Finally it’s time to make that longed-for trip to the United States a reality. Flights resumed after a 604-day Covid shut down. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flew synchronized departures from Heathrow last week, heading for New York.
So, whether you’ve been waiting for a short break or making plans for a longer trip, here are the best to book now.
Enjoy a taste of the Big Apple
New York’s skyline is seen from a different vantage point, the One Vanderbilt skyscraper at Midtown. Stock image
New York’s iconic skyline can be seen from a new vantage point at the One Vanderbilt skyscraper in Midtown, with glass-floor ledges 1,000ft above Madison Avenue and views of both the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building.
If you’re an art-lover, visit before January 2 to see the immersive Van Gogh Exhibit at Pier 36.
Whisky aficionados can try six-course whisky and culinary pairing experiences at the Great Jones Distilling Co, Manhattan’s first whisky distillery to open since Prohibition.
Book: Four nights’ room-only at the contemporary Aliz Hotel Times Square with flights included from £579pp (ba.com).
Southern comforts
Enjoy a river cruise on the Mississippi aboard a steamboat. This includes stops at Vicksburg Civil War site, Natchez (famous for its antebellum, pre-Civil War) homes. A week aboard American Countess, with space for just 166 guests, is bookended with two nights in Memphis, home of Elvis’s Graceland, and two in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Book: From £3,746pp with flights and full-board on the cruise, room-only in hotels (northamericatravel service.co.uk).
Go glamping in Utah…
A Navajo guide will take you on a tour to Monument Valley in Utah.
Sleep in a luxury tent amid the cacti and canyons of Utah’s Zion National Park for two nights as part of a week-long family trip starting and ending in Las Vegas. You will enjoy a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon as well as a visit to Monument Valley with a Navajo guide. Also, you’ll spend two nights at Lake Powell.
Book: Seven nights from £2,400pp based on four travelling, full-board in Zion, otherwise B&B, with flights, car rental and select activities included (scottdunn.com).
… or rafting instead
White-water rafting is part of a 16 day holiday that includes Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone.
Get off the tourist trail on a family rafting trip through spectacular scenery, including Dinosaur National Monument, as well as tackling rapids named Disaster Falls and Hell’s Half Mile. This three-day Green River Adventure, which includes overnight stops at camp, forms part of a 16 day holiday that takes in National Parks such as Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Grand Teton.
Book: From £10,600 for a family of four, with flights and car hire (stubbornmuletravel.com).
Rockies with a knockout look
Two days of cruising the American Rockies on a coach with a glass dome.
The Rocky Mountaineer train is well-known for luxury travels in Canada. Now, they spend two days traveling through the American Rockies on glass-domed coaches. Then you’ll continue by coach to explore Utah’s national parks – Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion – before flying back from Las Vegas.
Book: Six nights from £2,649pp with flights and some meals included (americansky.co.uk).
Disney: Relaxed and calm
Best of both worlds: Combine a trip to Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort with a stay at a luxury hotel
Visiting Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort is fun… but it can also be frantic.
You can find the solution by booking in to a hotel like Four Seasons Resort Orlando. It offers a sanctuary of tranquility to escape between parks forays. You will find water slides, lazy rivers and an adult-only pool. There is also a golf course, spa and tennis courts.
It can help arrange for breakfast with Disney characters. The planning center also helps to organize your visit. They offer complimentary transportation from and to the parks. If you go in December, you’ll experience the magical run-up to Christmas – as well as two free nights.
Book: A week’s room-only with flights for a family of four costs from £4,949 (elegantresorts.co.uk).
New England, Old
New England, although small in area, is huge on variety and offers a wonderful place to fly-drive.
Start with Boston’s revolutionary history and make small hops to Freeport and Bar Harbour where you can take a fishing trip on a lobster boat and go whale-watching. Another highlight is Maine’s Acadia National Park and the trip ends with the sandy shores of Cape Cod.
Book: 14 nights’ room-only from £1,595pp including flights (americaasyoulikeit.com).
Family road trip
For a family road trip through Capital Region with four-person mini-van rental and two kids, grab the grandparents.
Start in Washington DC and explore Maryland and Virginia – you can surf on Virginia Beach and discover Shenandoah National Park, with walks, rides and rafting.
Book: 12 nights in four-star hotels with flights and van hire from £2,195pp (bon-voyage.co.uk).
Montana Wilderness: Going Wild
Do you want to try your hand in lassoing at Montana’s working cattle ranch? (stock image).
For a week of family fun, take the whole family to Montana working cattle ranches.
Depending on which ranch you pick, there’s riding, fly-fishing, archery and zip-wiring, as well as honing your lassoing and country-dancing skills. There’s also time in the second week to spot bison and bears in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park and explore massive Yellowstone, with its phenomenal geysers.
Book: From £4,750pp, full-board at the ranch, otherwise room-only, with flights (originaltravel.co.uk).
Keys to Miami
You can enjoy a relaxing drive on Florida Keys Overseas Highway while enjoying the sun at Miami’s most beautiful beaches
Before you take a relaxing beach vacation in Miami, follow the Overseas Highway.
This road trip is one of America’s most scenic, with 42 bridges linking islands between Key Largo and Mile 0, the most southerly part of mainland USA.
Book: Eight nights’ B&B with flights and car hire from £1,635pp (abercrombiekent.co.uk).
Alaska is a hot destination
Alaska’s icy Prince William Sound and College Fjord are two examples of the beauty that you can see.
Join other adventurers to immerse yourself into Alaska’s landscape, or bring 12 friends along for a private tour.
Take the Alaska Railroad to Denali National Park, travel up the Chulitna River by jet boat to a trapper’s cabin, and explore the icy landscape of Prince William Sound and the College Fjord.
Book: Six-night guided tour from £3,050pp, B&B with some meals and all excursions but flights not included (insightvacations.com).
Sin City: The Art of Sin
There’s way more than gambling in Las Vegas, starting with its art scene where you can check out everything from the new Omega Mart interactive experience to the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.
Add in museums dedicated to the mob and the Nevada State Railroad, plus the chance to shoot an AK-47 at a gun range, and you won’t have time for too much blackjack.
Book: Four nights’ room-only in Luxor Las Vegas with flights from £649pp (virginholidays.co.uk).
California, from the top to the bottom
The Golden Gate Bridge is a must-see attraction in San Francisco
Take a 14-night road trip that takes you to San Francisco, San Diego and back.
Stay in Santa Barbara, Cambria and Paso Robles as you cruise the beautiful coastal road. Santa Monica is a great place to cycle along the coast and explore the city before heading to San Diego.
Book: 14 nights’ room-only from £1,979pp with flights and car hire included (trailfinders.com).
Motorhome advantage
You will enjoy a motorhome trip to the North East with campsite fees included and many experiences.
For the tranquility of the Adirondacks, fishing, hiking, and rafting in the Adirondacks, leave New York City behind. Included are boat hire at Lake George, and whitewater rafting down the Hudson. Drive through Vermont and New Hampshire to White Mountain National Forest. Hike the back country and summits around Mount Washington.
Book: 12 nights’ in June, flights not included, from £3,540pp (redsavannah.com).
Arizona’s playground
Scottsdale, a desert city, is an ideal place for outdoor enthusiasts.
The temperatures in January are around 20C. This makes it a perfect time for hiking the Camelback Mountains, paddling down the Lower Salt River, or riding a mountain bike through the McDowell Sonoran Reserve. Then return for some well-earned pampering at the Scott Resort & Spa.
Book: One week room-only with flights and car hire included from £2,449pp (premierholidays.co.uk).
Route 66: Get your thrills
Route 66 runs between Chicago and Los Angles. This is the perfect holiday for petrolheads.
America’s ‘Mother Road’ turns 95 this year, and you can follow the 2,448-mile Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles enjoying kitsch and nostalgia at every turn.
For petrolheads this holiday is for you. You will drive 120- 338 miles per day for 2 weeks and then switch from your normal car in Las Vegas for the final leg of your journey to Los Angeles in a convertible. For the ultimate biking trip, you could do it in a Harley-Davidson. The usual fee for dropping off a vehicle one-way has been eliminated in 2022.
You’ll see small-town America at its best, with all your motels and lodges booked along the way.
Book: 15 nights’ room-only with flights and car hire included from £2,595pp (bon-voyage.co.uk).
Music City sounds great
Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum dedicated to American music preservation.
Nashville is for music, what Hollywood is for film. You can visit the newly opened National Museum of African American Music and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. After that, you will return to the stylish and central Holston House Hotel for a swim in the rooftop pool.
Book: Four nights with flights included from £698pp (ba.com).