Like many things in life, America is best understood by experiencing it, not merely reading about it.
10 American Travel Experiences Everyone Should Have (At Least) Once
Yesterday, I wrote about why the more I travel the world, the more I appreciate traveling in America.
Today, I want to be more specific.
Not a bucket list or a claim that these are the ten “best” places in America. Rather, these are ten travel experiences that reveal something about the United States: its scale, beauty, convenience, ambition, excess, and restlessness.
1. Take A Road Trip Across America
There may be no more American travel experience than a road trip.
Last year, my family drove from Los Angeles to Chicago while loosely retracing historic Route 66. We did not follow the route perfectly, and Route 66 purists may object, but that almost misses the point.
The magic was not in checking off every old motel sign or roadside attraction. It was in watching the country change slowly through the windshield. Flying compresses America. Driving reveals it. 18 months later, I look back with such fond memories of that trip and wife and kids do as well.
If you’re not into driving, try taking Amtrak…we took the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon and the Empire Builder to Glacier National Park in Montana. Another lovely trip.
> Read More: Amtrak Coast Starlight Superliner Bedroom Los Angeles To Portland
> Read More: Amtrak Empire Builder Superliner Bedroom Portland To Glacier Park, MT
2. Drive The California Coast
I have a soft spot for California, and a drive from Los Angeles to Big Sur remains one of the most beautiful trips in the country.
The Pacific Coast Highway is a reminder that America has landscapes that rival anywhere in the world.
Yes, traffic can be miserable and yes indeed, California is expensive. But there are moments along that coast when the cliffs, ocean, and light come together in a way that makes every complaint fade…I’m not exaggerating.
3. Visit Washington, DC At Night
Washington, DC is a place that every citizen should visit. I lived there at different points of my youth and love the District very much.
I still think a long walk through Washington, DC at night is one of the best ways to experience the capital. The monuments are quieter, there are no people, and if you do it in summer, the heat is not as bad. Whatever your politics, standing before the Lincoln Memorial or walking past the Capitol at night has a way of putting the present moment into perspective.
4. Stand Beneath The Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is a rather strange-looking monument on the Mississippi River, but the Eero Saarinen-designed edifice represents expansion, ambition, and the complicated story of moving west…a quintessential American story.
I visited during our Route 66 road trip, and while the weather was brutally cold, the stop was worthwhile (it was even Twelfth Night). America is full of monuments that are easy to dismiss until you actually stand in front of them.
The Arch is one of them.
5. Visit A Great American Art Museum Outside The Usual Cities
One of the great surprises of our Route 66 trip was Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.
I did not expect Bentonville to make such an impression on me, but Crystal Bridges is an American treasure.
That is part of what makes travel in this country so rewarding. Some of the most memorable things are not in New York, Los Angeles, or Washington, DC: they are in places you might otherwise drive or fly past. And as a side note, you meet wonderful people all over the nation…a true joy of traveling domestically.
6. Fly To Hawaii And Remember It Is Still Domestic Travel
There is something remarkable about boarding a 6-hour domestic flight from the West Coast (or 11-hour from the East Coast) and ending up in Hawaii.
A flight from the mainland to Honolulu is long enough to feel international, but you arrive still in the United States. I’ve flown American, Delta, Hawaiian, and United to Hawaii, but the point here is that Hawaii reminds us that America is not just continental…it is Pacific, island, remote, and culturally distinct.
7. See Manhattan From Above
How can you talk about America without talking about New York City? It’s a city that has grown on my over the years, as expensive and congested as it is.
Years ago, I took a Blade helicopter from Manhattan to Newark Airport. It offered one of the most dramatic views of any American city.
New York from the ground can feel chaotic. From above, you can better appreciate its scale and its importance in American history. Every American should see New York at least once, preferably from multiple angles!
8. Eat At A Roadside Chain Without Apologizing
Not every American travel experience needs to be noble. Sometimes it is dinner at Golden Corral after a budget road trip…
I say that only half-jokingly. Roadside restaurants, diners, buffets, truck stops, and chains are part of American travel culture. They are not always healthy or refined, but they are democratic in a way much of travel is not.
There is something deeply American about ending a road trip with a meal with portion sizes that flummox our European visitors. But don’t overdo it…America has an obesity problem too.
9. Spend A Day In Amish Country
One of the things I love most about America is that you don’t have to travel halfway around the world to encounter a completely different way of life. Spend a day in Amish Country in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (or in Ohio, where I saw it first hand) and you’ll find communities that have consciously chosen a simpler way of living in the midst of one of the world’s most technologically advanced nations.
It’s easy to reduce the Amish to horse-drawn buggies and no electricity, but they represent something much deeper: America’s long tradition of allowing very different communities to coexist. Whether or not you agree with their way of life, spending a day there offers a reminder that America has always been a patchwork rather than a monolith.
10. Come Home And See The Country Differently
This final one is not tied to a single destination.
Every American should leave the country, see the world, and then come home with fresh eyes.
That was the point of yesterday’s essay. International travel has not made me less appreciative of the United States, even as it does expose shortcomings. Quite the opposite. It has helped me see what is easy to miss when it is familiar.
CONCLUSION
This list is hardly exhaustive. I could have included Yellowstone National Park, New Orleans during Mardi Gras, a baseball game at Fenway Park, a cattle ranch in Montana, or dozens of other experiences that capture another facet of America.
But that’s my point.
The United States is too large, too varied, and too complicated to be understood through a single city, region, or landmark. It has always been a collection of different landscapes, different traditions, different cultures, and different ideas held together by something larger.
Travel is one of the best ways to understand that. The more I’ve explored this country, the more I’ve come to appreciate not only its beauty, but also its remarkable tapestry of diversity and the infrastructure that makes experiencing it possible.
I’m offering a series of upbeat essays reflecting on America’s 250th anniversary this week.
Fantastic article!
Many wonderful ideas. The Empire Builder to at least East Glacier being an Amtrak favorite. But I would encourage a visit to the United Flight 93 Memorial. It’s an incredibility emotional experience. Our heroes’ families contributed so much to make it personal. Be prepared to honor this place.
Best article you done. 🙂