Southwest Explorer

Fourteen nights from Phoenix to Los Angeles, and the one trip in their range that starts in the desert rather than on a coast. Flights, car and hotels are arranged together from the UK, with a road book for the driving.

It opens slowly: two nights in Scottsdale, then two in Sedona among the red rock buttes. The climb to the Grand Canyon goes by Flagstaff with Meteor Crater and the Sunset Crater volcano on the way. Then comes the best driving day, west through Williams and along the surviving stretch of Route 66 at Seligman, Hackberry and Oatman, where the burros still wander down the main street, before Hoover Dam and two nights in Las Vegas.

The second week turns for the Pacific. Palm Springs and its mid-century architecture, then two nights in San Diego for Balboa Park, Coronado, Cabrillo Point, the USS Midway and the zoo. Two more at Laguna Beach cover Orange County and the coves at Crystal Cove, before the Pacific Coast Highway brings you into Los Angeles for the last two nights.

Around 1,060 miles over a fortnight, with six of the eight stops lasting two nights, so most days involve no driving at all. The operator calls it an all-seasons route, which the geography supports. The itinerary is bespoke, so nights can be added and stops dropped, and departures are arranged around your dates. It suits anyone who wants the Arizona desert and the southern California coast in one trip, and would rather see Sedona properly than pass through it. No Big Sur, no San Francisco, which keeps the pace genuinely relaxed.