The United States and Canada together form North America, a continent full of impressive national parks, mountain ranges, forests and lakes. In addition, Canada and the US are bursting with nice cities. Both countries are perfect for a nice road trip: everything is designed for drivers and you will not find better road trip destinations anywhere in the world. Read all our tips for North America.
Destinations in North-America
North-America
mei 3, 2022After visiting the valley of Viñales, we took another Viazul bus to Havana and then to Varadero. We didn’t stay at a casa in Varadero but chose a resort. Varadero is very different from the other places in Cuba as it is a little coastal town with a lot of all inclusive resorts. It’s where the less adventurous vacation. You can relax, spend time on the beach, enjoy your all inclusive resort and not think about anything. It was a nice change for us as we had been traveling for a bit now. So it was really nice to just relax for a few days. We stayed at Sol Palmeras, where we rented a little bungalow. We booked the all inclusive arrangement so we got to eat and drink cocktails all day. We spent most of our days relaxing by the pool or on the beach. I would not recommend staying at Varadero for your entire vacation as it gets quite boring. If you wanted an all inclusive vacation in a resort you could’ve just gone to Spain. However, when you are traveling through Cuba it might be a nice rest stop for you.
When we were done relaxing, we continued our trip to Cienfuegos. In Cienfuegos we once again stayed at a casa. Our casa was in the center of town, we stayed with Yanet! The casa was great and we had a lovely rooftop terrace where every morning we could enjoy our breakfast. The only thing I liked less, which is a thing you must be wary for when traveling, was the so called “suicide shower“. I normally check our accommodations for suicide showers but unfortunately, I didn’t see one in the pictures beforehand. So we debated on what to do about this. We went for the safest option and we did not take hot showers. Wasn’t ideal but hey, ya girl is quite fond of her life!
The city of Cienfuegos was gorgeous! It was once again very different from Havana, Viñales and Varadero. Cuba really is versatile! This is the only city in Cuba colonised by the French and you can still see their influence, particularly in the architecture. We also discovered some great restaurants in Cienfuegos! To name a few favorites: Casa prado, las mamparas, Bouyon and our all time favorite Doña Nora. We ate there twice and we got to sit on a cute little balcony for two! So romantic. It’s also worth it to visit the Palacio de Valle for a nice cocktail on their rooftop and you get the amazing sunset for free! There are plenty of great restaurants and spots in Cienfuegos, I don’t even remember all their names but I can imagine that my friend the lonely planet knows most of them!
Our casa arranged two trips for us during our stay. One was to the famous el Nicho! We went very early in the morning so it was still a bit too chilly for a swim but the nature was breathakingly beautiful. And the other one was a bird watching trip at Laguna Guanaroca! If you would’ve told me a few year back that I’d get up at 6:30 AM to go birdwatching, I’d think you went mad. However, it was a really great experience! Your guide takes you out on the lake and you get to see all these amazing birds. Afterwards, our driver took us to Playa Rancho Luna, where we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.
I really enjoyed Cienfuegos, not only was the city gorgeous but the nature surrounding it was really lovely too. And of course, good food equals good mood for me! So discovering how amazing the Cuban cuisine is, was a treat for me! I was so pleasantly surprised with all the food I ate in Cuba. I was warned that it might be quite simple and that travelers do not go to Cuba for the food. But I simply fell in love with it.
In need of some more Cuba tips? We always love to buy the lonely planet of our destination! I highly recommend buying them. Click here to buy the newest Lonely Planet for Cuba! [...]
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april 15, 2022After our adventure in Havana, we took the Viazul bus to Viñales! We stayed at an amazing casa once again. They served the best breakfast ever and had an amazing rooftop terrace with a gorgeous view of the valley. So I’d highly recommend villa Susana! They immediately offered us nice smoothies when we arrived and arranged all the activities we’d like to do during our stay in the wonderful valley.
When in Viñales you should definitely go for a horseback ride through the valley! A guide took us on a tour and we made a few stops along the way. Where we learnt about the Cuban cigars (and got to smoke them too) and about their alcohol (which we got to drink too). So besides some drinking and smoking, you get treated to the amazing views of the valley. In my opinion the most beautiful area of Cuba!
We also discovered some amazing restaurants in Viñales. One really stood out to us. We even went here twice, as we really liked it. It was called Sunset restaurant and not only the food was impeccable but also the view was outstanding. It’s an organic restaurant and they produce everything themselves!
Another day trip we took, was our visit to Cayo Jutías. A beautiful white beach with almost no people. Our casa arranged the trip for us with a local driver who would take us to the beach along with a tiny van filled with other tourists. The beach was breathtakingly beautiful and the water perfect for some snorkling. So we didn’t do much that day besides relaxing on the beach, snorking, swimming and discovering the area. There was a little restaurant on the beach where you could order some lobster and a nice coconut to drink from. Must say, we had a really relaxing day! Sometimes I still dream about that damn lobster.
On our last day, we decided to rent some bikes and discover the valley by ourselves, which is a lot harder than you think as the roads are much steeper than we are used to in the Netherlands! And I kinda hate cycling.. However, we did have a lot of fun cycling around and stopping at some great viewpoints. Viñales really is a gorgeous area and when traveling to Cuba, you must definitely visit it. We even made a little doggo friend there. He kept following us around, I think he thought we were his new family. When we were traveling through Vietnam, I was kinda scared of the dogs and the possibility that they might bite you. In Cuba I never had this worry as the dogs are just as relaxed as the people, haha!
As you can see on my pictures, we enjoyed a lot of cocktails in Cuba! Where in Asia we barely drank, in Cuba it was a daily activity. My all time favorite definitely was the frozen daiquiri! One day, we even started drinking cocktails at noon, we didn’t even have lunch yet. Maybe not the brightest idea we ever had! Afterwards, it was definitely necessary to eat something, as you could imagine!
Traveling through Cuba was very different from traveling through other countries. You are a bit more dependent on the Cuban people as there is not a lot of internet or easy accessible public transport. The easiest way for travelers to get around is by Viazul or a taxi (which you can arrange through your casa). But I must stay that we didn’t really experience stress of any sort. The atmosphere in Cuba is very chill. You do have to be wary of some Cuban people, they do try to scam you. But it’s a different type of scamming than in Asia. They try to become your buddy first before they trick you into paying for stuff or buying things. So even though everything seems chill and relaxed, you still got to be alert! [...]
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maart 28, 2022Let’s rewind to november 2019! It was time for another adventure. The original plan was to go to Australia this year, but sometimes plans change. So, we decided to go to Cuba instead! I’ve always wanted to go to Cuba. I’ve been obsessed with that country since watching Dirty Dancing 2! So I convinced my boyfriend that we should take a trip there. We mapped out our route, booked our casas particulares in advance and also bought our bus tickets for the Viazul bus, which is a super easy way to travel through Cuba. Mostly tourists use these buses. When we were in Cuba, two currencies were used side by side (CUC and CUP). The latter is for the Cubans and the first one is for the tourists. However, I’ve read that since January 1st 2021 the CUC has been abolished! Which means that when you now exchange dollars/euros or go to an ATM, you will receive CUP. Converting CUC to US dollars was a bit easier though, 1 CUC was 1 dollar. 1 CUC was 24 CUP, which requires a little more calculating on our part.
So, our first stop was Havana! We flew from Amsterdam via Toronto to Havana. It was quite the journey! We ate some fastfood during our layover and I tried on some perfume as I was a bit smelly after all those hours on the plane. When we arrived at the airport, our hostess arranged for us to be picked up. So that was pretty easy and relaxing! We stayed at a super cute casa in Vedado, Havana.
After a good night’s rest, we got up to explore Havana! But first, breakfast. Our casa made a marvelous breakfast which we thoroughly enjoyed.
After breakfast, it was time to head out to explore the city. We walked around, explored old Havana and strolled along the Malecón, which is the famous 7 km long boulevard. Where we got the pleasure of seeing lots of oldtimers. We just took it slow this day, had some food, enjoyed some cocktails and wandered around the city. The next day was a very special day, as it was my birthday! As you all know, I do not want to be at home for my birthday. So, my boyfriend planned an amazing day for us! After getting ready and having another amazing breakfast, we headed into town. Where we bought some internet cards, you need these cards to access the internet. There are multiple internet points across the city, which you can use with your card. So I checked in with friends and family and then our day started! We toured around the city in one of the oldtimers, there are plenty in the city center which you can rent (with driver of course). I really liked driving around the city in such a beautiful car! I chose the purple one as I thought it was super pretty. I was a bit shy at first to ask for pictures with the car but the driver told us “you paid for it, we can do whatever you like!” So we had him take some cute pictures of us.
After a wonderful ride, we went for a dancing lesson! My boyfriend arranged this with our hostess. It was in a bit of a funky part of town but the teacher was a wonderful woman and we got a private lesson! We prepared for Cuba with dancing lessons back home. We took half a year of salsa lessons because we didn’t want to look stiff in Cuba!
When we finished dancing, it was we time for some food and cocktails! So we found this super cute little bar, where we could sit on the balcony and enjoy the view. And we really started to get to know the Cuban food as well. The first night we were a bit hesitant and went to a restaurant where they had pizza (I would not recommend eating pizza in Cuba). But now, we thought it was time to fully immerse ourselves into the Cuban culture. So from this point on, we only ate typical Cuban dishes (even when we didn’t know what it was). And boy, that did not disappoint! We were told before going to Cuba that people do not travel to Cuba for the good food, that it was rather bland and boring. So I was kinda dreading to eat the Cuban food but I fell in love with the Cuban cuisine. It might not be haute cuisine, but that’s not my cup of tea either. The Cuban cuisine was amazing, the flavours were great and the food was exquisite! We did rely a lot on the lonely planet guide and tripadvisor to seek out good restaurants.
Our last day in Havana was spent discovering another part of town. We also went to the Museo de la Revolucion, this museum is located in the former presidential palace. Quite the impressive building! I am a sucker for history so it was really nice to learn more about the history of Cuba.
I really enjoyed our time in Havana, but I must say that the city is a little bit romanticized. I knew there was poverty in Cuba but when you are really there and see past the perfect pictures on the internet, you see a lot of poverty. Now, it was time to head to Viñales with the Viazul! [...]
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maart 9, 2021After an amazing time in Las Vegas, it was time to head to San Francisco. This time, we traveled by Greyhound because there were no Flixbuses on this route. To be perfectly honest, I kinda prefer Flixbus over Greyhound as they were much cleaner. Maybe also due to the fact that on our Greyhound bus there was this dude that seemed pretty high on drugs and kept going to the toilet and afterwards tried to play innocent and complained about the dirty toilet. Like dude, we all know it was you? It was quite a long journey from Las Vegas to San Francisco. We left around 7 in the morning and arrived around 9 in the evening so that was a very long day!
It was a bit “chilly” in San Francisco after staying in Vegas. It was around 18 degrees so I had to wear a blouse and jeans, which was new to me. Hadn’t worn anything besides shorts and crop tops. In San Fran we stayed in an airbnb with a lovely host. José rented out two rooms and lived with, we presume, a roommate. A roommate who was a huge fan of Dwayne, the rock, Johnson. The roommate didn’t speak much and was mostly watching videos on his cellphone. José was a treat! He was so nice and friendly. The house was near a BART station so it was pretty easy to get to the center of San Francisco. Thanks to a friend of my aunt’s, we had 90 dollars worth of BART tickets. She went to San Francisco with her family and there was still a large amount of money left on their tickets. Which was great for us, of course!
I really enjoyed San Francisco, the city by the bay was just marvelous. We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge and there you have an amazing view of the city. We explored the city and I ate my first corndog ever! I quite liked it. I almost bought a baseball jersey but it was crazy expensive so unfortunately I had to leave the jersey in the store. We also tried out in-n-out burger, which is a fast food joint and it was great! Loved the fries and burgers. Furthermore, I decided to get a haircut in San Francisco as my bangs were getting way too long. The hairdresser was incredibly kind and cut my hair for free. She told me to have a great trip and to enjoy myself, so sweet!
Once again, we rented a car! We really wanted to visit Yosemite and therefore we needed a car. Yosemite was very impressive but way too big! We only anticipated on going for one day but the park is immense. So we chose some nice view points and drove up there. One of the view points we visited was Glacier point. During the winter, you can see a lot of snow and ice but as we were there during summer, there was none. Nevertheless, the view was amazing. Another tourist attraction we visited, was Alcatraz. We did the audio tour on the island and it was super impressive. The stories of the prisoners and the stories of the guards were very compelling. You also get an incredible view of the city when you are on the island. As they tell you in the audio tour, it was hard for the prisoners to hear and see the city but not be a part of it. The trip to Alcatraz does cost a bit but it is definitely worth your money! The only annoying thing was the fact that there were so many flies on the island.
The end of our USA trip was approaching and it was time to get ready to fly to Beijing, which is a story for another time! Stay tuned. [...]
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maart 1, 2021It was time to head to Las Vegas! As the cheap skates we were, we booked our bus trip to Las Vegas at 3 in the morning. That meant that we had to leave our airbnb and wait somewhere else. So after dining at chick-fil-a we went to a bar and ordered some drinks. We simply sat there with all our luggage waiting for time to pass. People were kinda wary of us because Flagstaff is not really a big city so everyone in the bar seemed to know each other, except for us. Two foreigners sitting there with all their stuff until 3 in the morning. I must admit, it must’ve been a bit weird.
So I was pretty happy to get on our bus to Las Vegas. Unfortunately we were not able to sit next to each other as almost all the seats were already taken. I had to sit next to this super douchey guy with a huge Louis Vuitton bag. We finally arrived in Vegas around 8 in the morning and this super douchey guy started to take selfies on snapchat, captioning it “I’m in this bitch!”. Please, stop. So there we were, in Vegas at 8 o’clock in the morning. I called the hotel we were staying at to ask if an early check-in would be possible. Thanks to a lovely lady called Jody, we were able to get an early check-in! Once we arrived in our room, there were two huge ass beds and I was so delighted. I threw myself on the bed and instantly fell asleep. Best nap of my life.
As for Las Vegas, it kinda felt unreal! Such an amazing experience though. It was hot, all damn day so these airconditioned hotels were great. These hotels were unreal, they had casino’s, malls, restaurants, it was crazy. We even decided to gamble a bit in Caesars palace and Bellaggio, of course we didn’t win anything. I saw black jack tables, where people were playing for 200.000 dollars! Before losing our money (it was just 20 dollars), we bought two vodka slushies at fat tuesday. So we weren’t that sad (nor sober). We also discovered Panda Express in Vegas which was amazing! I was instantly obsessed. I’m still sour over the fact that we don’t have it in Europe. However, that wasn’t the only fast food we ate. We also had delicious burritos at me gusta taco and went for dinner at el pollo loco. Due to the fact that we were staying at a hotel, we had to get a little creative with dinner. Some nights we would go for some fast food, other nights we’d eat pizza or sandwiches in bed.
We also rented a car in Vegas to do some sightseeing. We drove to Red Rock Canyon, which was pretty cool. We also visited Hooverdam and Lake Mead. I didn’t find these two very impressive. It was just extremely hot so I was in a bit of a whiney mood, I suppose. Finally, we went to Bryce Canyon, which is situated in Utah. It was quite the drive but the park was exquisite! It was so beautiful, so definitely worth it. The rest of our days were mostly spent at the pool of our hotel. Such a good feeling to go swimming around 9 in the evening and the temperature still being 38 degrees. All in all, Vegas was great! [...]
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februari 23, 2021The next stop on our journey was: Flagstaff, Arizona. This time, we managed to travel with flixbus to Flagstaff. It was quite the trip because before embarking on our journey to Flagstaff, we had to take the bus to LA again. So around 9 on a sunday morning we hopped on the bus back to LA. After arriving in LA we transferred to another bus which was headed to Phoenix. When we left Phoenix around half past 11 in the evening, it was still 38 degrees. It was so freaking hot! So off we went to our final destination: Flagstaff. I think we arrived around 3 in the morning and we were lucky to find an Uber to take us to our airbnb. The funny thing about our airbnb was that it advertised itself as a “room with a mountain view”. However, when you arrive at 3 in the morning, you don’t see these mountains. So when we woke up the next day, we were kinda stunned with the amazing view of the mountains!
Our hosts were once again just lovely! Ashley and Brian were great people and so friendly. It was however my first encounter ever with someone who had a firearm on him. For me, this was quite a strange realization but in the USA this is normal. They also had 2 pickup trucks in their driveway, which I thought was typically American. We put their kitchen to good use, as we cooked every evening and we watched a lot of Netflix on their huge tv!
We soon came to the conclusion that renting a car was a necessity in Flagstaff, not just for getting around the town but also for visiting other places. So we went to a car rental that was kinda cheap but soon came to the realization that this was a very bad idea (understatement). They had pretty bad reviews on Google and we didn’t trust them, as they didn’t really seem to know what they were doing. That’s why we looked up a more expensive car rental with positive Google reviews. It was kinda scary to rent a car for the first time because it’s a lot of money for backpackers. We made sure to take pictures when we got the car so they wouldn’t be able to blame us for any damages. They didn’t because they were nice people.
So with the rental car came this new acquired freedom! We could go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted. During our stay in Flagstaff we visited the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe bend and Sedona. Let’s start with the most impressive one: the Grand Canyon. It kinda gave me goosebumps seeing this for the first time. It was overwhelmingly and breathtakingly beautiful! I had never seen anything like it in my entire life. I simply loved it. We spent a whole day in the Grand Canyon. We hiked some bits and drove to some awesome viewpoints. We even encountered my neighbours from back home! It’s a small world after all.
We visited the Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe bend in one day. We booked a tour through Antelope Canyon, as you can not wander there by yourself. It was really stunning but looks might deceive you. Even though you appear to be alone in all of your photos, there are 25 other people waiting behind you to take the same photo. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth visiting. At Horseshoe bend I once again managed to get a sunburn on my shoulders. The American sun didn’t agree with me. However, Horseshoe bend was very cool as it has the shape of a horseshoe, obviously. We had one rainy day in Flagstaff which resulted in us driving up to Sedona. A little drizzle wasn’t going to kill us. The drive up to Sedona was pretty impressive as you drive through a huge ass forest. I quite liked Sedona and it’s reddish mountains.
Of course, we also had to try some fast food in Flagstaff. So, on our last evening we went to chick-fil-a! I had some amazing waffle fries with an avocado wrap and to top it all of I got a free ice cream! A good way to end our stay in Flagstaff. [...]
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februari 22, 2021After our first stop in Los Angeles we decided to travel a bit more to the south. We booked a Flixbus to San Diego! However, this journey didn’t go as planned, which is apparently quite common when you are backpacking. Our bus got cancelled but we didn’t know. So we were waiting for a bus that never came and due to flixbus regulations another bus couldn’t take us with them. There was even a driver nice enough to make some phone calls for us but unfortunately that didn’t make a difference. He advised us to take the train to San Diego. So off we went with our big backpacks to the train station! Buying train tickets was a bit of a bummer because the prices were much higher than flixbus tickets but the train ride was amazing. The views were great and the Americans on the train were very chatty. We met a lovely elderly couple sitting across from us. They were heading to a university reunion. The husband even told us stories about his time in Europe. Right there and then we decided that that would be us in 50 years.
I enjoyed our stay in San Diego a lot. I think it’s my favourite stop on our journey through the USA. We stayed in a very cute white picket fence house, it was perfect: the porch, the fence, the garden and the dog. For me, this was what I imagined American homes to look like. Our host, Margo, was such a doll. She provided us with breakfast, free netflix and lots of tips! Thanks to her, I had the pleasure of eating the most amazing fish taco’s ever. We even watched a whole evening of Sex and the city with her and her dog Jack.
As for the sights, we visited Coronado island. It was such a magical place! We rented some bikes and discovered the whole island. From the island you had a great view of the San Diego skyline, it was beautiful. We also went to La Jolla to see the seals. I got quite a sunburn on my shoulders there but nevertheless, I thought it was wonderful. Kest was a little less excited than I was due to the smell of the seals, a bit fishy! Furthermore, we visited Balboa park where Kest discovered “the bird”. Quite an expensive little thing but it is fun to “bird around”. There was also this spot, where you could make some awesome photos with super high waves. Kest thought it would make a great photo. I waited for half an hour to take the photo but none of the waves came high enough. Afterwards, I said I’d like a photo there too and guess what? The wave we had been waiting for finally hit.. This made Kest jealous but I wasn’t very pleased as well as the wave went over my head and I was totally soaked! See picture down below.
And last but not least, I must say that the sunsets were quite sublime in San Diego. If I had to choose one city from our trip to visit again, it would definitely be San Diego. I liked the ambiance and it felt homey. The city was big enough but not too big like LA. [...]
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februari 18, 2021Due to the fact that we are not able to travel at the moment, let’s take a trip down memory lane! Back in the day, in 2018 Kest and I decided to travel for approximately 4 months. At first, we didn’t really agree on where to go but we compromised. Our first stop would be: The USA. Specifically, the route depicted above. We flew all the way from Amsterdam via Iceland to Los Angeles. It was quite the trip for me. Prior to 2018 I had only been outside of Europe once. When we went to visit my sister in Australia. So it was also my first time in the USA, which was really exciting. I had only seen America in movies and tv shows.
After arriving in LA, we took our very first Uber to our airbnb. Our airbnb was situated (unfortunately) nearby Compton, which I hadn’t really given any thought. Maybe not the brightest idea I have ever had. However, besides the location our airbnb was amazing. It was our first encounter with staying in an airbnb so we were quite nervous. We didn’t really know what to expect. But our hosts were just wonderful and very caring. David even took us on a day trip to the Griffith Observatory and took us out for drinks on a rooftop bar.
The whole experience in LA was very unreal for me. Everything was large and big, and I had never seen any city like it before. We visited places like Venice Beach and the Santa Monica pier, Beverly Hills, the arts district and, as I mentioned, the Griffith Observatory. We even wandered around for a bit in China town but decided to not do that again as we were heading to China after our roadtrip. I really liked LA but it wasn’t my favorite stop on our journey. I think it was too big for me. I did however enjoy the weather very much.
As backpackers we didn’t really go out for dinner. We decided that it would be cheaper to cook for ourselves. I really enjoyed doing groceries in the USA. For the first time I saw poptarts, twinkies, frozen waffles and many more products. It’s a weird habit of mine, I love going to foreign grocery stores. They are always so different from what I’m used to so I’m always delighted to spend some time in the grocery store. Besides cooking, we did go to shake shack. I mean we were in the USA, we had to try fast food! We also met up with one of Kest’s old roommates from Barcelona for dinner and drinks in the arts disctrict. We visited this cool local bar where you could only eat sausages. Like, very big ass sausages, it was great! [...]
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