. I hear is is a stunning route and beautiful scenery. The plus is that you can sleep and still be moving while the train is driving through the entire evening. If you aren't strained for time, it might be a good alternative, sort of like a little adventure.
Amtrak - Routes - Northwest

[EscapeCalifornia]

Look at the total transportation cost. You're going to need a car when you're down here and that can add up quickly. Will you be coming down here alone or with another person?

[raisun]

I dont know the cost of a bus, but the train wont be much cheaper than flying.

JetBlue starts to compete with Alaska Air on the PDX -> LGB (long beach airport is about the same distance to HB as Orange County - depend on where in HB you need to be) route starting Oct 9. I checked the pricing, and they are both around $250-260 round trip with advanced purchase. Its certainly not what I would think of as "cheap" but its less than 2 hrs each way.

And yes, Escape has a good point. If you need a car, that will add to the cost.