by Are American holidays up to the hype? Last week, James Wong, writing for Telegraph Travel, explained how he had ticked off all 50 US states – only to be overwhelmed. Among his complaints were high prices, unreliable public transport and the worrying ubiquity of guns. “I wish I hadn’t bothered,” he said.
However, readers quickly jumped to the country’s defense, arguing that the US deserves its place among the world’s top travel destinations and sharing fond memories of their trip.
‘It was just like you see it in the movies’
Kim Terry has been to the US twice, starting both times in Las Vegas. Her first visit was on her husband’s birthday, when they took a plane tour of the Great Harbour.
“It was really amazing,” Terry said. “Such an amazing chasm with beautiful rock formations and colors with the Colorado river so small in the depths below.” She says it’s “a must” if you visit the States. “We promised to return and see many more national parks in the future,” she said.
Terry’s second trip to the United States was for her 50th birthday and they started again in Vegas, staying in a “generous room overlooking the Strip”.
After four days, the couple hired a convertible and began a road trip. They didn’t plan a route in advance, or book hotels in advance, which allowed for complete flexibility.
“Fuel in the US is dirt cheap compared to what it costs in the UK so mileage was not an issue,” explained Terry. “We drove out of Vegas, and through Arizona and Monument Valley, home of the Navajo people. It was just like you see it in the movies.”
From there, Terry and her husband went to Utah to visit three separate national parks: Arches, Canyonlands and Bryce Canyon.
“I think Bryce Canyon was the best of the parks we visited, it will stay with me forever,” she said. “Inspiration Point was a great panorama and I understand why they gave it this name. His amazing shapes and colors brought me to tears.”
The couple then traveled to Wyoming – “cow country,” according to Terry – and stopped to buy the requisite Stetson hat. “You have to feel some of it,” she said. They then continued to Yellowstone before returning to Vegas via Idaho, Yosemite and Death Valley.
Terry strongly advised anyone planning a US trip to focus on its natural attractions, rather than theme parks and cities. She concluded: “The national parks are great and the drive is great.”
‘I was terrified to drive 1,200 miles’
Another reader, Rebecca Barrett, loves the vastness of the US and the diversity of culture.
Thinking back to her first few road trips in the United States, she described how big the country felt. “It was a shock to me to drive around 1,200 miles over three days to get to our destination, compared to the shorter journeys over the entire 600-odd miles in the UK,” she said. Barrett found that big road trips were quite normal for Americans and she always had “fun” when she explained this.
Her travels include some special wildlife experiences. One of these was in Montana, when Barrett arrived late at his B&B. “I started unpacking and then I heard a sound so beautiful and unusual that it still brings a lump to my throat, 18 years later,” Barrett said.
She saw what she later learned was a wolf’s feeding routine. A wolf began to howl, and then the whole pack entered. Each wolf struck a different note, and the whole pack had a perfect chord of sound, each wolf’s note indicating its place in the pack. “The chord rose and fell, each wolf in unison and in perfect time, not a note out of place. It was an amazing and unexpected experience!”
Her husband Barrett is from Wyoming and the first time the couple was there together they decided to buy tickets to Frontier Days, the largest and oldest rodeo in the world.
Barrett knows horse racing well, but he admitted: “I have to say this is quite a culture shock.”
To this day, she has mixed feelings about rodeos. “I love the culture of the American West, and it shows how this country and its pioneers and cattle ranchers started creating this competitive entertainment out of their hard lives long ago. Love it or hate it, it’s a great experience!”
‘Who says Americans don’t have a sense of humor’
Reader Richie Brown and his wife Loraine have traveled extensively in the United States. Brown thinks the USA appeals to Brits first because of movies and TV. “Like most people, our first visit to Florida was with Freddie Laker,” he said. “That vacation brought home to us what the USA had to offer – and so our journey began.”
Brown enjoyed the diversity of America, and the friendliness of the people. The couple were in Texas soon after 9/11, and when they were on a boat trip they said they were from the UK. “We received applause for coming to their country during those terrible times,” Brown recalled.
Even in New York, which has a mixed reputation, Brown remembers being met with kindness and helpfulness. “I was in Penn Station, I couldn’t find what I was looking for and there was no change in what I wanted,” Brown explained. “I was getting really bad, which was obvious to a passer-by who came up to me and asked what I needed and if he could help. This was in New York!”
He also fondly remembers sharing jokes with Americans. “Who says they don’t have a sense of humor?!” Brown said.
On one occasion, while on a tour in Boston Harbor, he and his wife again revealed that they were from the UK and when they were seen filming, the tour guide announced to the group that there were “spies on board”. which made the other passengers laugh. “He continued to talk the entire trip, much to everyone’s delight – including our own,” Brown added.
Brown would recommend the US as an “unreserved” travel destination. “America the beautiful – it’s ours,” he said.
