Wedded Wonderland

Luxury holidays in the USA

United States of America travel packages

Linger over lunch in Sonoma wine country and watch sunrise warm Utah's red canyon walls. Tell us the America you have in mind, and we map the drives, flights and lodges.

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Drive America's great parks and wine roads

Many travellers know the USA through its cities, but the real surprise is the scale of its wild country. In Yosemite, granite walls rise above giant sequoias. In Utah and Arizona, red canyons glow at dawn, and the Grand Canyon is bigger in person than any photo suggests. Further north, Jackson Hole sits below the Teton Range on the doorstep of Yellowstone.

The cities and wine country give a softer counterpoint. San Francisco sits in its Pacific fog, an hour or so by road to the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma. Boston and New England bring colonial history and autumn colour, and Florida offers warm water and the Everglades. Add Alaska for bears and glaciers or Hawaii for volcanoes, and come hungry, because America eats on a big scale.

Search our USA journeys

United States of America

Denali and Prince William Sound

9 days · 8 nights

Fairbanks → Denali National Park → Denali Highway → Valdez → Whittier → Girdwood → Anchorage

You start in Fairbanks with a dog musher's welcome dinner, gold panning and reindeer in the spruce forest. A dome rail car takes you to Denali for a guided hike, a wildlife drive and a helicopter landing on a glacier. You drive the remote Denali Highway to Valdez to kayak a glacial lake, then cruise Prince William Sound to Whittier and end at a mountain resort in Girdwood.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Denali and Prince William Sound

United States of America

New York and Canada's Atlantic coast

14 days · 13 nights

New York City → Saint John → Halifax → Sydney → Gaspé → Sept-Îles → Saguenay → Québec City

You spend three days uncovering lesser-known New York before boarding your ship. The voyage calls at the Bay of Fundy, Halifax, Cape Breton and the Magdalen Islands, then follows the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Gaspé, Sept-Îles and Baie-Comeau. Whale watching in the Saguenay fjord and a day in Québec City end the journey.

Price on enquirySee the journey: New York and Canada's Atlantic coast

United States of America

Wildlife around the world by private jet

26 days · 25 nights

La Paz → Kona → Tokyo → Borneo → Panna National Park → Volcanoes National Park → Maasai Mara or Amboseli → Malta

From Portland your private jet heads to Mexico's Sea of Cortez to swim with whale sharks, then to Hawaii for humpback whales and Japan for snow monkeys in their hot springs. Borneo's orangutans, Bengal tigers in Panna and a pause in the Seychelles lead to mountain gorillas in Rwanda. A Kenyan safari in the Maasai Mara or Amboseli and a village festa in Malta close the journey before Boston.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Wildlife around the world by private jet

Get out into America's great outdoors

Each of these can join your American days, fitted to the season.

  • Cycle Sonoma wine country

    A guide leads an easy ride through Sonoma's vineyards and farms, with stops to taste along the way.

  • Hike and kayak in Yosemite

    Walk below the granite walls of Yosemite with a guide, then paddle a calm river as eagles and deer come into view.

  • A private Monterey Bay Aquarium tour

    See the sharks, kelp forest and sea otters of Monterey Bay Aquarium with a private guide.

  • Whale watching in Monterey Bay

    Ride a fast eco-raft across Monterey Bay to look for dolphins, sea lions and passing whales.

  • Grizzly bears at Chinitna Bay

    Fly by bush plane to Chinitna Bay on Cook Inlet and watch grizzly bears feeding along the shore.

  • Raft the Snake River

    Run Class III rapids through the Snake River Canyon with a river guide, near Jackson Hole.

  • A sleigh ride to a riverside camp

    Wrap up under blankets in a horse-drawn sleigh and glide through snowy country to a camp by the river, with the Tetons in view.

Choose New England, California or Florida

America's regions differ hugely in climate, so most trips focus on one or two.

  • Boston and New England

    A walkable harbour city of revolutionary history, Harvard and seafood, with the autumn colour of New England beyond it.

  • San Francisco

    Cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge and neighbourhoods built over steep hills, with a food scene shaped by the bay and the farms around it.

  • Sonoma wine country

    Rolling vineyards and small towns an hour north of San Francisco, known for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and long lunches among the vines.

  • Fort Lauderdale and Florida

    Canals, beaches and warm winter sun on Florida's Atlantic coast, and a common port for cruises into the Caribbean.

Match America's seasons to your route

The USA spans many climates, so the best month depends on the region.

  • JanuaryMixed

    Cold in Boston, mild and green in Florida, cool in California.

  • FebruaryMixed

    Winter in the northeast, warm and dry days in Florida.

  • MarchGood

    Spring begins in California, Florida's best beach weather.

  • AprilGood

    Wildflowers in wine country, mild days in Boston and San Francisco.

  • MayBest

    Warm across most of the country, before the summer crowds.

  • JuneGood

    Long days in New England, fog often rolls into San Francisco.

  • JulyGood

    Summer in Boston and Sonoma, hot and humid in Florida.

  • AugustGood

    Warm in the north and California, storms possible in Florida.

  • SeptemberBest

    San Francisco's warmest month and harvest begins in Sonoma.

  • OctoberBest

    Autumn colour in New England and the grape harvest in wine country.

  • NovemberGood

    Quiet and crisp in the north, Florida turns dry and pleasant.

  • DecemberMixed

    Cold and festive in Boston, mild winter sun in Florida.

Fly non-stop to Los Angeles

Flying times from a few major gateways. Your travel expert finds the best connection from your home airport.

  • Sydney (non-stop): about 13.5 h
  • Melbourne (non-stop): about 14.5 h
  • Brisbane (non-stop): about 13 h
  • Perth (one stop): about 20 h
  • Los Angeles (non-stop): about 5.5 h
  • London (non-stop): about 7 h
  • Dubai (non-stop): about 14 h

Head north into Canada

Vancouver and the Rockies sit a short flight from the West Coast.

  • Canada

    Vancouver and the lakes of the Canadian Rockies.

  • Mexico

    Maya cities, Chiapas highlands and the Copper Canyon railway.

Plan the practical side of America

Do I need an ESTA for the USA?
It depends on your passport. For visits of less than 90 days, travellers from Visa Waiver Program countries, including the UK, most of the EU and Australia, apply online for an ESTA. You need a full visa instead if you're not eligible, for example if you've travelled to Cuba since January 2021. Check your own government's travel advice before you book, as rules change.
When should we visit Yosemite and the Grand Canyon?
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable, with Yosemite's waterfalls running in spring and fewer visitors in autumn. Summer is busy and hot in the desert parks, and snow closes some park roads in winter.
How many days do we need for a West Coast road trip?
Ten to 14 days covers San Francisco, the wine country, Yosemite and the coast road south at a comfortable pace. Add four or five days for Utah's canyons or the Grand Canyon.
Do we need reservations to enter America's national parks?
Some popular parks use timed entry or vehicle reservations at busy times, and the rules change between years. Your travel expert checks the current system for each park on your route and books entry with your lodges.
Should we add Alaska or Hawaii to a USA trip?
Alaska suits the northern summer, with glaciers, whales and bears seen from a small ship or a wilderness lodge. Hawaii works all year and has non-stop flights from the mainland, Asia and Australia, so it can open or close a longer American trip.
Which US cities make the best gateways?
It depends on where you start. Los Angeles and San Francisco suit arrivals from Australia and Asia, with non-stop flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and Sydney also has direct routes to Dallas and Houston. From Europe, New York and Boston are natural starts. From there, domestic flights reach every park gateway.
Where can we celebrate a milestone birthday in the USA?
Napa and Sonoma suit a long lunch among the vines and a winery suite, while a desert resort near Sedona gives you starry skies and quiet. In New York, a celebrated restaurant and a Broadway show make a night of it.

Tell us about your trip to the USA

Tell us when you want to go, for how long and who is travelling. Your travel expert replies in writing with a trip shaped around you.

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