In this special episode, Sandra Potter – specialist North America travel agent and owner of Frontier Travel – joins Daniel to share tales of trips to the USA in this celebratory whistlestop tour of the country to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Covering an incredibly vast territory, this episode starts in New England and heads inland in the north, before taking a detour to the south, venturing west, and finally heading ‘overseas’ to Hawaii and Alaska.

Peppered with personal anecdotes and useful tips, this conversation highlights the absolutely wonderful range of experiences available in the United States, and gives excellent practical advice for designing your own dream American holiday… or should we say, vacation?!

Sandra shares her first rapid 1969 fam trip and contrasts past travel with today’s airports, then highlights classic routes and regions: New England history (Boston, Plymouth Plantation, Vermont/Berkshires), New York and Washington DC for national landmarks, and Charleston for Civil War sites.

They discuss ranch stays in Wyoming/Idaho/Montana, Yellowstone to Jackson Hole and Mormon culture near Salt Lake City, plus skiing in Colorado, Utah and Jackson Hole.

The conversation covers Florida beyond parks (Everglades/Keys), Louisiana plantations and swamps, music hubs (Memphis, Nashville), the Pacific Coast drive, Oregon wine, California highlights (Monterey, San Francisco, Napa, Yosemite), and add-ons Hawaii and Alaska (cruises, Denali).

Practical tips include open-jaw flights, pre-booking, driving, rail options, sales tax, tipping, and using travel agents for protection.