Travel America

I had always wanted to see America. I mean really see it. What better way to see America than to hop on my bicycle and head across the United States? I finally took the plunge and decided to do a TransAmerica trip when I was twenty-two years old. I had been cycling for some time by then, and felt I was up to the challenge. But, I thought it would be even more fun to travel as a group, so I took a week long intensive camp/interview, and was hired by a cycling company to lead a trip from Williamsburg, VA to Astoria, OR.

A TransAmerican bicycle tour is not an easy task–physically or logistically. There was matters of food, drink, and shelter, just to name a few of the tasks. We also had to plan our route in advance because we did not want to suddenly find ourselves 30 miles from food or shelter.

Organizing the trip gave e a chance to challenge my leadership skills. Since I was the trip leader it was my responsibility to iron out the fine details of the journey. I found the planning of the trip exhilarating. I could picture the trip while I planned it; I imagined all of us on the road together, what were were likely to see, and imagined the people we would meet. Read more »

America is one of the most amazing countries in the entire world, and is no doubt one of the most interesting and best places to go travelling. Because of the recession (that has hit the USA particularly bad) it has never been a better time to go travelling there and to experience the sights and sounds of the great nation of liberty. The recession has lead to a decrease in tourism, and this decrease in demand has lead to tourist spots and everything tourism-related to lower their prices (such as bed-and-breakfasts’) meaning you can now stay in places for less than ever.

Because of the size of the country, there are so many different things to see, as each state is almost like its own self-contained culture. For example, you have the gambling capital of the world in Las Vegas, the salt flats of Utah, the Southern country life of Alabama, the hustle and bustle city life of New York and the movie star town of Los Angeles. These are just a few examples of different cultures within the 52 states, and there are plenty more that I haven’t mentioned.

When I was travelling America last year, the thing that I liked most was how easy it was to travel long distances, and the quality of the infrastructure. When I travelled through Vietnam it took us 30 hours to drive a mere 200 miles. That’s 6.6 miles an hour! By contrast, it took me only 4 hours to drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas – a journey of equal distance.

Every year millions of people take to the skies, ships, trains and cars to take the yearly family vacation. A lot of them just can’t hardly wait to cross the water and visit some distant land to see all the sights and sounds.

It is interesting to see how other cultures live. Trying to understand their customs and beliefs. Its exciting to see the sights of another country, but there is still a lot to see in the U.S.

Have you seen the City beneath a City or crossed the floating bridge in Washington? Have you visited the Sea Lion Caves on the coast of Oregon or the Sanctuary of our sorrowful Mother in Portland?

How about the wine country in California or even Disneyland? And don’t forget the sights from Mt. Shasta. And don’t forget the deserts, mountains and resorts of Arizona.

There are a lot of exciting places left to be discovered and visited right there in the good old U.S.A. A wine tour is perfect for an American vacation. There are wineries in every state and they all offer wine tasting tours. Read more »