2019-10-01 Wanderlust

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MahulPatel

Countriesvisited: 17

Favouritecity:

NewYork

Toptip:Whenyouthink

ofwineinCalifornia,theNapa

Valleyusuallyfirstspringsto

mind-butdon’tmisstheEdna

Valley.Thislesser-knownwine

regionisnearthecityofSanLuis

Obispo,whereyoucansample

tippleswiththelocalsbefore

exploringtheeclecticdowntown.

Makesureyouvisitthe70-foot-

longBubblegumAlley,where

you’llbeinvitedtopartakeinan

unusualriteofpassage:creating

graffitioutofchewinggum.Abit

gross,butprettyfun.

SarahHickin

Countriesvisited: 40

Favouritecity:San

Francisco

Toptip:Yosemite

NationalParkisoutofthisworld,

butcangetcrowded.Ifyouwant

aquieterexperience,driveto

SequoiaNationalPark,justsouth

ofitsbiggersister.Hereyou’ll

findsomeofthelargesttreeson

Earth–oneofthemissobigyou

canactuallydrivethroughits

trunk.Don’tmissthe30-minute

climbupMoroRocktoseethe

rollingmountainsfromabove.

GregStrachey

Countries visited: 32

Favourite city: Idyllwild

Top tip: Many road

trippers venturing from

LA to Joshua Tree National Park

will make an overnight stop in

popular Palm Springs. On your

way, visit California’s best kept

secret nestled just above it.

The mountainous town of

Idyllwild lies in the San

Bernardino National Forest,

in the shadow of the mighty San

Jacinto Peak. The vibrant retreat

is a hub for creatives, with the

arts celebrated on a huge scale.

Make sure you also look out for

the town’s ‘canine mayor’:

a democratically elected golden

retriever called Max II who has

been in office since 2013.

RachelNewton

Countries visited: 35

Favourite city: Boston

Top tip: I love America’s

national parks, but don’t

forget to visit the little-publicised

state parks too. They are just as

beautifulandoftencompletely

deserted.Barelyanyonehas

heardofGoblinValleyinUtah,for

example,despitebeingjustan

hour’sdrivefromthevery

popularArchesNationalPark.

Evenwhenexploringduring

Utah’speakseason,you’llhave

GoblinValleylargelytoyourself.

AliahShindler

Countriesvisited: 35

Favouritecity:

Nashville

TopTip:SouthDakota

isofcoursefamousforMount

Rushmore,butnotmanypeople

knowthatabouta30-minute

driveawayistheCrazyHorse

Memorial–settobetheworld’s

largestmountaincarving.The

work,whichbeganbackin 1948

andcontinuestothisday,

depictsthefigureofCrazy

Horse,a19thcenturyNative

Americanhero.

AnnaSharman

Countries visited: 36

Favourite city:

San Francisco

Top tip: If you’re road

tripping in the Deep South, you’ll

no doubt have Bourbon Street

in New Orleans on your radar.

But while you’re exploring, don’t

miss Frenchmen Street, hidden

just outside the French Quarter.

With local jazz bars (I highly

recommend the Spotted Cat

Music Club) and spontaneous

street parties, it offers a chance

to really get under the skin

of The Big Easy.

SabinePhillips

Countries visited: 29

Favourite city: San

Francisco

Top tip: Everyone’s

heard of Death Valley, but if you

want something offbeat, head

to Nevada’s Valley of Fire

instead. Just an hour’s drive from

Vegas, it’s packed with fiery

orange rock formations and

petroglyphs. At sunset, head

to Fire Wave rock to see the

colours glowing under the fading

sun. You’ll soon understand why

Star Trek: The Next Generation

was filmed here.

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Flight Centre’s friendly

Travel Consultants, they’ll

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HIT THE ROAD WITH

FLIGHT CENTRE

All of these tips come from

Flight Centre’s expert staff

• from the stores to head
  office. By continually
  employing well-travelled
  people who are passionate
  about visiting all corners
  of the planet, Flight Centre
  can create a tailor-made
  trip for you. They’ll build
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  from scratch to make sure
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