From the beautiful coastal roads and the glacial wonder of Alaska to the wine regions of California and all the cultural heritage in between, there are magical moments waiting around every corner and that’s before you even discover the wide array of spectacular parks found across the country, from Bryce Canyon to Yellowstone to Yosemite.
Follow your feet on this 6-day walking tour that shows off the very best of Yosemite...
Explore Washington’s best-kept cycling secret on a 6-day tour of the San Juan Islands,...
Explore Southern Utah on a 6-day cycling adventure with Intrepid Travel from Saint...
Fall in love with the untamed beauty of Alaska on a 6-day walking tour that loops you...
Explore Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell and Monument Valley on this 4-day...
Take two or more on an exclusive trip and tailor your itinerary
Explore Acadia National Park and Maine on a 6-day cycling adventure with Intrepid from...
Discover Alaska on a 7-day walking tour looping from Anchorage along the Kenai...
A 6-day discovery of Wyoming’s highlights, with plenty of wildlife-spotting and vista...
Discover the best of Alaska in summer on a week-long family holiday with Intrepid. From...
Embark on a desert adventure with a 5-day hiking trip through Utah’s Canyonlands and...
Discover the best of the USA’s Wild West on a six-day family Zion ranch stay in Utah....
Explore the rugged landscape of icy Alaska. From Anchorage, head north into the wild of...
Explore northern California on this 6-day Intrepid adventure from San Francisco. Hike...
On this 6-day tour of New Mexico, wander the Pueblo streets of Santa Fe and Taos,...
Explore California’s wine regions on a 6-day cycling adventure with Intrepid from San...
Take a 5-day trip from LA up the famous Pacific Coast Highway. Explore Ventura Beach,...
Take the family on a 6-day adventure in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks....
Uncover the wonders of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula on a 6-day adventure with Intrepid –...
Take an 8-day winter trip in Alaska, visiting Anchorage, Sheep Mountain, Talkeetna,...
Take an adventure through California, Arizona and Nevada past Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon...
Travel from LA via Joshua Tree, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite, Sierra Nevada to...
Take a nine-day overland odyssey from New York to New Orleans with Lonely Planet and...
Dive into the Deep South with this trip through Atlanta, Charleston, Asheville,...
From New York to New Orleans – take a journey through history and music on a small...
From the glitz of the Vegas Strip to the hush of Monument Valley; travel through Zion...
Explore rugged Utah on this eight-day tour created by Lonely Planet and Intrepid. Hit...
Take a trip from the steep hills of San Francisco to the flashing lights of Vegas, with...
Experience Alaskan wilderness on this nine-day Lonely Planet Experience, powered by...
Travel for 18 days from Los Angeles to San Francisco, passing through Las Vegas, the...
From Chicago to New York, with Montreal and Ottawa in between, this tour of the USA and...
Tour New York, Washington DC, Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans, then to LA, Las Vegas...
Experience the Alaskan wild with Lonely Planet and Intrepid, from Anchorage Denali,...
Beginning in Las Vegas, see Zion, Moab and Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Yosemite, the...
Take a road trip from Los Angeles to Vegas on a classic five-day Lonely Planet...
From New York to San Francisco – take a journey through history, music and national...
The Essential Hawaii tour encompasses the islands of Oahu, Hawaii and Maui on an...
Explore Alaska's untouched wilderness on a six-day Lonely Planet Experience from...
Hit the road from Las Vegas to San Francisco on a six-day Lonely Planet Experience,...
Spend one week in Louisiana, Florida and Georgia, connecting the history of the Deep...
From Moab on the outskirts of Canyonlands National Park, to Boulder on the fringes...
For those carnivores on the hunt for their next meat-filled dish and their next...
The boots of female hiking pioneers such as Cheryl Strayed are large ones to fill ...
Reading Time: 4 minutes Stargazing can make you feel humble and powerful at the...
Reading Time: 5 minutes If you want to see the night sky, there are few better...
Reading Time: 5 minutes Music is everywhere in the Big Easy. But where do the...
Reading Time: 5 minutes Skipping America's Deep South is a big, fat, deep-fried,...
From the weird and wonderful to the religious or spiritual, there’s one thing...
Atlanta, Georgia, is the birthplace of the civil rights movement, Coca-Cola and…...
‘What did you eat?’ is what I was asked the most after returning from a road trip...
From deserts, canyons and mountains, to alpine forests, lakes, tropical reefs,...
Reading Time: 5 minutes Is the West Coast *really* the best coast? It is if you...
Reading Time: 6 minutes We take a look five of the United States’ most iconic...
Yellowstone is one of the best places in the world to spot wolves, and lovers of...
Hollywood films and every ‘top things to do’ list will tell you to head on over to...
If you’re after something a little more exciting than blobbing at a beach resort...
If you have a parent who is still in good health, do not hesitate to seize the...
Where to go, what to do, what to pack - and more - all wrapped up in a neat little...
Nothing compares to your first time in New York. Now that you’ve ticked off the...
Like the neighbourhood itself, the food scene in the Lower East Side serves up a...
I thought I knew the United States like the back of my hand - until I did a small...
With so many bizarre geological properties, unique ecosystems and adrenaline...
To experience a total eclipse is surely to have won first prize in the natural...
Doug Whyte's guide to the towns and cities that pepper the Californian coast, from...
Road-tripping across America will reveal cinematic landscapes, bizarre roadside...
These sneaky benefits of visiting California during winter will have you booking a...
Forget about reaching for your wallet with nervous hands. Our guide to tipping in...
We sat down with Intrepid leader, Chadwick, to get the low down on the real Hawaii...
If you watched Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote chase one another through the...
Find out how to explore San Francisco's Mission District. It's the city's oldest...
Sure, cities like New York, San Fran, Las Vegas and Washington DC deserve the...
These are the moments we live for as travellers – finding those spectacular place...
Intrepid believes half the fun of experiencing a new country is getting there, and getting around once there! Where possible, Intrepid uses local transport options and traditional modes of transport - which usually carry less of an environmental impact, support small local operators and are heaps more fun.
Depending on which trip you're on while in the US, you may find yourself travelling by:
Be amazed by enormous glaciers and stunning, icy landscapes while travelling on a ferry in Alaska.
Use pedal power to see the best of Venice Beach and Santa Monica. Cycling is a great way to see the sights and get fit at the same time.
Take in the sights while enjoying a ride on one of San Francisco’s icons – the streetcar.
Travelling with Intrepid is a little bit different. We endeavour to provide travellers with an authentic experience to remember, so we try to keep accommodation as unique and traditional as possible.
When travelling with us in the US you may find yourself staying in a:
Spend a night sleeping in a hogan – a traditional Navajo structure built with an open roof to view the stars.
Get back to nature and enjoy staying in quaint cabins throughout the beautiful national parks of America.
Entrance requirements to the USA have changed in recent years so please read the following instructions carefully, even if you have travelled to the USA before.
Many countries now operate under a visa waiver program (meaning a visa isn't required) however you still need to obtain an authorisation which confirms that you have been approved to travel. This authorisation must be obtained in advance of travel.
Many citizens from Visa Waiver Program countries can travel to the USA without a visa for a 90 day stay, if they meet certain requirements. Travellers from all Visa Waiver Program countries must present a machine-readable passport (which meets US requirements) at the port of entry to enter without a visa, otherwise a US visa is required. You can get further information from the US Department of State website:
- http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors.html
Also please note, all travellers from Visa Waiver Program countries must obtain an electronic travel authorization prior to their flight from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov
All ESTA registration applications or renewals require a US$14.00 fee paid by credit or debit card. You should apply for your visa waiver authorisation at least 1 week prior to travel to avoid any last minute delays. You will require your passport details and your address in the US (you can use the starting point hotel/hostel address).
Please note that if there is any discrepancy between the name on your ESTA, your passport, your tickets and even your frequent flyer membership, you may be detained at Immigration and subject to a secondary inspection which could take a few hours. If you have recently changed your name, please check that your details have been updated everywhere.
If you are from a country eligible for the visa waiver program but are a dual citizen of Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan, or if you have travelled to Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan since 1 March 2011, you will not longer be eligible for the visa waiver program and will instead need to apply for a non-immigrant visa. Please see the Department of State website for more information: http://travel.state.gov//content/travel/en.html
Tipping is very much a part of the culture in the US. Tips are expected at restaurants, cafes and diners, as well as by taxi drivers, valet attendants, porters and hotel maids. People working the service industry generally receive the minimum wage, which is quite low and therefore rely upon tips as a major source of their income. In general, leave 15% of the bill at places serving food, $1 to bar tenders and a few dollars for hotel staff who provide a personal service like carrying bags or cleaning your room.
Internet access is excellent in the US, and internet cafes and Wi-Fi hot spots are easily found in most cities and major towns.
Mobile phone coverage is excellent in most parts of the US although coverage may be patchy in remote, mountainous areas like national parks and canyons. Ensure global roaming is activated before you arrive.
Western-style flushable toilets are the norm in the US.
Cup of coffee = US$1.50-2
Hotdog from street cart = US$2-3
Newspaper = US$0.50-$2
Cinema admission = US$10-12
Drinking water from taps in the US is considered safe unless otherwise marked. For environmental reasons, try to use a refillable water bottle rather than buying bottled water.
Major credit cards are widely accepted by stores in the US. Smaller cafes and shops may not accept credit cards, so ensure you carry enough cash to cover small purchases.
ATMs are common in the US, so finding one won't be a problem in most towns and cities.
Absolutely. All passengers travelling with Intrepid are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of their trip. Your travel insurance details will be recorded by your leader on the first day of the trip. Due to the varying nature, availability and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is very much an essential and necessary part of every journey.
For more information on insurance, please go to: Travel Insurance
Please note these dates are for 2017. For a current list of public holidays in the US go to: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/united-states-america/public-holidays
Intrepid is committed to travelling in a way that is respectful of local people, their culture, local economies and the environment. It's important to remember that what may be acceptable behaviour, dress and language in your own country, may not be appropriate in another. Please keep this in mind while travelling.
In United States, we stay in locally run accommodation including guesthouses, smaller-scale hotels and homestays in an effort to support the local economies. We also visit locally-run restaurants and markets where travellers will have opportunities to support local businesses and purchase handicrafts created by local artisans.