Do American holidays live up to the excitement? Last week, writing for Telegraph Travel, James Wong explained how he had ticked off all 50 US states but clearly wasn’t overwhelmed. Their complaints included high prices, unreliable public transport and the alarming ubiquity of guns. “I wish I hadn’t bothered,” he concluded.
But while readers shared fond memories of their trips, they quickly jumped to the country’s defense, arguing that the United States deserves its place among the world’s top travel destinations.
‘Just like you see in the movies’
Kim Terry has been to the USA twice and both started from Las Vegas. His first visit was for his wife’s birthday, for which they toured the Grand Canyon by plane.
“It was truly amazing,” Terry recalled. “It’s an enormous cliff with beautiful rock formations and colors, and it’s very small deep in the Colorado River.” He says it’s a “must” if you’re visiting the United States. “We promised to return and see many more national parks in the future,” he added.
Terry’s second trip to the US was for his 50th birthday, and they started in Vegas again, staying in “a huge room overlooking the Strip”.
Four days later, the couple rented a convertible and began the journey. They did not plan a route in advance or book hotels in advance, allowing complete flexibility.
“Fuel in the US is very cheap compared to what it costs in the UK, so mileage wasn’t an issue,” Terry explained. “We left Vegas and drove through Arizona and Monument Valley, home of the Navajo people. “It was just like you see in the movies.”
From there, Terry and her husband traveled to Utah to visit three separate national parks: Arches, Canyonlands, and Bryce Canyon.
“I think Bryce Canyon is the best of all the parks we visited, it will stay with me forever,” he said. “Inspiration Point was a breathtaking panorama and I could see why they gave it that name. “I was moved to tears by their striking shapes and colours.”
The couple then drove to Wyoming, “cowboy country,” according to Terry, and stopped to buy the obligatory Stetson hat. “You have to feel a part of it,” he said. They then proceeded to Yellowstone via Idaho, Yosemite and Death Valley before returning to Vegas.
Terry strongly encouraged anyone planning a trip to the US to focus on natural attractions rather than theme parks and cities. He concluded: “The national parks are amazing and driving is complete nonsense.”
‘It was quite a shock for me to travel 1,200 miles’
Another reader, Rebecca Barrett, loves the vastness and diversity of cultures of the United States.
Recalling his first few trips to the United States, he described how great the country felt. “It was quite a shock to me to cover nearly 1,200 miles in three days to reach our destination, compared to shorter journeys over the 600-odd miles that are the length of the UK,” he said. Barrett found that long drives were pretty normal for Americans, and that when he explained it, he was always greeted with “amusement.”
His travels include a number of special wildlife experiences. One of them was in Montana, where Barrett arrived late at his hostel. “I began to unwrap the package and heard a sound so beautiful and extraordinary that 18 years later I still get a lump in my throat,” said Barrett.
What he later learned was a wolf feeding routine. A wolf began to howl, and then the whole pack joined in. Each wolf played a different note, and the whole pack chorus formed a perfect chord of sound; Each wolf’s note showed its place in the pack. “The chord rose and fell, each wolf in perfect harmony and timing, not a single note out of place. It was an amazing and unexpected experience!”
Barrett’s husband is from Wyoming, and when the couple first arrived there together, they decided to buy tickets to Frontier Days, the largest and oldest rodeo in the world.
Barrett is quite familiar with horse racing but admitted: “I have to say it was a big culture shock.”
To this day, he has mixed feelings about rodeos. “I appreciate the culture of the American West and it reflects how this country began with pioneers and cattlemen creating this competitive pastime from their hardscrabble lives. Love it or hate it, it’s quite an experience!
‘Who says Americans don’t have a sense of humour?’
Reader Richie Brown and his wife, Loraine, have traveled extensively in the United States. Brown thinks the US initially attracted British attention through movies and television. “Like most people, our first visit was to Florida with Freddie Laker,” he said. “This vacation showed us how much the USA had to offer and thus our travels began.”
Brown truly enjoyed the diversity of America and the friendliness of its people. The couple were in Texas just after 9/11 and introduced themselves from the UK while taking a cruise. “We received great applause for coming to their country during those terrible times,” Brown recalled.
Even in New York, which had a mixed reputation, Brown recalls being greeted with kindness and helpfulness. “I was at Penn Station, I couldn’t find what I was looking for and I didn’t have change for what I wanted,” Brown explained. “I was starting to get grumpy, which was obvious when a passerby approached 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 said they didn’t have a sense of humor?!” Brown said.
Once, during a tour of Boston Harbor, he and his wife again announced that they were from England, and after seeing the footage, the tour guide announced to the group that there were “spies on board”, causing the other passengers to burst into laughter. “He kept up the banter the entire trip, which added to everyone’s fun, including ours,” Brown added.
Brown recommends the US “unreservedly” as a travel destination. “America the Beautiful is for us,” he concluded.