After completing a string of European trips recently, I am once again feeling the itch to travel further afield. So many people are surprised when I tell them I have never visited The US as an adult, let alone as a travel blogger. Because of this, I have never featured anywhere in North America on my blog– yet! Now The States are calling my name and I am equally as interested to visit the places in the Deep South just as much as the cosmopolitan cities of New York, LA, Miami and Boston.
My wanderlust for North America only grew when I went along to the Trek America event in London recently. It felt great to be back in London and to catch up with some of my favourite fellow bloggers including Aftab from Fresh and Fearless, Beverley from Pack Your Passport and Jen from She Gets Around. I also get to meet the lovely Hayley from Frock Me I’m Famous for the first time. There was a mini Vegas with roulette tables, a live band and American-inspired canapés. Overall it was a fantastic event, but there was one element of the evening that I loved the most; virtually travelling to The USA.
The event was to showcase Trek America’s new collection of virtual reality videos, which quite literally transport you to four incredible National Parks in The USA. With my Trek America passport in hand, I took on the challenge of trying to get round and visit all four of the National Parks in just one night. The combination of sight and sound was enough to transport me to each amazing vantage point. Even at a noisy event, the noise cancelling headphones made me completely forget where I was. I was totally immersed!
I visited The Grand Canyon, stood on top of Angels Landing in Zion National Park, walked through Monument Valley on a Navajo led jeep ride and saw spectacular viewpoints in Yosemite. The Grand Canyon video was my favourite. All four of these videos are now online, so you can virtually travel to the USA too! Even if you don’t have a VR headset, they’re definitely worth a watch. Just remember to drag the screen to get your 360 degree perspective.
My favourite video was of The Grand Canyon which you can watch below!
Want to win a trip with Trek America?
If you want to experience the real North America, now is your chance! I’ve teamed up with Trek America to offer a place on a Westerner 3 tour worth over £3,000. That’s 3 weeks exploring America’s ‘Wild West’ including flights from the UK! To enter, click here and follow the simple instructions.
What do you think of these virtual reality videos? Where do you want to travel in the USA? If you enjoyed this post, please leave me a quick comment in the box below. Jess x
This is a sponsored post written in collaboration with Trek America. All views are my own.
Virtual travel is a nice remedy to travel thirst, it seems! We just got back from Dallas/Houston/New Orleans trip and NOLA, aah – we could’ve stayed for weeks! We are fans of roadtrips and the National park system in the USA is fantastic – we’ve seen a lot of beautiful NP’s driving through differnt states.
Thanks for your comment! Your trip sounds incredibly, I want to go to all those places! Which was your favourite? New Orleans looks great x
The USA has so much to offer, you could literally spend lifetime exploring. I also highly recommend northern California – Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, San Fran, Carmel and Monterey, The Big Sur – views are simply stunning. Once we move back to the US we want to visit at least one new state a year, currently Alaska, Seattle, New Orleans and Chicago are on my top priority list.
Ahh Nano you paint a beautiful picture! There’s so much to discover it would be impossible to do it in one trip. Top of my list is New York, California and the Deep South. I’d love to see the jazz in New Orleans and see what this southern soul is all about! Plus try their fried chicken 😀 So much to do so little time! xx
I haven’t really explored too much of the US either – just New York and then a rather odd work trip to Utah. I’d really love to spend a bit of time travelling the US and Canada – girl can dream, right?! 🙂
Hey Sam! Thanks for the comment. Glad it’s not just me thats hankering for the US. I’m actually hoping to visit Utah this year with the tourist board. Did you enjoy it? Watch this space! xxx
I highly, highly recommend you pop over to the US
Hi Emma. Thanks for your comment. I am making US plans pronto! x
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe you haven’t been to the US! If you finally do come, I highly recommend a visit to New York City and the Pacific Northwest. If you’re a mountain backpacker, the mountains of Washington are ridiculously gorgeous. And California has so much to offer as well!
I know it’s a travesty isn’t it! USA is definitely on the cards this year, maybe even with Trek America. NY has been on my bucket list for so long, and California is also high on the list. I want to do it all! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Girl it was honestly the best evening and it was SO lovely to finally meet you! I’m so bloody excited for my Trek in a few weeks! 🙂
Hayley xo
http://www.frockmeimfamous.com
It was soo great to meet you too! Hopefully we can do lots more events together and maybe even a trip. Been browsing your blog today, so pretty! x x