r/usatravel

Hi folks, I'm seeking your wisdom!

I have about 1-2 weeks of vacation time over the Xmas holidays, traveling alone (can't drive) and would love to explore more of your country (I've previously been to NYC, Chi, SF, LA, Sac,).

I'm into arts and culture (museums are the best!), food and drink (across all price points), festivals/iconic events, and all manner of geekery; not so much into the outdoors (though Yosemite was absolutey gorgeous). I like having a packed itinerary of landmarks/exhibits to see and things to do; I'd rather not laze around the beach for example. I generally cheap out on accommodations and splurge on experiences. I'm trying to avoid places that may be too quiet given the holidays (ex. I was in Spain two Xmases ago and a lot of the restaurants and cocktail bars I wanted to visit were shut, their websites/socials had no notice either).

Would y'all have any recommendations as to where to go that time of year? I'm currently thinking:

1. Seattle -> Portland (I'm not too sure what's around here, just heard it was cool)

2. Philly -> Baltimore -> Washington DC (Smithsonian!!!)

3. Kentucky for bourbon tours (I love whisky and am eyeing the Willett Distillery), but not sure where closeby to go next when I'm all boozed out (pray for my liver)?

4. Not Vegas as I'm sure I'll be there in the future for work/convention/ill-advised bachelor's party/EDC.

5. Not Disney/theme-park related as lining up solo is not fun.

Do any of the above sound like a good time? Should I consider other cities instead? I know it's a very broad question, hopefully I've put enough details here to get some insightful recommendations. I'm not asking for a full itinerary, I can sort that out myself after I have a lock on the destination, though I wouldn't say no to one either :P.

I appreciate your time. Thanks!

Hello, I had a great vacation on the US west coast a few years ago. We travelled the classic route from San Francisco via Yosemite, Death Valley to Las Vegas. Then Grand Canyon, down to Los Angeles and back to San Francisco. The three weeks were purely amazing.

Now we would like to do something similar, but maybe somewhere else in the US. It's a bit tricky for me to chose. Is Miami, Orlando, Charlston, Atlanta, Tampa, Miami a decent plan? On the west coast we enjoyed a lot the nature, even more than the cities. Would you recommend my plan? Or is it more interesting to travel around New York area or maybe a completely different place? There are so many places that seem interesting (New Orleans, Nashville, Yellowstone etc.), but its difficult to plan a great route.
We would like to stay for three weeks and have a nice road trip, to see as much as possible. Any route recommendation is welcome :)

Hi!

We are thinking about going to Chicago or Boston September of 2025, likely making our booking early next year. We always book via Expedia. Mostly choosing to reserve now and pay later. You need to give your credit card info when making the reservation.

Thing is: our card expires next year in the summer and we’re getting our new card somewhere in June (two months before the old one expires). When we receive our new card the old one will be deactivated. What happens to our hotel reservation? Can we just check in with the new card or should we mail them far in advance to make sure they have the new info already before we arrive?

Thanks in advance!