Wanderlust · 7 min read · January 27, 2026

Alt America

Not risking a US trip this year? Eight great alternatives to eight classic American trips

Short on time? Let us summarise this guide for you.

With more Brits reconsidering trips to the United States, this guide rounds up seven brilliant alternatives that deliver the same holiday experiences elsewhere. Swap Route 66 for Scotland’s North Coast 500, the Grand Canyon for Lanzarote’s Timanfaya, Monument Valley for Jordan’s Wadi Rum, Las Vegas for Dubai, Nashville for Berlin, Yellowstone for Iceland’s Golden Circle, Disney World for Tokyo Disney, and Texas cowboy country for the gaucho heartlands of Argentina or Chile. Plus, how to experience the NFL in London and see the 2026 World Cup without travelling to the US.

Seven classic American trips and where to go instead

With 33% of British holidaymakers now giving the United States a miss, many holidaymakers are asking the same question. If you skip America, what do you actually miss out on?

The short answer is that you don’t have to miss out at all. From epic road trips and desert landscapes to theme parks, live music and sporting spectacles, many of the experiences people associate with the US can be found elsewhere, often with less hassle and more peace of mind.

Here are seven classic American holidays and where to go instead in 2026.

Route 66 road trip

Go instead: North Coast 500, Scotland

Route 66 has long symbolised freedom, open roads and Americana. But the North Coast 500 offers the same sense of adventure without visas, long flights or border queues. Circling the northern Highlands, the NC500 delivers dramatic coastal scenery, empty roads, wildlife, beaches and whisky distilleries. It is flexible, easy to customise and feels genuinely escapist, while still being reassuringly close to home.

The Grand Canyon

Go instead: Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote

People travel to the Grand Canyon for scale, geology and the feeling of standing somewhere genuinely otherworldly. Lanzarote’s Timanfaya National Park delivers a similar sense of awe. Volcanic landscapes, lava fields and stark colours make it feel closer to another planet than a beach resort. It is far more accessible, far cheaper, and can be combined easily with coastal relaxation.

Las Vegas

Go instead: Dubai

Las Vegas is not about culture or history. It is about spectacle, excess and entertainment. Dubai is the closest like-for-like substitute. Big hotels, headline shows, world-class dining, rooftop pools and a city designed to impress make it a natural replacement. It also offers warm weather year-round and a sense of control and order that appeals to travellers looking for predictability.

Check out our guide…

Texas cowboy country

Go instead: The gaucho heartlands of Argentina or Chile

For travellers drawn to Texas for its cowboy culture, open landscapes and frontier mythology, the gaucho regions of Argentina and Chile offer a more authentic and immersive alternative. In the foothills of the Andes and across the Patagonian plains, estancia life centres on horses, cattle, wide horizons and deeply rooted rural traditions. Visitors can stay on working ranches, ride with gauchos, share open-fire barbecues and experience a culture that feels genuinely connected to the land. Combined with dramatic mountain scenery, wine regions and a slower pace of life, it delivers the romance of the frontier without the political associations many travellers are keen to avoid.

Monument Valley

Go instead: Wadi Rum, Jordan

Monument Valley’s appeal lies in its cinematic desert scenery and sense of timelessness. Wadi Rum offers all of that and more. Towering sandstone formations, vast red deserts and guided experiences with local Bedouin hosts create a deeply immersive experience. It is already familiar to many travellers through films, but still feels authentic and uncrowded.

Nashville

Go instead: Berlin

Nashville attracts visitors for its live music, creative energy and nightlife rather than its landmarks. Berlin fills that role perfectly. From intimate clubs to major venues, electronic music to rock and jazz, the city has a depth and diversity of live music few places can match. Add in late-night culture, history and affordability, and it becomes an easy swap.

Check out our guide…

Yellowstone National Park

Go instead: Iceland’s Golden Circle

Yellowstone’s appeal lies in its geysers, hot springs, volcanic landscapes and raw, elemental feel. Iceland offers all of that on a national scale. Geysers, steaming lava fields, black-sand deserts and geothermal pools are part of everyday life, not a single protected park. It is easy to navigate, extremely well set up for visitors and allows travellers to combine natural wonders with road trips, waterfalls and wildlife watching. For many visitors, Iceland actually delivers a bigger and more varied version of the Yellowstone experience.

Disney World, Florida

Go instead: Tokyo Disney Resort

For families, Disney World is about immersion, scale and flawless organisation. Tokyo Disney Resort is often considered the best-run Disney destination in the world. The parks are immaculate, queues are well managed, staff are famously attentive and the experience feels calmer despite the size. For many visitors, it exceeds expectations set by Florida.

You don’t have to go to the US for US experiences

Even iconic American events can now be experienced elsewhere.

American Football

Regular-season NFL games are played in London every autumn, hosted at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley. These are competitive fixtures with rotating teams and sell-out crowds, making it possible to experience top-tier American Football without travelling to the US. Additional games are also held in Germany for fans happy to travel short haul.

The 2026 World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico, but a third of matches will take place outside America. Fans can base themselves entirely in Canada or Mexico, attend group and knockout matches, and soak up the atmosphere in official fan zones, all without crossing US borders.

For many travellers, skipping the US in 2026 is not about giving something up. It is about choosing alternatives that feel calmer, simpler and more predictable, while still delivering the experiences they want from a holiday.