Unless you find the English drizzle endearing....

...You might want to explore a little further this summer. It’s fair to say I’ve always been somewhat of a homebody. School trips as a child were marred with emotional farewells to the parents and a week of crying because I missed my own bed. But with my first year of University approaching in the Autumn I decided a summer of travelling would be an enriching experience that would give my childlike self a independent kick up the backside.

I’d always viewed America as the UK’s ostentatious sibling. 90210 looking beauties on every corner and historical monuments being converted into new McDonalds. I’d never considered it as a place to travel mainly because its way of life seemed similar to mine. We spoke to the same language, ate in the same restaurants and read about the same celebrities. How could a summer in America differ vastly from a summer back home?
6 weeks of travelling around North America has left me with an endless list…

Trek America describes its tours as “exciting small group adventures” and seemed to cater for the solo traveller. I was instantly drawn to the Grand Trek. 42 days travelling around North America with a small group of young and hopefully tolerable people.
Four months of intense saving and budget living later I found myself in a hotel room in Secaucus, New Jersey, nervously anticipating the next 6 weeks of my life. Down in reception I met my tour leader Art. He greeted my group as “dudes” and “dudettes” and thought one of my fellow travellers tattoos was “completely rad”. His energy and warmth relaxed us all and nervous faces started to break into friendly smiles. We clambered into a van that Art described as “home away from home for the next 6 weeks”.

As soon as we hit the road, conversations began to flow whilst Art’s compilation of “Cheese tastic hits” played in the background. 7 hours of Abba later we arrived at a beautiful camp in Ohio, overlooking a lake. My tent buddy Caitlin was strides ahead of me when it came to putting up a tent and the whole thing was erected faster then I could say “what does a peg look like?” As a group we made a dinner of fajitas washed down with a few bottles of Corona. I watched the sun set over the lake with my new friends. I was a million miles away from home and I was perfectly happy to be there.

Despite the hectic nature of the tour, early mornings EVERY morning, different campsites every two days, you could rely on some sort of routine. Every morning we gathered around the campsites picnic bench for bagels and coffee before taking down our tents and packing the van, ready to hit the road again. The long drives would be broken up by “Gas stops” “Pee stops” and the always exciting “Gas stop, pee stop, lunch stop”.
The cities of America were so much more then I imagined they would be. Chicago reminded me of a more compact Manhattan. A bike tour around the city showcased its wondrous sights and sealed its fate as my favourite city. Las Vegas was most definitely a sin city. It made no apologies for its loud, bold attitude and I loved my time there (despite being under 21 and unable to drink or gamble, but I’m not bitter…much)

As the weeks past I found all my previous notions of America wash away. Despite the high rise cities, America’s landscape was so diverse. The first time we drove into Yosemite National Park I was blown away by the scenery. This was a side of America that Friends and Sex and The City had never shown me. A small group of us decided to attempt a 6 hour hike to the top of the waterfall. 8 hours later I finished with burnt shoulders, 7 insect bites and memories of the most breath taking views I hade ever seen.

When we visited Monument Valley, we stayed with a group of Native Americans called the Navajo tribe. I’d never seen such beautiful desert landscape before. As they danced and sang for us, I felt like a character in Pocahontas. If only my friends back in rainy old England could see me now I thought. Not a McDonalds or 90210 beauty in sight.
My favourite landmark was the Grand Canyon. We were woken up at four in the morning and sleepily piled into the van. It’s fair to say I’m not one for the early mornings but standing with my feet at the edge of the rock watching the sunrise over this magnificent piece of natural beauty, sleep was the last thing on my mind.
I’m glad to say that my summer in America gave me more then just independence. My travelling companions became my family and I’ve experience things I will never forget. Maybe America is the UK’s ostentatious sibling but like most outlandish characters, there’s more to them then meets the eye.