Discover America with Hays Travel
Your next great touring adventure starts here
Now in its 11th edition, Best of Touring brings together a handpicked collection of extraordinary journeys designed for those who want to see more than the famous sights. Working with leading touring partners, Hays Travel has curated adventures that take you deeper into the places you visit, whether that’s by rail, behind the wheel or with an expert Tour Manager bringing every destination to life. Because the best journeys give you the freedom to choose your own adventure.
And nowhere is that truer than America.
Perhaps you’ll follow the railways east, watching the landscape change beyond the carriage window as California coastlines and cities give way to golden prairie, forests, mountains, and the vast, cinematic landscapes of the American West before arriving in the ‘City that Never Sleeps’ – New York. There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about travelling this way: settling into your seat with a coffee, watching the country roll past, and realising that the journey itself has become part of the adventure.
Or maybe you’ll take the wheel. This year, the legendary Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary, making this a particularly special time to chase the spirit of the Mother Road. The Best of Touring collection brings that to life with a 15-day motorcycle adventure. From Chicago towards Los Angeles, the road unravels through eight states, past roadside diners, dusty motels, eccentric towns, and landscapes that seem to stretch forever. There are no airport departure boards here. Just the open road, the radio turned up, and that delicious feeling of wondering what you’ll find around the next bend.
If the thought of navigating America’s vast distances feels overwhelming, then there’s also the joy of simply sitting back and letting someone else take care of the journey. Traditional escorted touring leaves the logistics to the experts, with Tour Managers bringing the stories behind the sights to life as you travel from one unforgettable stop to the next. Stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, where layers of rust-red rock unfold towards the horizon. Walk in the footsteps of history at Elvis’ Graceland in Memphis. Or gaze across San Francisco Bay at the unmistakable silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a classic way to see America: comfortable, expertly planned, and packed with those ‘I can’t believe I’m actually here’ moments.
For a different kind of American soundtrack, head south to its musical heartland. In New Orleans, jazz spills from French Quarter doorways and the scent of Creole cooking hangs in the warm evening air. Follow the Mississippi north and the music changes: blues in Memphis, country in Nashville, rock ‘n’ roll in Tupelo. Here, touring becomes a journey through the sounds, flavours, and stories that shaped a nation. But the wonder reaches beyond the mainland. In Hawaii, volcanic peaks rise above turquoise Pacific waters, black-sand beaches meet lush rainforest, and island traditions, local flavours, and extraordinary wildlife create a completely different rhythm of life altogether.
That is the beauty of touring America. It isn’t one experience, but thousands layered across a single journey. It is sharing stories with fellow travellers over dinner, following roads you once only knew from films, and finally seeing the places you’ve imagined for years with your own eyes. And the latest Best of Touring is filled with journeys that make those moments possible.
Need an extra reason to start turning those travel dreams into plans? To celebrate the launch of the 11th edition, Hays Travel is giving one lucky reader the chance to win £5,000 towards a touring holiday featured in the brochure.
So, whether your America begins on the open road, beneath a Hawaiian palm, or somewhere between the neon lights of Nashville and the canyon walls of Arizona, now is the time to make that long-held American dream a reality.
