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...

I’d do an escorted trip on my own definitely - great way to see places and have a bit of company when I wanted along the way though I’d definitely make sure I went out alone to have some quiet time and actually see places, too.

However as others have said I wouldn’t do this itinerary, too much travel and not enough time in each place. I’ve actually done a similar route as a fly drive and we took 3 weeks including a few days in San Francisco, two days hiking in Yosemite, etc. That made the long driving days feel worthwhile. 9 days will feel super rushed.

Yes do! I've been one one tour before and really loved it, so much better to have some people to chat to and also to have the itinerary done for you

That's a lot of time in the desert.

Not what I'd want to spend my money on.

Can you find a different tour?

I have recently rediscovered the joys of travel agents. You tell them the sort of thing you’re after, and your budget, and they put together a trip, including transfers, hotels, small group tours, the works. I used one recently to organise a trip with three girlfriends because it seemed simpler than trying to get agreement on all the different aspects with three busy people. Oh my god it was so easy! And it didn’t cost any more than it would have done if we’d done all the work ourselves, because the travel agent gets a cut from the providers, not the client.

From going to USA myself I’ve sometimes done solo trips on East Coast and taken in eg New Jersey, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Delaware. that was via Amtrak. That’s American trains company.

They now do vacations coast to coast.

I don’t know the cost difference and I sometimes got Greyhound buses (like coaches).

With Amtrak I found I could then either see friends in those cities and also fly in USA internally but I could also do my own thing too. So stay in whichever hotels I liked, plan my own itinerary etc.

Somewhere like Philadelphia you could easily stay 2-3 days I think there’s a variety of hotels too but I always found it easy to get around as cities are on a grid system. Go to Baltimore for nice beaches nearby - Chesapeake Bay has Breezy Point Beach or come to Annapolis where you can then go to Martha’s Vineyard.

Add on Washington DC again spend 2-3 days there.

You could then head up to New York State or Vermont.

This particular trip doesn't appeal to me but if it did I'd happily go myself.

The beauty of group trips is that you can opt in and out of socialising.

You can spend the coach travel time gazing out of a window in silence (or with headphones on) and when it comes to shared meals you can ask open questions of the others and let them do all the talking. There are always some interesting people and the odd bore.

TUI will be able to tell you the group size and what the composition is eg solos, families, pairs, etc. They can probably give you age range too buy I wouldn't be put off if there are a few older folk - they often gave the most interesting stories.

Intrepid, Exodus, Explore, Llama travel (for S America), Other Way Round, Flash Pack, and G adventures are all worth looking.

Peru is amazing.
You could also consider Argentina (wine!) Mexico, South Africa (wine)

If you're set on the States (why?) Then California sounds best suited to your interests.

It’s two days in the desert seeing major sights

Out of all the sights to see in the United States, those wouldn't be top of my list (and I've been to Vegas and environs at least half a dozen times.)

If you want a taste of the USA and love beaches, then you can't go wrong on a trip to the Gulf coast of Florida. The beaches are absolutely heavenly.

Okay, good for you? OP might have a different opinion.

A solo trip - or one with a group like this - 100% on my bucket list!

I wouldn't do that tour - too many places and too little time. It would be like a box ticking exercise 'yep I've been to LA/ vegas/ wherever' but you'll not actually have the time to explore or experience the places.

I did a big trip from LA and the jet lag was a killer - I needed to take it easy in LA for a couple of days (and see the sights!) before moving on anywhere.

And by posting here, she asked for others' opinions.

If she wants to fly around the world to spend most of her time in a coach, looking at hot, dry, dreary desert scenery, that's her prerogative. I'd use that time and money in a far different way.

Yes of course!

What do you think op?

I’d love to see Yosemite, but have no interest in Las Vegas, and overall I wouldn’t want to spend that much time on a bus. When I went to India, staying in a hotel but with lots of day trips planned, we cancelled the last couple because we were just sick of spending hours on buses.

Also, nobody else has said it, and maybe it wouldn’t bother you, but I’d put money on you being the youngest person on the tour by a good 20 years. Apart from one guy who is away with his mum and decides you’d make a great first girlfriend.

I saw someone mention intrepid adventures - I took one of their trips as a solo travellers and it was brilliant. Travel all planned. People to spend the evening with if you wanted too but you can opt out.

So I would spend time in the day sightseeing but happily join a group dinner so I didn't have to eat alone.

All of these places are amazing, so you won’t be disappointed.

You might find that it isn’t long enough in these places. I can imagine places like Death Valley and Yosemite are most enjoyed just spending time there. Have been to san Fran a couple of times and have never managed Yosemite because it’s a 3-4 hour journey and there’s so many other things to see.
Carmel, Monterey are beautiful places - but long distance to get there.
I’ve been to Vegas a few times ( work trips/ weddings - never my choice!) and detest it. It’s basically a big shopping mall. I think if you’re going for a show, or as a one off, it’s an interesting place to see ( for the sheer tackiness and over the topness) but it’s not amazing. I can’t imagine an introvert lingering there for long.

If I were you ( and I’m not!) I’d prefer to go to fewer places and enjoy them more- I find that really short day trips feel a bit tick box and aren’t relaxing.

have you thought about basing yourself somewhere, then doing occasional overnight organised trips to places ? Or hiring a car for a few days?

stay in San Francisco- couple of days Yosemite, back to SF, then couple of days south?

I'd love it.

I travel for work sometimes and love being able to add on some solo exploring. A whole holiday on my own would be amazing.