United States

If there’s one country on earth that everyone knows something about, it’s the US. We’ve all seen the films and TV shows and listened to the music, but nothing really prepares you for the treats in store on a US holiday - or for the sheer scale of this fascinating nation.

On your first trip you’ll only scratch the surface of the landscape, which includes the snow-capped mountains of Colorado and Alaska, the sandy beaches of Florida, the great plains of the Midwest and the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona.

Similarly, you could easily spend a week or two exploring each of America’s great cities on USA holidays, as they all have their own personalities. Classy New York is arguably the world’s coolest city, with landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Central Park. Laid-back New Orleans is the home of jazz, flamboyant LA has Hollywood and a legion of celebrities, while Las Vegas is America at its glitziest and most gloriously decadent.

American people are famously patriotic, friendly and as varied as the landscape. Migration from every corner of the world has given the country a fantastic mix of cultures, cuisines and influences. Think of anywhere from Cuba to Japan and Scandinavia to India and you will find those surnames and customs incorporated into the fabric of US life. But America is more than a collection of cultures, and US tours highlight the nation’s distinctive and unique character.

It’s been a rapid rise for this relatively young country. After Columbus arrived in 1492, European nations fought for chunks of territory, and at the time of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the country was under British control. After the Civil War in the 1860s, the US grew in strength and by the outbreak of the First World War was a leading power. American intervention in both World Wars proved decisive, and during the Cold War with the Soviet Union, Americans enjoyed ever-greater prosperity.

Whatever your interests, US holidays will reveal so many sides of America that will delight you. The only problem will come when you’re deciding which part to visit next.