Would you go on this holiday on your own?

[PrincessIntrovert]

An escorted tour so with a group of people, but presumably not stuck with them 247, which is what I need to clarify with TUI:

Day 1 - land at LAX and spend the evening in a hotel there, I'll presumably just want to sleep after a long flight
Day 2 - day trip in Las Vegas
Day 3 - Death Valley national park with an overnight stay in Mammoth Lakes
Day 4 - Yosemite sightseeing
Day 5 - San Francisco including view of Alcatraz and GG bridge
Day 6 - Free day in San Francisco
Day 7 - Monteray and Carmel
Day 8 - Santa Barbara
Day 9 - home

I've always dreamed of going to America and I turn 40 next year so feel it would be a good time... But I'm not sure what to expect on an escorted tour and I've no idea how far away these spots are from each other, so if anyone could shed light that would be great?

Basically I don't want to spend £3k to sit on a bus for 8 days...

Absolutely. I'd give myself another free day by skipping Las Vegas. Maybe go to Santa Barbara instead? Or somewhere else on the coast.

Yes. Sounds wonderful.

My parents have done a few of these US bus trips and have loved them.

I wouldn't have any hesitation about going alone, but it's a jam packed schedule. You're talking 3-5 hours of travel every day, which is going to get boring very quickly!

Yes!! Definitely. You’ll have the time of your life. I went on a holiday on my own with a group (unknown to me before I went) and made some great friends. Go for it!

I've done coach tours solo in Europe with a good company (Insight), when I was considerably younger than my fellow passengers. Lots of international English-speakers (American, Canadian, Australian) which added to the interest.

I've looked at escorted coach tours of US West Coast in the past and would be wary of such long distances in a short period. Try looking at Titan Tours for comparison of their itineraries - they'll be more expensive but better quality.

It boils down to price/duration and what you can afford. If the TUI tour is the most you can afford and your only opportunity to visit those places, then go for it but be realistic about how much time on the coach and fleeting time in each place.

Otherwise look at other companies and consider a longer tour or same duration but fewer destinations.

I am going on one to India next year. My dh really doesn't want to go there and I do. I felt it was a good option going alone

In general, yes I'd do it. However, those distances are huge! I wouldn't want to spend so long on a coach with so little time to do the sightseeing.

I've just remembered that the single supplement for sole use of hotel rooms was very high in the US (when I looked years ago) so if that's still the case it will make the holiday a lot more expensive and reduce being able to choose a better tour.

I did a trip like that on my own about five years ago.
Mix of flights and sleeper trains though.
I’m a huge introvert so love travelling alone.

Caveat: I actually found Vegas solo a little lonely, and I rarely feel like that. It’s such a “party” place and it was just me, plus I don’t understand how to gamble! Luckily I wasn’t there long, and did end with a guided day trip tour of the Grand Canyon with a handful of other people, which actually I needed at that point.

Done several trips solo like that, met some weirdos and met two really good friends, who I travelled with a couple of times after. It does seem a bit busy though.

Personally I would but I like chatting to people. If I just wanted to go to the places (as opposed to go to the places with company) then I'd just plan a solo trip basing it off their itinerary.

Imnot sure how they'll pack all that into 9 days. Death valley to Yosemite is a long way... you're kind of going from southern California to north. Yosemite is incredible and deserves more than a few hours. It will be A LOT of driving..SF to LA is around 8 hours going direct I think... beautiful coast road but people often take about a week to do that one stretch.

I'd probably research whether other companies were doing a similar tour as well to get comparisons for what they include - as well as Intrepid, look at Explore/Exodus - and if any of them have a smaller group size - eg 16 - I'd look at them more favourably. I've been on a lot of small group tours, and one of the most irritating parts is waiting around for those people who are late. The larger the group, the more of these there are going to be! I've also added a few days on my own at the beginning/end of such trips, which meant I could find my own (cheaper) flights and also have a bit of me-time as well.

I’d also be a bit wary of a long flight on a TUI plane. Short flights are fine - just like any other budget airline - but I’d research reviews of the long haul flights.

I would say do it if you feel you want to. Go for it. Just last month I was looking at the East Coast itinerary with Washington with TUI. I will book it for next year. I've decided to do another solo cruise this year as I want a bit of R&R. Great thing with a cruise is I can visit places and meet other solos and chill on the sea days. But I will definitely do a tour as a solo next year 👍

Try Exodus, much smaller groups, excellent company

I would definitely do this in principle, but like others I’d shop around for a tour that didn’t cover so much distance and so many stops in such a short space of time.

I’m still friends with people I met on a similar trip to South America over twenty years ago. I’m a chatty soul though. I have a close friend who is an introvert who does these sort of holidays regularly, and she has a great time. She always finds space to be alone to recharge.

You'll be fine on you own. But I think you're covering too much ground. Lots of sitting on a coach and not much time in the actual locations. It's a great trip if you want to just tick a box to say you've been somewhere but you won't actually get to experience much of any of the locations. So it depends what you want.

Also, like a previous poster, I find Vegas a very lonely place to be on your own. I travel on my own 95% of the time and I love it but Vegas is one of the few places I felt like the odd one out. I was actually only there for a couple of days on my own as friends then arrived (we were attending a wedding and I flew out early to explore a bit) and it was a totally different experience when I was in group.

Join meet up. There are lots of foreign travel trips as well as UK ones

DH worked in LA for over a decade, I was out there briefly for projects. I've been to all those places, really recommend them but would absolutely not enjoy that itinerary.

As PP have suggested, put the stops into google to get an idea of the distances. Speeds on US motorways tend to be quite slow and that's without factoring in restrictions for coaches and their propensity for frequent comfort breaks.

This locations are very much on the beaten track and very suitable for independent travel. With the internet, you could easily arrange flights, book yourself a car and please yourself throughout.

Hotels, even motels will most likely have air con as will hire cars though I would still avoid July/August. Id definitely book a convenient hotel room for the first and last days to acclimatise be ready for the flight home and pick up a hire car only when you are ready to move on, at lease one day later after a good long rest.

Airport hotels might not be the most glamorous but will have a shuttle service to airport and hence car hire locations. Or have the car delivered to the hotel.

For me, the research of where to go is a hugely enjoyable part of the holiday.

Id pick either SF including Yosemite or LA including LV, as an independent traveller a strong preference for SF. As a city it is much more walkable and loads to see. You could easily join a coach tour for just the Yosemite leg from SF.

Being able to make my own plans is a freedom i cherish. So much to do in SF. Travelling by yourself you can pick and choose and include things to which you have a more personal connection. I loved seeing and spending time in the genuine city limits book of beat generation fame

Okay so my suspicions are confirmed about Vegas then. I did wonder if it would be a bit loud for a solo trip... Where the bloody hell do I go for a nice non coach heavy holiday in America!

There are tons of places in the US you can go solo. It really depends on what you're into. Do you want East or West Coast? Cities or country? North or South? Are you happy to drive? Or would you prefer day trips out of one location? Hotels or AirBNBs? What are you interested in?

For example, last year I went solo to San Francisco. I took a day trip to Yosemite (long day but worth it) on a small group tour (max 14 people - no-one bothered me and I got to wander round Yosemite on my own in the snow for a few hours dazzled by the scenery and loving the peace and quiet). I also took a day trip to see redwoods and for wine-tasting in Napa and Sonoma where I met some lovely people (and kept bumping into them back in SF which was quite nice). I spent another day at Alcatraz where I did the behind-the-scenes tour (fabulous!) I hired a former French chef with a motorbike and sidecar to drive me around SF and show me the sights plus best places to eat and we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge with my hair blowing in the wind. And I mooched around the city eating great food, talking to the locals and generally having a wonderful time. I liked it so much that I'm going back this autumn as there are a few things I didn't get to do and I feel like I have unfinished business. ;-)

I've done similar trips to L.A., Chicago, Washington DC, Philly and Miami. I've spent a LOT of time in NYC (used to work there, have lots of friends there) plus I used to travel to Houston and Denver on business a lot. There was the Vegas wedding I mentioned on an earlier post (NYC friends - no idea why they decided to get married in Vegas). 😝I'm just in the middle of planning a solo trip to Texas (Austin, San Antonio and the hill country for wine tasting). I'm dragging a friend with me to New Orleans next spring. There is SO much to see and do in the US. It is literally your oyster...you just need to say what appeals.

Hell yes!!!

I like beaches, shopping, relaxation and nice food and wine. Definitely don't want to hire a car. To be honest I'd rather just plonk myself down somewhere and not have to fanny around hiring this that and the other to ferry me around everywhere. The tour idea did appeal to me because it seemed fun and an easy way to see so many places without much effort but not if it means spending most of the time on a bus!

Bet I end up pissing off back to Majorca as per.

Looks great although I’d prefer longer in each place. It would be a very easy trip to recreate yourself in a hire car if you’d prefer that.