A great way to explore the variety of the West Coast, from beaches to hikes to cities, it’s got it all. Tour leader was great, knew some great places to eat and best way to spend the time we had in each place, booked us on loads of great activities.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Trek America trip in September of 2017. I went as a solo traveller, I wasn't worried at all as I knew the majority of people on the trip would be in the same boat. From the get go when we met our tour leader Alex and each other in LA, it was like we had known each other weeks already! Everybody was really friendly and up for an adventure. Accomodation and activities exceeded expectations. Favorite hotels were at different ends of the scale, from The Golden Nugget in Las Vegas with its pool slide going through a shark tank to the most basic of hostels in Yosemite eating amazing home cooked food and singing songs in the dark outside drinking some beers with the locals. I'm more of a city girl, but I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed the challenging treks in both the Grand Canyon and Yosemite with the views helping us through the tough parts. Favorite city was San Fran, amazing watching the sunset at the Golden Gate with a few beers on a catamaran, taking a ride on the famous cable car, visiting Amoeba Records, and strolling around Union Square ending up at the Cheesecake Factory eating some amazing entrees and cheesecake (a must visit). An amazing and jam packed trip from start to finish, so much ground and amazing sights covered. None of which would have been achieved without tour leader Alex, who went out of his way to bring us to places off the beaten track and make sure we had a good time in the evenings! Would 100% recommend to a friend.
As a solo traveller, I found this trip to be the best way to explore the West Coast. From start to end, it was perfect. Having a tour guide to drive me to all of these wonderful places took all of the stress out of travelling on my own.
It was the perfect mix of cities and National Parks. The accommodation was very decent and great value for money.
I would definitely recommend doing the add on's - San Diego Zoo, Alcatraz, Party Bus in Vegas, Helicopter over the Canyon & the sunset sail under the Golden Gate bridge.
I also recommend getting out of bed early to watch the sunrise over the a Grand Canyon. Such an uplifting experience not to miss.
Most of the group were solo travellers and became like a family from the first night in San Diego. Mix of ages from 21-30 which was nice.
October was such a nice month to travel as California gets an Indian Summer and places weren't as busy with tourists. The longer drives don't seem too long when you are in a comfortable van with access to wifi and Spotify.
Our tour guide Phil was super chill and friendly and knew all of the best spots to eat and drink. Great to have instant access to insider tips and learn about the history behind each stop on the tour.
Before I booked on this trip I was super nervous, I had never travelled alone before, I was worried I wouldn't get on with everyone and everyone else would be in couples/groups of 3, I was worried that on our "free days" our tour leader would not be available and I'd be lost walking around a city I didn't know...but in all honesty this could not have been further from the truth.
The tour was super jam-packed, so being on your own at any given period was pretty impossible as there's always someone who wants to do something, however, if you do need some "me" time, you could go off and have a wander, but our group mainly stuck together. Everyone on our tour was on their own, bar 2 friends. I got on with everyone and our tour leader was more than accommodating, even working on her "free days" to escort us to places we wanted to see. I was so nervous to book this trip alone, it took me a whole 5 years of courage before I actually booked on and boy was it worth it. If you are worried about booking this, I would say don't do a me and wait 5 years, just BOOK IT! you will not regret a thing!
There was so much to see and so many options if you didn't want to partake in any given activity. Our tour leader Jess (who was amazing by the way, and very early on she became our Trek Mom) always made sure that everyone had something to do and was so informative and knowledgeable given it was only her first year with Trek America; we could not have wished for a better tour leader!
My personal highlights were the Grand Canyon (if you can afford it, the helicopter ride is definitely worth it), San Diego is absolutely beautiful and by far my favourite city. Getting to see the Mrs Doubtfire House in San Francisco was my dream come true given it's my favourite film. Also, book your tickets to Alcatraz way in advance if you want to go there (they go on sale 3 months in advance), it is well worth it!
I was also worried that when I booked the trip, there would be no communication between me and my fellow travellers, but when you book on a Trek America trip, you can log on to the "hub" which allows you to post in your specific trip's group, so you are able to talk with your fellow trekkers to sort out times etc for Alcatraz tickets and any other activities that anyone is interested in - setting up a WhatsApp group is always useful too! I can't say enough how amazing this trip was and TAKE ME BACK TO CALIFORNIA - if you have any doubts, please don't, you become like family by the end of the first day and feel like you have known each other for years! I am definitely keeping in touch with my fellow trekkers and have made some life-long friends! AMAZING! Thank you Trek America and Jessica :)
This holiday was absolutely unforgettable. Looking back I can't believe how much we packed in to two weeks; every place we went to was completely different, and I feel like I've experienced some really unique elements of American culture.
The tour was impeccably organised which made everything - even driving through the desert for eleven hours - easy and fun. The accommodation exceeded expectations and was comfortable, central and friendly and we stayed in some really fascinating places, from a hostel in central San Diego to an UNBELIEVABLY COOL hotel in Las Vegas to a hostel in Yosemite with a hot tub that was the perfect cure to a long day of walking.
Couldn't recommend this holiday highly enough, and would definitely look at booking with Trek America again.
This trip is one of the best experiences of my life and I would recommend it to anyone. I was under 21 which meant I couldn't get into most places, so I would recommend waiting if you want to experience Vegas properly but it didn't effect it too much; although we had a party bus in Vegas which was great fun! Traveling with a group of people you have never met before is so nice. It was interesting to meet people from all over the world and we certainly made some friends for life. The memories you will create together is out of this world and I'm so thankful to have met them! Out tour leader, Jess Leitch, was on her first tour and she did a phenomenal job. She was confident and well organised, she had a great personality to add to the experience. Whilst I was there I trekked to skeleton point at the Grand Canyon, which is the most difficult one you cam do In a day but is so rewarding. We went to the stratosphere where I did the sky jump, everyone thought I was crazy doing it but it was such a rush! We hiked at Yosemite, which has some amazing views! The cities were amazing and the accommodations were all clean and comfortable. Going with trek America was the best decision as I would never have been able to sort out transport and get a round to all the places they sorted out for us. Its a great way to travel and meet new people; I would use them again in the future for sure.
I have always wanted to do an American Road trip and when i saw the itinerary for the westerner BLT I just had to book! As I booked last minute I also managed to get a food discount which made the trip very good value for money!
Our tour leader Jessica Leitch informed us that this was her first trek post training. She did not disappoint and was very organised. She showed enthusiasm the whole way and spent time with everyone even on her day off. At the end of the trip she made everyone a little illustrated map of the trip with quotes and jokes which was a nice really nice touch and something I will treasure forever.
Our group itself was 11 people from england, scotland, germany, finland, australia and Iraq. It was a good mix and we mostly hung out all together as a big group which was nice, although some days made more sense to split up to get more doen and there was limited time in some places to see everything like in vegas and yosemite.
It's hard to pick a highlight of the trip as it was all so amazing, however I would say probably yosemite or grand canyon as they were both breathtaking. The hikes were a little tough but very rewarding and worth pushing yourself for. Just make sure to take plenty of water and comfortable shoes!
The hotels on the BLT were all good quality with HUGE beds, Sharing a room was never a problem. Theyw were all quite well located and most had free WIFI. The golden nugget in vegas has a swimming pool slide that goes trough a shark tank! We spent 2 nights in hostels, one in san diego which seemed to be in the process of re-refurbishment but was okay and another called the yosemite bug which was in the forest and had a lovely restaurant and spa offering treatments so didn't really feel like a hostel at all!
I don't want to write too much about the details of the trip and ruin the surprise but I would say on the whole that it was amazing and I saw pretty much everything I imagined and more!
My only regret is not parting properly in vegas, unfortunately on the first night there was a problem with the soundsystem on our party bus and we had to wait an hour for a replacement which led to us missing the free entry arranged for the club. Jess the tour leader arranged for us to go to a pool party the following night but I wasn't really feeling it as had to be up at 7.00 the next morning for a 8 hour journey so opted out but I wish I had gone as others who went said it was amazing!
To summarise it was an unforgettable trip and met some amazing people and made some memories i will never forget! really was a trip of a lifetime. Can't wait until I have enough money to book another!
Westerner 2 BLT 6 july to 19 july
Going to America had always been a dream of mine. I had first heard of Trek America four years ago whilst at Univeristy. It took me four years to pluck up the courage to book this trek...and I'm so glad I finally did! It's honestly hands down one of the best things I've ever done.
If you're worried about travelling alone, don't be! I heard the expression 'Trek Family' on forums & social media before I went and didn't really get it. However at the end of our trek we really did feel like a family, and we have had reunions since we have arrived home.
Accommodation was not budget in the slightest! I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to travelling, and having never stayed at a hostel before this was something I was really nervous about. We stayed in just two hostels during the trek and both were so much better than what I was expecting! The hotels were top standard too...especially the Golden Nugget in Vegas!!
The trek itself has a great balance of cities/partying and nature. I've ticked SO many things off my bucket list during this trek. This was mainly due to our amazing tour leader, Kayla. She did everything she could to make the trek a trip of a lifetime and for that I will always be so grateful.
In summary, if you are reading this and thinking "should I? shouldn't I?"...just go for it!! You will not regret it! Four months on and I'm still nowhere near getting over this Trek... and in all honesty I don't think I ever will be!!
Don't be fooled into thinking this is your typical holiday trip as there is nothing relaxing about this particular trek. However, you will see the most amazing sights, meet the most amazing people and experience the most amazing times of your life all in two weeks! It's all worth it.
My best friend and I were fortunate enough to have an amazing group of trekkers and the best trek leader (Rachel) which made the trek completely enjoyable, but remember this is completely a luck of the draw element to the Trek America experience. But for me this added to the excitement previous to us starting the trek.
Best parts of the trek for me personally were the surprisingly nice hotels after staying in a few crazy hostels, its all part of the fun!
Worst parts of the trek were the long hours in the van - nobody seems to mention these before you book the trek which seems weird to me as they are a massive part of the trip. They are long and hard but you bond with your fellow trekkers and learn to get on with it. WIFI in the van however needs to be improved as some people use it ALOT more than others.