We’re going to America!

For years now we have talked about going to America on a holiday to see the friends and family we have there! Nathan has family in Utah, and we both have friends there too, and then there is the major thing of me having lived in Arizona for almost a year and a half back in 06/07!! All are are, and have been, major factors in us wanting to visit those 2 states!

Living in Arizona was fantastic! I was there as a Missionary for the LDS church, and whilst life was a little different to normal every day life, the adventure was still huge and the people I lived with and met absolutely marvellous. After the first Summer I became a lover of the heat (except when riding my bike), and I have since looked forward to the day I could return with Nathan and our family to see more of the touristy things, and generally show them around a place that means so much to me.

Up until now we have never really felt justified in spending the money to go as we knew it would be on the higher end of our budget for a holiday. Nathan was a student for 4 years and then I have always seemed to be pregnant, and with another on the way it always just felt like the money would be best used elsewhere (not to mention who wants to do all that travelling whilst pregnant?!). Last year we obviously knew we were moving house, and so our finances were wrapped up in that major adventure, and whilst it was still a goal we had, it was just in the background as something we would do soonish. It got to the point, as we talked about our plans once there, that we decided that if we could we would definitely go this year!

Cheap flights

And so this year came, and with it lots of flight price watching on skyscanner! We talked everyday about it becoming a reality as they fluctuated up and down, and then on the last day of January we took the bull by the horns and booked it! It felt so spontaneous, but then wasn’t at all! We got a fab deal being that all 5 of us are flying (return) for £1,476 – an absolute bargain!!!

We are flying with Air New zealand from Heathrow to LA, and I have never known it to be so cheap. We seriously thought it would easily be £2,000 if not more! And so we are off – for 2 whole weeks to America and we are super excited for what awaits.

A mega road trip 

We plan on having a Mega road trip – the ultimate adventure thus far for us all!

Last year we did a lot of driving in Italy, and whilst we know that this is far longer, the fact that there are so many new and amazing sights to take in, and people to look forward to seeing, it somehow makes it a bearable and exciting prospect!

Our journey will start in LA with a day or so of seeing the sights and Hollywood. From there we will drive to Arizona and stay with friends for a few days in Mesa, where we will see lots of special people and places. In Mesa I will show them some of the places I lived, climb a mountain and see the dessert, and then the annual Easter Pageant too which is brilliant!

From Mesa we will drive north to the Grand Canyon for a few hours, and then continuing north through some of the other canyons, we will stop for a night in St George (Southern Utah) and chill there for a bit. The next day we will drive up to the Provo/Salt Lake areas of Utah where will spend a week with family and friends, and show the kids some major sites from our churches history. I expect we will just have fun, maybe head into the odd mountain but mainly just enjoy being with friends in America.

Finally we will head back via Las Vegas for a fun day on the strip and a night in a hotel – see the sights, all before reaching LA and flying home to England!

Our biggest outgoing will of course be travel, with the odd hotel in LA, St George and Vegas, which I have found some great deals on too. As we will be on the road a lot and have a bucket list purely with like 20 eateries on, and so we expect quite a bit will be spent on food that is no good for us but delicious all the same. Most of our days will be spent doing free things and seeing places of natural beauty, and as we are mostly staying with friends and family it will be home from home and a huge saver!

The whole thing sounds both ridiculous with 3 kids and yet absolutely amazing too. The kids are excited for all the root beer and giant portions, Sunshine, Pancake stacks and seeing giant cacti in the dessert. We are excited for a holiday and to be able to see so many incredible people and places.

I can’t wait to share in the beautiful Arizona sunsets with Nathan, and experience life on the road in America with my faves! Watch out peeps – we’re all coming to America and can’t blooming wait!