Manhattan – photo by Andrea from Flickr CC
Great USA Tour Ideas
The United States is a massive country with an incredible diversity of places, activities and attractions for overseas visitors.
America is renowned for it’s exciting cities with skyscrapers, museums, live theater, comedy shows and night life; gorgeous national parks; the beaches of California and Florida; exciting theme parks & family attractions; jazz, blues and Rock N Roll music; Hollywood movies & movie stars; Alaskan mountains, cruises & northern lights; New England’s history, autumn leaves and fresh lobsters; Washington D.C. Monuments, government buildings and Smithsonian Museums; American historic and battle sites; Rocky Mountain scenery, hiking and skiing; and epic road trips.
Unless you’re planning to travel around the vast country for several years, you can’t possibly hope to see it all at one go. Therefore, to create the best US trip for yourself, you should first spend some time clarifying exactly what you most want to see, do and experience in America. You’ll also have to take into consideration how much time you have for your visit.
Yellowstone thermal pool by Frank Kovalchek from Flickr CC
If you have only 1-2 weeks, it might be wise to really narrow it down and visit just one city or region. Any one of American’s major cities like New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles can easily swallow up 1-2 weeks of your time if you want to get a real feel for them.
Likewise, visiting just 1 or 2 major national parks or taking a trip to Orlando’s famous theme parks would easily take up a couple weeks.
A great strategy would be to visit the US several times, each time focusing on a particular region or interest. You could visit NYC – and perhaps include DC – for one trip. Spend another trip in California, visiting San Francisco then driving down the spectacular Pacific Coast Highway to LA, then explore Hollywood, Rodeo Drive and Universal Studios, perhaps with side trips to California’s famous beaches and national parks.
Walt Disney World by Chris Harrison from Flickr CC
Another time you could Travel to Orlando, Florida for amazing theme park fun at Disney World, Epcot Center, Kennedy Space Center and Sea World. You could easily fit in side trips to Florida’s amazing powdery beaches and/or unique state parks with swamps and alligators.
Another great trip would be driving to several national parks in the Colorado, Wyoming, Utah region or the Pacific Northwest. Alaska would, of course, entail a whole trip all to itself.
If you simply can’t narrow your trip down to one interest/region or can’t bear to cut out any of America’s most iconic attractions, you could alternately opt for a multi-destination 2-3 week tour. These types of tours often include a quick sampling of the USA’s absolute most famous cities, outdoor wonders and renowned attractions. There are several great USA tours from the UK.
Hollywood by Marc Berry Reid from Flickr CC
You might spend 2-3 days each in New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco and LA, for instance. You’ll have time to visit each city’s major tourist attractions, perhaps take a dinner cruise or organized city tour. Some tours also toss in side trips to one or two of America’s most famous parks like The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite or the Redwood Forest.
Other tours specialize in a particular region of the USA, including particular themes relevant to that area. New England with a focus on American Revolutionary history, Cambridge, spectacular autumn leaves and fresh lobsters in Maine. Southern USA focusing on America’s grand colonial mansions and rich music history. California with visits to San Francisco, Yosemite, The Redwood Forest, the gorgeous Pacific Coast Highway, Los Angeles and Hollywood.
Although such tours are expensive, you get to see and do quite a lot in one big visit. You can take in many of America’s exciting iconic attractions. If you only have one chance to visit the USA, such a tour could be an excellent choice. If you have the ability to visit the US several times, a series of more specialized tours could be more rewarding and less tiring.
However you visit the USA, your trip is sure to be exciting and adventure-filled.
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Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
