The North American Dream

Not everyone shares the same lofty ambitions of running a succesful small business, owning a three-bedroomed detached house with front and back yard, and having enough spare cash to buy a sports car as well as an SUV. The so-called 'American Dream' varies from place to place, and has limited appeal to many. One of the staple dreams seems to stretch to an international market, though, and that is the great American road trip. Driving holidays USA always seem to elicit visions of vast open spaces, big blue skies, deserted highways, open-topped convertibles, and blaring American rock on the old-fashioned dial-operated radio. It's almost mandatory to stop for burgers in a traditional truck-stop diner, and round off the meal with warm apple pie (a la mode, of course).

Whether it's for a weekend jaunt to Las Vegas, or a two-month odyssey all around the continent, nothing says good times quite like a road trup. Not even ten years ago we were still using mix tapes, but now a little bit of preparation will give you mix CDs or an MP3 player full of your favourite tunes to provide the soundtrack to your self drive USA adventure. A backseat full of luggage, maps, junk food, (children?), spare pillows and blankets, and you're ready to take off down legendary Route 66, or up picturesque Highway 1 in California. Highway 1 snakes its way up the west coast of the USA, visiting beautiful towns and beaches from Orange County in the south to the San Francisco bay area in the north. Stop at Monterey to visit the aquarium, or travel all the way north to see the gigantic redwood forest that continues on into Oregon. Route 66, although famous, is no longer an official highway in the USA. Officials decided that it was no longer relevant, and removed its status. The path from Chicago, Illinois, west to Los Angeles, California, is still well signposted though, and some parts have been renamed 'Historic Route 66'. It is still widely popular amongst tourists, and among locals for nostalgic reasons.

With all the excitement happening in the United States, a lot of people forget about the northern part of North America. It can be even more challenging to undertake driving holidays Canada, because of even longer distances between signs of civilisation, and, depending on the season you travel in, extremely adverse weather conditions. Even in the very mild parts of Canada (typically the western parts of British Columbia on the west coast), it is not recommended to do drive tours Canada in the wintertime. However, in summer, it can be an amazing country to visit, especially if you are keen on the outdoors. Most places in Canada offer stunning places to camp, swim, rockclimb, kayak, and any number of other outdoor activities. Add to this the varied wildlife (where else can you so easily see moose and bears on the same day?), and the friendliness of the people, and a road holiday here is entirely appealing. You may enjoy the solitude so much that you won't want to reach the next town!

22 August 2008