USA Holidays

This trip promised a lot on paper, and delivered so much more in reality, exceeding my expectations. Our group leader managed to cram so much in, while at the same time allowing a nice degree of freedom for us to do our own exploration and choose our own optional activities. The tour began with a deeply moving and affecting look at the civil rights movement, covering the life of Martin Luther King Jr (where he was born, the church at which he preached, his memorial garden and tomb; later on we would visit the place where he was assassinated); the slave trade and its role in creating wealth for the plantation owners and the country as a whole; and the continued oppression of the freed slaves after the Civil War and their struggle for basic human rights. As we went on, the focus shifted toward the music that was created on the plantations, the way it developed and seeped into mainstream culture in America before spreading across the world. While this was very informative and educational, there were plenty of lighter moments too and we were a great group who had a lot of laughs along the way. As well as visiting sites that were significant to the music history, there were opportunities to hear live music – jazz, blues and country – at many locations from New Orleans to Nashville. A wonderful experience that we will continue to savour for a very long time.

Michael Nutt Deep South & Delta Blues

Fantastic trip to San Francisco taking in the sights of the city. Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge and seeing China Town. Yosemite National Park was amazing and seeing the Sequoia trees was unbelievable. I loved hiking thr mist trail upto Nevada Falls which was spectacular. Lake Tahoe was also amazing. The clear blue water was fantastic and I lived paddle boarding on the water. I would recommend this trip to anyone as I made great friends and memories that will last a lifetime.

Bradley Yeeles Sequoias & SUP in California

Travel from Salt Lake City to Seattle, visiting some of the best US National Parks on the way! An adventure from start to finish. During our time in the impressive Grand Tetons, we had some great walks amongst mountain and lakeside scenery, even spotting moose on the trails. The cosy town of Jackson Hole makes a great base for this part of the tour. We should have had 4 days in Yellowstone but some serious flooding put a very unfortunate stop to that – a last minute itinerary change was handled incredibly well by the experienced team and our wonderful leader Mike. This meant extra time in the Tetons and Glacier, along with some other really interesting stops added along the way. Glacier was a real favourite for me, for the epic landscapes and great walks in ‘bear country’. We saw 3 bears here – a great sighting near the entrance to the park! Can’t wait to come back and see Yellowstone one day..

Vicky Boughton Yellowstone Wildlife Trails – Hotels