Free Road Trip Plan
A USA tour guide offers a free road trip plan for your next adventure!
As a tour guide for the United States, it is my responsibility to organize road trips for groups traveling across the country.
Here is a free road trip plan that I use to help plan every trip in the American southwest so as to avoid any hassle. Keep in mind, however, that part of the
fun of a road lies in its change of plans, so feel free to deviate whenever possible!
San Francisco. Spend the first few days here. Make sure to walk across the Golden Gate bridge (it's free), visit Chinatown (the largest in the country), North Beach for
great Italian food (I recommend Molinari's deli) and walk along the piers. If you are interested in visiting Alcatraz (a former prison on an island in the bay) make
sure to purchase tickets a few days in advance. It takes a large part of your day to see Alcatraz, but is well worth it in my opinion.
Yosemite. The crown jewel of the American National Park System, with over four million visitors annually. If you only have a few days, stick to the Yosemite Valley, making the
obligatory hike up to Half Dome (a long, tiring day) to get a bird's eye view of the valley itself. As you head out of the park (east on highway 120) stop for an afternoon stroll
in Tuolumne Meadows. There are so many obvious spots to stop I won't mention them here!
Las Vegas. The City of Sin, and a place people either love or hate. Still, there's not much else to see or do in Nevada, so it's well worth adding to your road trip plan, if only to marvel at the huge casinos and
resorts. To save money, purchase a bottle of liquor and a huge plastic mug. Add your favorite mixer, and walk the Strip (it's legal to carry alcohol in public). Many people
miss out on the Fremont Experince, which is the old part of Las Vegas. I highly recommend you take the time to check this out on your road trip.
Grand Canyon/Zion/Bryce Canyon National Parks. Try and spend at least two days in each of these. While the Grand Canyon certainly is the most impressive at first, I feel the other two are more enjoyable at
a leisurely pace. Plan to purchase an annual National Parks Pass, which allows free entry to all parks you'll see on your road trip.
Los Angeles. You could circle back to San Francisco, or head towards LA and fly out from there. Disneyland is a must see, as are the many beaches along the coast. Though no one heeds my advice on this, avoid Hollywood and
Rodeo Drive. They are both over hyped, and inevitably disappoint. Better to spend your days exploring Santa Monica, or take a road trip out to Malibu State Park.
Well, there you have it: my free road trip plan for touring the American Southwest. Best of luck! |