- - Las Vegas Strip highlights drive
- - Meow Wolf Light Show
- - Entry to Grand Canyon National Park
- - Entry to Monument Valley Tribal Park
- - Sante Fe highlights drive
- - Visit the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo
- - Visit Fort Worth Historic Stockyards
- - Dallas highlights drive
- - Visit Billy Bob’s Texas honky-tonk
- - Walking tour of New Orleans’ French Quarter
- - Walking tour of Memphis
- - Driving/walking tour of Nashville with Trip Leader
- - Night illumination tour of Washington, DC
- - Philadelphia highlights drive
Your dream trip starts here
Get Social: USA West to East
Trip Overview
Tales From Topdeckers
Trip itinerary
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Los Angeles (California)
1La la land: a city characterised by its blissful lack of touch with reality. It’s the perfect place to ditch your everyday routine and catapult into a cross-country USA adventure! First: meet your Topdeck fam. This lot? They’re your people. Then: we’ll dig into our included group dinner and get pumped for good times. Ready for over two weeks’ worth of OG road trippin’? Hell yeah!
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Meals
- Dinner
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Meals
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Los Angeles – Las Vegas (Nevada)
2Stock up on snacks, hop on board and dig out the AUX cord – Vegas is calling! Get to know your trip mates better during the ride and soak up those all-American wide-open spaces before the crazy of Sin City. Seriously, this place is so neon it hurts to look at. But we’ll do just that on a driving tour – before donning our sequin bowties and stilettos for a night on the town. Psyched?
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Included Today
- Las Vegas Strip highlights drive
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Included Today
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Las Vegas
3From big-budget stage shows, Michelin-star restaurants and Eiffel Tower clones – Vegas is the definition of OTT. But you can’t help love it anyway. Anything goes here and you’ve got a full day to make the most of it. Our suggestions? Take an optional heli-tour over The Strip. Flash some plastic at the mall. Or truly show your new travel bestie how much you love ’em at a little white chapel. Tonight? Gather the gang and be dazzled by Meow Wolf (Google it). The immersive light show is out of this world...
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Included Today
- Meow Wolf light show
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Optional extras
- Heli-tour over the Las Vegas Strip: prices available locally
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Included Today
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Las Vegas – Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona) – Flagstaff
4Arizona – this state is made for road trips. Stretches of endless sky. Expanses of red desert. Centuries-old history. And some pretty famous rock formations. Today we’re heading to the home of the Grand Canyon. One word to describe this place: legendary. Group pics nailed and bellies grumbling, quiz your in-the-know Trip Leader on where to head for tonight’s feed in Flagstaff.
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Included Today
- Entry to Grand Canyon National Park
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Included Today
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Flagstaff – Grand Canyon National Park – Flagstaff
5Can’t get enough of the canyon? You're in luck. Today, you’ll have a full day to explore more of one of the world’s most incredible natural wonders. The only way to see it in its entirety is from the sky. Lucky for you, we’ve organised an optional heli-tour. Prepare to be wowed by AWESOME vistas of the canyon’s iconic landscape.
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Included Today
- Entry to Grand Canyon National Park
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Heli-tour over the Grand Canyon: prices available locally
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Included Today
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Flagstaff – Monument Valley – Durango (Colorado)
6After another included brekkie, today’s first stop = Mars. Actually – it’s Monument Valley, but it may as well be another planet. This INCREDible red-sand desert is out of this world. See for yourself during a guided orientation tour. Afterwards, you’ve got options. Head out on horseback with an optional riding experience or go zip-lining. Here in winter? Jump on a snowmobile and explore the white stuff in style. Then, it’s time to make tracks to Durango where the evening is yours.
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Included Today
- Orientation tour of Monument Valley Tribal Park
- Entry to Monument Valley Tribal Park
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Horse riding (summer only): prices available locally
- Zip-lining (summer only): prices available locally
- Snowmobile tour (winter only): prices available locally
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Included Today
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Durango – Santa Fe – Albuquerque (New Mexico)
7Wave bye to the rugged Colorado mountains from the back of the coach. First up today: arty Santa Fe. After we’ve checked out the highlights on a driving tour, grab some lunch and wander around the historic heart of the city. Fan of Breaking Bad? We’re rolling into Heisenberg’s old stomping ground later today. Prepare to spice up your life when you hunt down dinner this eve: this place is also famed for its love of chilis. Pro tip: ask for ‘Christmas’ to get maximum hotness. Or don’t. No one wants a bawling trip mate.
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Included Today
- Sante Fe highlights drive
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Included Today
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Albuquerque – Amarillo (Texas)
8Ready for something a bit... different? On Route 66 we’ll check out the quirky art installation at the Cadillac Ranch. Then: is this the way to Amarillo? Hope so, or we’re totally lost. Don’t be fooled, this is a ‘go big or go home’ kinda place. Speaking of going big, how does an optional hot air balloon ride over the Texas desert sound? Tonight, there’s another included group feed on the cards *stuffs napkin into shirt*.
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Included Today
- Visit the Cadillac Ranch
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Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
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Optional extras
- Hot air balloon ride: prices available locally
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Included Today
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Amarillo – Fort Worth
9Fill up at breakfast and practise your best yeee haaaa! – we’re heading to the wild, wild west with a visit to the Fort Worth Historic Stockyards. Lasso your way around the original brick walkways and wooden corrals of ‘Cowtown’ before watching Texan cowboys in action during the daily cattle drive. Tonight is totally up to you. Our pick? Fully commit to Tex-Mex and get stuck into all the tacos, enchiladas and chimichangas you can handle. RIP white T-shirt.
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Included Today
- Visit Fort Worth Historic Stockyards
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Included Today
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Fort Worth – Dallas – Fort Worth
10Down that cup of Joe. Today, ‘Big D’ is yours for the taking. First up, a drive around the city’s highlights. The rest is up to you. Need recommendations? *Grabs foam finger and points at Trip Leader* – they’ve got them. Jump on the vintage (and free = win) McKinney Avenue Trolley and jump off to sample the local bars. Then jump back on again. You get the idea. Top up your culture levels at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Or perfect your pano skills at Reunion Tower. Tonight, you'll head back to Fort Worth to check out Billy Bob’s Texas – the World’s Largest Honky Tonk. 30 bars. Live music. Bull riding. Ready to swing your partner round and round? Responsibly, obvs.
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Included Today
- Dallas highlights drive
- Visit Billy Bob’s Texas
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Included Today
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Fort Worth – New Orleans (Louisiana)
11Full disclosure: this is a drive day. But it’ll be totally worth it when we roll into New Orleans. Trust us. We’ll start with a walking tour of the French Quarter (aka New Orleans’ Crown Jewel). Wanna know what’s on the menu for dinner? Between gumbo and po-boys, jambalaya and muffulettas, beignets and bananas foster – it’s safer to try them all. Your pants are elasticated, right? Later, the legendary party vibes of Bourbon Street await – arm yourself with a Hand Grenade cocktail for the real experience.
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Included Today
- Walking tour of the French Quarter
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Included Today
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New Orleans
12A city exploding with culture, history and seriously good food – you’ve got 24 hrs of freedom, so don’t muck about. Check out the open-air gallery in Jackson Square. Hit up the French Market for shopping. Uncover your love for jazz along Frenchman Street. Get amongst the mayhem on Bourbon Street. You could even fill your belly with more local bites during an optional cooking class. Wanna get a little bit outta your comfort zone? Board an optional swamp tour for more ‘gator spotting. Or, if you’ve booked a winter trip, get a behind-the-scenes look at the city’s most ICONIC event at Mardi Gras World. Whatever you choose, you can't go wrong.
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Optional extras
- New Orleans cooking class: prices available locally
- Swamp tour in New Orleans (summer only): prices available locally
- Visit to Mardi Gras World (winter only): prices available locally
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Optional extras
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New Orleans – Memphis (Tennessee)
13Say goodbye to New Orleans and hello to the birthplace of rock n’ roll. Ngl – it’s a bit of a drive to Memphis. Meaning? Your chance to impress the fam with your best Elvis impression (lucky them!). When we pull into Memphis, it’s time for a walking tour. We’ll stick to the iconic Beale Street area: a former red-light district turned home of the American Blues. Dinner’s on you, but your Trip Leader knows the hot spots.
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Included Today
- Walking tour of Memphis
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Included Today
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Memphis – Nashville
14This morning, do your own thing or hit up Graceland on an optional tour. Elvis Presley’s former-mansion-turned-museum is one of the most ICONIC musical heritage sites in the Deep South. There’s also an optional trip to the National Civil Rights Museum on the cards if you fancy swotting up on an important era of American history. Afterwards, sling on a cowboy hat and tune up that fiddle. Why? Cos we’re making a beeline for America’s country music capital: Nashville. Your Trip Leader will take you on a tour of its highlights. Then, why not practice your scoots and brushes with an optional line dancing class at the Wildhorse Saloon? Yeehaw!
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Included Today
- Driving/walking tour of Nashville with Trip Leader
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Morning visit to Graceland: prices available locally
- Visit National Civil Rights Museum: prices available locally
- Line dancing class at the Wildhorse Saloon: prices available locally
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Included Today
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Nashville
15It’s your day, your way. What’s first? Hit up the Country Music Hall of Fame for an education in all the folk and blues greats. Go star spotting on a stroll around the Music City Walk of Fame Park. Check out the Grand Ole Opry for an old-school country music experience. Or head to a legit Tennessee whiskey distillery for a glug of the smoky stuff. It’d be rude not to, right? This eve, show off your own singing skills at a Nashville karaoke bar. Dolly Parton, anyone?
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Grand Ole Opry show: prices available locally
- Visit Country Music Hall of Fame: prices available locally
- Visit Music City Walk of Fame Park
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Meals
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Nashville – Charlotte (North Carolina)
16Room still spinning? Our included brekkie should sort you out this morning. Then: onwards to Charlotte! A city with a tagline like “Charlotte’s Got A Lot” means expectations are HIGH. But with urban forests, specialty museums, the NoDa art scene and two brewery districts – we’d have to agree, this place has a lot going on. So, get exploring! Afterwards, meet back up with the gang for an optional evening out at the Slingshot Social Game Club. Cue: supersized cheeseburgers, tenpin bowling and heaps of laughs.
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Visit Slingshot Social Game Club in Charlotte: prices available locally
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Meals
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Charlotte – Washington, DC
17Hitting the road bright and early, we’re heading to the OG of American politics. We’ll arrive in DC just in time to see the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall, the Whitehouse and Capitol Hill lit up like Christmas on an illumination tour. Then: round up the squad and swing by Ben’s Chili Bowl for traditional DC hot dogs and chili cheese fries *drools uncontrollably*.
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Included Today
- Night illumination tour
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Included Today
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Washington, DC
18You’ve got 24 hours. Your undercover mission, should you choose to accept it... ok, you get the gist. Our suggestion? Nab yourself a set of wheels on a bike tour. Then, hit up the array of FREE museums. From the National Museum of American History to the National Air and Space Museum, and the International Spy Museum – there’s something for literally everyone. And this far into the trip, you know the bud who’ll be into it too... Tonight, it’s our last dinner with the group. Time to give this epic American adventure the send-off it deserves.
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Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
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Optional extras
- Bike tour: prices available locally
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Meals
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Washington, DC – Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) – New York City (New York)
19The Big Apple is calling. But first: Philly. The home of Rocky and the Declaration of Independence – this place is crawling with colonial history and culture. Get the lowdown on a driving tour before we wrap up our road-trip-of-a-lifetime in iconic NYC. Where's the highway taking us next? Get that reunion trip locked in!
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Included Today
- Philadelphia highlights drive
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Included Today
What's included
Included experiences
Accommodation
- 13 nights in hotel-style accommodation, 5 nights in hostels
Transport
Optional activities
- FYI: these are optional activities available locally. Things might change – prices are here to give you a rough idea.
- Heli-tour over the Las Vegas Strip: prices available locally
- Heli-tour over the Grand Canyon: prices available locally
- Monument Valley Navajo jeep tour: prices available locally
- Horse riding in Durango (summer only): prices available locally
- Zip-lining in Durango (summer only): prices available locally
- Snowmobile tour in Durango (winter only): prices available locally
- Hot air ballooning in Amarillo: prices available locally
- New Orleans cooking class: prices available locally
- Swamp tour in New Orleans (summer only): prices available locally
- Visit to Mardi Gras World (winter only): prices available locally
- Morning visit to Graceland: prices available locally
- Visit National Civil Rights Museum: prices available locally
- Line dancing class at the Wildhorse Saloon: prices available locally
- Grand Ole Opry show: prices available locally
- Visit Country Music Hall of Fame: prices available locally
- Visit Music City Walk of Fame Park
- Visit Slingshot Social Game Club in Charlotte: prices available locally
- Bike tour of Washington, DC: prices available locally
Views & Reviews
Latest Reviews
Average rating based on 14 reviews-
Anonymous March 2024
I had a lot of fun on this trip and really enjoyed most of it, the tour group was pretty great and I got exactly what I wanted in regards to having people to travel with.
The itinerary was pretty good, it covered a lot of great spots across the country so you will get a decent idea of some of the highlights the USA has to offer. However, not all of it was amazing. The biggest issue I had was that the advertised itinerary was misleading, we stayed in Fort Worth instead of Dallas and only were provided a 3hr return trip to Dallas from the hotel in Fort Worth. It looks like this has been communicated and fixed already, which is good, just frustrating as I expected to have more time in Dallas. The strangest decision in regards to the itinerary was we stopped off at beautiful Santa Fe for lunch, then stayed the night in Albuquerque which we were told was dodgy/dangerous at night, and best to stay near the hotel. Given they were only an hour apart I don't understand why we wouldn't stay at Santa Fe instead.
There were a lot of pitstops in the middle of nowhere or at truck stops where the only food options were fast-food. This is probably just 'Murica rather than something in the control of Topdeck, but it's worth keeping in mind that where you go is very spread out with not much in between.
The optional activities were great, definitely recommend the heli trip over Grand Canyon, the jeep ride in Monument Valley, the horse riding and ziplining in Durango and the bike ride in DC. I don't recommend the swamp tour in New Orleans. If it was like 20 minutes long, didn't take so long to get there and it wasn't bitterly cold then maybe it would be alright, it was just really uninteresting for the most part (I started nodding off a couple of times). You really don't see much, it's all the same, gators are the only interesting part.
The accommodation was all really good, some questioned the hotels but I thought for a whirlwind tour like this they were all very satisfactory. Even the hostels were quite nice. The only issue was that often we were staying well outside the town/city and had to catch Ubers to get in, or just not really go anywhere. I feel like they could compromise a little bit of time to have us stay somewhere closer to the action.
The bus driver was a bit weird and he unfortunately was a source of discussion the whole trip, a few of the women felt a bit uncomfortable (not in a dangerous/creepy way, just how he talked to them).
If you want to see America and don't have a clue where to go then I'd recommend this tour, it gives you a good idea/taste of it. Definitely spend extra time in New York City though, that's the real highlight of the US. -
Anonymous November 2023
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Anonymous November 2023
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