The US is a massive country and with so much to see and do it is often hard to decide what to include, but with a road trip you will be able to tour the country and experience different aspects of the country and culture. Whether you get onto the open road in a hire car with a couple of friends, or hop into a bus on an organised tour, this holiday option is certain to be enjoyable.
You can pretend to be Thelma and Louise riding off into the sunset, or simply enjoy the opportunity to pick your own route. Some of the best US experiences can only be done by car – spend a night at a motel, fill up the car at a gas station, get fast food in a drive-through, eat popcorn at a drive-in movie and stop off at an off-road diner.
Planning a trip
There are many different routes you can take on a road trip through the US depending on whether you are after an adventure holiday, city breaks or adrenaline-inducing activities. From vast open plains to beautiful mountains, snow covered peaks, dense forests, canyons, stretches of coastline and waterfalls the beautiful scenery is unrivalled and that is not all that the US has to offer.
there are also big bustling cities with great shopping opportunities and vibrant nightlife, the bright lights of hollywood, theme parks, small country towns and historic sights. a road trip is a good option, whether you want to travel through the national parks in the west or visit hollywood and the comfortable californian climate on the coast, explore the south-west, take in the east coast’s spectacular scenery or do an epic coast-to-coast trip from new york to san francisco.
If you want to experience an adventure holiday then a road trip is a great idea as your vehicle has plenty of room in it for different equipment from camping gear to skis, snowboards, bikes and surfboards. The country’s national parks offer a plethora of camping opportunities, where you can escape the hustle and bustle of the cities for the wilderness and return to nature by hiking through forests and travelling on cycle trails. Yosemite Valley is a beautiful spot for hiking, camping and cycling, the Colorado River is breathtaking and Yellowstone National Park is also worth a visit. In the south-west there are some spectacular national parks with great hiking trails, such as Zion, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon.
Other adrenaline-based activities, such as surfing, are also popular and the US has a vast coastline where you will find plenty of waves to surf.
Choosing a route
One of the most popular trips takes you across the country from New York on the east coast to San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge on the west – this trip will let you see breathtaking scenery alongside some of the most famous places in the US. But there are many other routes that are popular with holidaymakers, including a tour through six national parks in the south-west, an east coast tour that includes New York, Chicago and Washington DC and a mountain trail through five national parks starting from Los Angeles. The coast-to-coast trip starts in New York, where it is easy to spend a few days seeing the sights, shopping and enjoying the many restaurants on offer. From here Niagara Falls is within just a short distance’s drive, where you can take a Maid of the Mist cruise while watching the raging waters and hearing the legends and tales about this epic waterfall.
The trip allows you to traverse across the country, taking in sights such as the Grand Canyon, at sunset or sunrise, and Lake Tahoe, which is great for winter sports and during the summer. Las Vegas is a must-see destination where you can casino-hop, trying your hand at blackjack and roulette while living the high life for a few days. So if you want to experience the best that the US has to offer, a road trip is a great option to consider.