Americans may not be travelling over here, but they are keen to have us over there, and recent visitors report the warmest of welcomes. Bookings have picked up since Christmas but are still below normal levels, and bargain air fares, matched by attractive room rates, are available for travel up to Easter. This selection of holidays gives a flavour of the attractions in the land of the free.
On the road
Get your kicks on Route 66, or any other highway. Fly-drive is the most popular US holiday, partly because of the strong motoring culture and the cheapness of fuel. You can follow an itinerary or do your own thing.
Explore Colorado on a 14-night 1,000-mile itinerary from £1,679pp with American Independence (0870 2414217). This includes BA direct flights, car hire with full insurance and room-only at hotels en route. Catch some spectacular scenery on a 17-night tour of Washington State's Cascade Mountains from £1,158pp (car hire and flights are extra) with North American Highways (01902 851138, northamericanhighways.co.uk). Go at your own pace in a Cruise America motorhome. Prices start at £17 a day from Premier Holidays Direct (0870 8890848, premierholidaysdirect.co.uk), which will arrange flights.
The wild west
Share the life of the cowboy on a working ranch. Choose between some serious City Slicker-style horse riding on the trail or a gentler adventure in the great outdoors.
Join Tony Blackmore at Double Spear ranch in the Pryor Hills, Montana, with American Round-Up (0870 7472624, americanroundup.com). Six nights' full board costs £688pp; flights extra. White Stallion Ranch in Arizona caters for new and experienced riders alike. One week costs from £1,170pp including flights with Ranch America (01923 671831, ranchamerica.co.uk).
Home from home
Live like the locals by renting a holiday home. Try a wood-clad holiday home in New England or surf the net to swap your own home.
The House on Snow Creek sleeps six and is five minutes from the beach at Hyannis on Cape Cod. New England Country Homes (08700 774774, indiv-travellers.com) offers two weeks from £812pp including flights, car hire and insurance. Swap your home for a US alternative with Homelink International (01344 842642, homelink.org.uk). It costs £95 to join; while visitors can browse the website contact details are only passed on to members. Book a villa online with holidayleaders.com, an efficient site which searches the portfolios of specialist companies and villa owners. Those without access to the web can phone 01925 759758 for help.
Theme dreams
No one understands theme parks better than the Americans. Disney's stardust and movie-based attractions such as Universal Studios can disarm even serious cynics. And theme parks are just as popular with adults.
Stay at the Radisson Hotel Maingate, just a block from the Disneyland Park, with Virgin Holidays (0870 2202782, virginholidays.com) from £539pp for a week room-only with flights and car hire. Unijet Florida (08705 336336) offers seven nights at the Kissimmee Pines, Orlando, from £675pp for Tuesday flights from Gatwick (£15 more from Manchester). There's a £200 reduction per couple if there are no children in the party. A family of two adults and two children under 12 can stay at the Best Western in Kissimmee from £1,678 (£19pp extra from Manchester). Funway Holidays (020-8466 0222, funwayholidays.co.uk) offers a Family Fours price of £1,188 for seven nights room-only for two adults and two children under 12 at the Econolodge Maingate Resort, close to Walt Disney World. This must be booked by February 28 for travel up to June 30 (excluding school half terms and the Easter holiday) and includes flights and car hire.
New York, New York
Those who know say the Big Apple is regaining its buzz after the shock of September 11: New Yorkers are actively seeking visitors and there are some excellent bargains.
Two nights at the Carlton on the corner of Madison Avenue costs £365pp to February 28 and £395 to March 20 with Osprey (0870 5605605). Travelscene (0870 7774445, travelscene.co.uk ) has two nights at the Paramount from £450pp to March 31. Book by Monday and travel before February 28 with Kirker Holidays (020-7231 3333) for three nights at the five-star Plaza Athenee for £665pp (saving £200), Upgrades to BA's World Traveller Plus cabin cost £284pp (a further £200 saving).
Native America
The story of native Americans has been told inaccurately in hundreds of cowboy movies, but today it is possible to visit the historic sites.
Bear Print International (01924 840111) offers a 13-night tour weaving through sacred sites of the Mid-West from £1,695pp, flights extra. Explore Worldwide (01252 760000, exploreworldwide.com) has a 15-night tour of the desert homelands of the Navajo from £1,199pp including flights to Las Vegas.
Do it yourself
The US offers limitless opportunities for those willing to put in the hours on the internet. Two websites in particular open the door to a breadth of information and choice.
seeamerica.org is the official website of the Travel Industry of America and a portal to all other US travel sites. You can search by destination or theme. visitusa.org.uk has links to 150 airlines, hotels, tour operators, tourist boards and car rental firms that promote travel from Britain to the US.
To find out which members of the Association of Independent Travel Operators feature the US, ring 0870 7518080, aito.co.uk.
