How much time do you spend making travel wish lists and scrolling through social media and blogs for inspiration? Then, once you’ve visualised your ideal destination, there’s the hours of planning, research and asking for recommendations. Personally I love the development stage of a trip, as it builds excitement and gives you the confidence to hit the ground running, knowing that you’re well-prepared.
After getting married in America two years ago, I’ve felt inspired to discover this vast country more and have been looking into my dream American holiday. While America’s major cities will always fascinate me, I’m increasingly drawn to the most picturesque states.
High on my ‘to see’ list is Montana, the northwest state that is bordered by Idaho, Wyoming, North and South Dakota and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Known as ‘Big Sky Country’, Montana is the fourth largest and eighth least populated of the 50 U.S states, making it a perfect destination for observing nature at its best.
Montana is home to the Rocky Mountains, renowned national parks, prairie terrain and badlands, but also charming cities and towns. There’s a lot to explore in this state, so let me tell you about a cool travel tool to help plan your USA travels.
On VisittheUSA.co.uk, you can use its new USA Trip Planner to create create a day-by-day itinerary customised to you. Simply input your desired destination, length of stay, the month you want to visit and number of guests, then refine your options by pace and activities. Perhaps you’re looking for a fast-paced outdoors trip focussing on wildlife or a slow and easy tour of Montana’s historic and cultural sites.
I used this tool to tailor my dream 8-day Montana trip to my exact requirements and was pleased with the detail and variation of the results. My trip would start in the town of West Yellowstone to visit the iconic Yellowstone National Park.
Next, I would drive to Bozeman, a city in Gallatin County and spend time at the Museum of The Rockies, the American Computers Museum (appropriate for how much time I spend on them) and finish the day downtown sipping whisky on the patio at the award-winning Bozeman Spirits Distillery. I also wouldn’t want to miss the quaint town of Whitefish in Flathead County, where in April, you can either stroll along City Beach or even ski at the Whitefish Mountain Resort.
On the road again, I would explore the Glacier National Park with its mountain peaks, crystal lakes and alpine meadows. Montana is also a foodie’s dream, known for its locally-reared beef, huckleberries and ice cream. The travel tool also suggested a cute bakery and general store called The Polebridge Mercantile, where you can graze on a bear claw or sticky cinnamon roll.
As if that wasn’t enough, I could also squeeze in a visit to the spectacular Grinnell’s Glacier, Great Falls city in Cascade County, McDonald Creek and Garden Wall. Can you imagine such an inspiring trip, full of natural wonders and picture-perfect views, experiencing a part of America that’s off the beaten track?
Now’s your chance to fulfil your own #WanderlustWish with £200 in TUI Holiday Vouchers by entering the contest!
Competition:
To enter this contest, simply use the Visit The USA holiday planner tool and plan a trip to your top 5 USA destinations. Once your trip has been planned, please write a few words about your itinerary and how you’d spend your time there.
Your entry must be posted in the comment section of this post, with a valid e-mail address associated to your comment and the hashtag #WanderlustWish. Competition closes Friday 19th October.
Terms and Conditions Eligibility:
- The Wanderlust Wish Contest is open to entrants aged 18 and over, who are resident in the UK (Mainland).
- Employees of the Promoter, its group companies or their family members, or anyone else connected with the Contest are not eligible to enter.
- Entrants into the Contest shall be deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions.? Participation is permitted irrespective of purchase of a product/service. No purchase necessary.
How to Enter:
- Entries must be submitted between Thursday 4th October and Friday 19th October.
- To successfully enter, a person (“Entrant”) must:
- Use the Visit USA Holiday planner tool and plan a trip to their top 5 USA destinations.
- The Entrant must then write a few words and submit their entry as a comment on this article with the hashtag #WanderlustWish
- There is only one entry per person allowed.
- There is one prize available for the Contest in this post.
- The winner will be required to respond to the notification from the Promoter within 14 days, confirming where their prize should be sent. The winner will receive their prize within 28 days of providing such postal address (mainland UK only). The Promoter accepts no responsibility in the event that a winner does not respond to the Promoter’s notification or where a prize is not received by a winner as a result of that Entrant having provided inaccurate address details when requested.
- If the winner fails to provide verification or address information within 14 days of a request from the Promoter or should the Promoter establish that the qualifying criteria was not met, the Promoter reserves the right to award the prize to an alternative winner selected from the remaining entries, with the originally selected winner forfeiting their right to the prize.
- The Promoter reserves the right to modify, suspend or cancel the Contest without any prior notice.
Privacy and collection of personal data:
- The Entrant’s email address and personal details will be used for no other reason than to notify a participant if they are a winner.
- By entering the prize draw, Participants grant the Promoter the right to contact them regarding their entry
General:
- The Promoter will not be liable if a winner is unable to receive their prize for any reason beyond the control of the Promoter. Prizes are not transferrable or exchangeable and no cash alternatives will be available.
- The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any loss suffered by an Entrant as a result of entering the Contest or accepting the prize. The Promoter further accepts no responsibility for any damage to an Entrant’s or any other person’s computer arising from their participation in the Contest.
- The Promoter accepts no responsibility for Entries that fail to meet the entry mechanics, are uploaded outside of the Entry Period or which do not qualify for as an entry for any reason (including where the Entrant does not include hashtag #WanderlustWish).
- The decision of the Promoter in all matters is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into, except with the winners.
- The Contest and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and Entrants submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
- The ‘Promoter’ and ‘Administrator’ of this Contest is Brand USA.
Sponsored post
Photos courtesy of VisittheUSA.co.uk
