The Southern Adventure (USA) Part One

America is an incredible country, each state having its own unique feel and flavour. I was fortunate to get a taste of what some of the southern states of the US have to offer on the Contiki Southern Adventure. Contiki is definitely a terrific way to explore and get a taste of what different states have to offer. I could not recommend this trip enough, the only thing I didn't like was that you do start a trip half way through and this can cause a little bit of a divide between the oldies (the ones doing the Grand Southern) and the newbies (Southern Adventure)! As I have said in previous posts "I love a tour", and with the experience of two previous Europe Contiki tours, Sail Croatia and an Intrepid tour I can say that if you are a solo traveller looking to meet like minded people and experience once in a lifetime adventures with new people, then tours are a great choice! However, if you don't like a little bit of drama (there is always drama - but usually avoidable and quite entertaining as an on looker) or you're too 'trendy' or 'alternative' a tour may not be for you. I set out looking for fun and adventure wherever we can get it and this means a tour is really for me as I love seeing lots of little bits and pieces and if I like places I make a note to return in later years. Travelling solo I knew I wanted to road trip across the south but I didn't want to do it alone or end up like every American horror movie ever. I wanted to experience and see all the things I could and the Southern Adventure definitely didn't disappoint! A visit to Bourbon street to listen to Jazz, walking around Graceland and Sun studios and driving down Route 66, I had the best time! Meeting a group of girls that are truly the sweetest and kindest girls, who I have caught up with since this crazy trip, I loved this amazing adventure!

Eating gluten free in the States

Down in the southern USA can be dicey for finding gluten free as so much of their food is deep fried, layered in glutenous sauces or they just don’t really understand- this was evident in New Orleans after visiting a few places on Bourbon street I gave up and just drank instead and tucked into my stash of gluten free goodie that I take with me everywhere I go. However with amazing chains like Cheesecake Factory and supermarkets like Whole Foods (I love Whole Foods) you can find gf food with some research. Another thing that helps in the South is their southern charm and hospitality! When asking for assistance most waitstaff are so happy to talk you through things and check with the kitchen. I found the servers in the US so helpful and willing to give suggestions which was amazing. The last thing to consider when eating gf in the states is the different requirements for being considered gluten free in the states compared with Australia. As I said in my Hawaii post this is something you need to be aware of!!! Check out my Hawaii post to see the things you need to be aware of before eating out in the states!

Itinerary of the Southern Adventure (Arrival day and Day 1 to 7)

Doing any tour has its own pros and cons, as no trip is perfect. I mean, how is it going to accommodate everything you and 40 other people could need and want, right? Now I’ve got to be honest, I am a trip lover, so some people may read the things I liked or didn’t like and go omg that is so not what I’d like or dislike, but these are how I felt about certain things on the Southern Adventure!

I would definitely recommend arriving one or two days before the tour in New Orleans as there is so much to see!!

Starting the trip in New Orleans was great! I had never been before and as a solo female traveller it was easy to navigate. Once I got to New Orleans I taxied to the hotel. After a long flight, with a very tight connection in LA, I was in no mood for navigating the public transport that was not going to be direct enough for me .... this was a yolo, me being spoilt moment that we all have occasionally where comfort exceeds practicality. When I arrived at the hotel I met my roomie for the tour, Jenna and yay she was normal!!! (It is always a risk sharing a room with a stranger during a tour but I definitely think the risk is worth it! I have been fortunate to always be roomed with someone awesome and it means you have a buddy for the first few bus rides, someone to talk to when it is in the initial ‘this is awkward’ first drinks and it is cheaper, so win, win and win! Immediately after arriving in the room we made a plan to go out, arriving in the late afternoon it is important for me to always go do something, no rest for the wicked... after a shower of course! I am so glad we went and explored the amazing Bourbon St it really is like nothing else! After a drink or two and a little explore we listened to amazing Jazz at the iconic Jazz Cafe at the Musical Legends Park then we headed back to the hotel and passed out.

The next morning after breakfast, there was a meeting for all of the people joining the tour in New Orleans, as about half had been going for two weeks already from New York. This was a good way to learn the rules and be able to meet all the newbies. Now one of the major cons of the Contiki Southern Adventure was that it was joining a trip halfway. Unfortunately friendships are formed, experiences shared and there is a very natural and inevitable division between those who were there and those who were not. This creates a underlying tension and awkwardness as you try not to intrude but also try to make an effort to get to know everyone.... honestly this would be something I would change if I could. Now back to the first day meeting... The best part was seeing one guy come down for the last minute of the meeting absolutely destroyed by Bourbon street. The rest of the day was a free day which was a great way to explore the French Quarter in the day, eat some steak (I ate a lot of steak this trip!) and stroll by the Mississippi River. Later that afternoon we headed down to the bayou in search of gators on the fan air boats. That night was a ghost tour, being one of the ‘most haunted’ cities in the world... this was ummm not really worth it, the guide was lovely and it was great to walk around with the rest of the group but it was a bit lame and when you’re in New Orleans I would have rathered a bar with good tunes, than this.

We set off from New Orleans to Memphis for New Years!!! It was absolutely incredible to celebrate New Year with new friends and I absolutely loved the dancing on the street and watching the guitar drop. It was super cool to have the tickets organised for the Hard Rock Cafe as we were right in the thick of it!

New Years Day was a struggle. Walking around Graceland I really felt I had done Elvis proud with how much I had had the night before. Then straight on to Sun Studios, to be where Elvis, Johnny Cash and the Howling Wolf recorded, to name a few (as I said before I enjoyed Sun Studios a lot more than Graceland but both were excellent). This being said, Graceland was a part of the Southern Adventure so it is definitely not to be missed ....especially if it is included! That night we headed to the Kooky Canuck, where a few boys crazily tried the Man VS Food Challenge. The food was good and very accommodating, the only thing I didn’t like was that the tables were organised into small tables of four and six and therefore it wasn't conducive to getting to know other of your fellow travellers and meant that you stuck to the small groups that you’d already formed.

On the way out of Memphis, we made our way to see where Martin Luther King was assassinated. This was interesting but I really wished there had been some more time to actually go into the museum as it looked like it would have been interesting. However due to a long day of driving ahead this was not possible. The fourth day was where I was able to fulfil 'My Walk to Remember' fan girl experience and be in two places at once (standing at the border of Texarkana, which is located half in Texas and half in Arkansas). Visiting very briefly Little Rock High School, for a toilet stop and a quick wander, it was very interesting to be in a town that was such a major part of American History. Dallas was the stopping point for the next two nights. Now the accommodation in Dallas was very fancy! I liked Dallas for the day and seeing the JFK museum and seeing where he was assassinated, however there wasn’t heaps else to do apart from stroll around the city which was probably my least favourite part of the tour. Not because it wasn’t nice but more because I feel like a day and a night would have sufficed when other places I felt like we only just skimmed the surface on. One of the things I am really glad I did was head down to the Fort Worth Stockyards during the day as it was like being in a Wild Western and seeing the long horned cattle make their way down the street was really cool!!

Leaving Dallas we made our way to Decatur where I was pleasantly surprised that I could eat in this small town. I ate some home fries at the local cafe and they were delicious and the server in the cafe was really helpful. That night we stayed at my favourite place on the trip, The Big Texan in Amarillo. This place was incredibly cool! Set up like a Wild Western shop front and hotel rooms with saloon doors and cowboy decor, this place has style and is everything you want when travelling down south. Home of a big steak challenge it was amazing to see some of the boys on tour have a go at the challenge. This was also an amazing place for a full gluten free southern food experience. I had steak, baked potato with butter or sour cream and salad and I was a happy, happy girl! I also really liked it as being an isolated bar in the middle of nowhere it was perfect to have all the tour members bond over many drinks and dancing!

To be continued......

My Pros and Cons list for the first half of the Contiki Southern Adventure

Pros

• The amazing people you will meet! Now there are always going to be people on your tour you don’t mesh with as well as others but I have found I have always made a few long lasting friendships or at least met amazing people who are amazing because they shared the journey and these experiences with you!
• The Contiki staff - the tour guide and bus driver on my tour were terrific. Helpful, professional and enthusiastic, it was nice to see people who loved their jobs and did them well!
• The amount of ‘family’ dinners and the accommodating nature of each restaurant to my gluten free requirements!
• The incredible sites, I particular loved the vibe and feel of Memphis and New Orleans!

Cons

• The biggest con for this trip is that you start a tour halfway through and it just leads to a lot of awkwardness and a bit of a division (no matter how amazing the people on your trip are!)
• I wouldn’t bother doing a Ghost Tour in New Orleans unless you’re really invested! Your hard earned cash could be used better on a nice dinner or a few grenades... the choice is yours!
• I am not sure whether two nights in Dallas was really needed, however arriving late in the afternoon, there is probably not a lot they could do about this one!
• I wish we had seen some of Jackson. As a fan of the Johnny Cash and June Carter song, I was interested in seeing Jackson but unfortunately this was just a pit stop at a very ordinary mall.

Check out my next blog about the rest of my trip itinerary!

Happy and safe travels.

Georgia

The Coeliac Adventurer