Los Angeles to Las Vegas

Fourteen nights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas covering under a thousand miles, which makes this the most relaxed trip they offer. Flights, car and hotels come as one package from the UK, and the point is to stay put rather than keep moving.

Three nights in Los Angeles start it, enough for Santa Monica and Venice Beach, Hollywood and the handprints, Griffith Observatory and the Getty without rushing any of them. Then the Pacific Coast Highway runs a short hop down to two nights at Laguna Beach, with Huntington and Newport on the way, and another short hop to two nights in San Diego for Balboa Park, Coronado, Cabrillo Point and the USS Midway.

The second week turns inland. Two nights in Palm Springs, a town built on mid-century modernism and still trading on it, then the drive east through Joshua Tree and the Mojave to Lake Havasu City, where the original London Bridge stands over a desert channel. The Grand Canyon comes next, with time for both sunrise and sunset on the rim, and then the finest driving day of the trip: Seligman, Hackberry and Oatman on original Route 66, Hoover Dam, and three nights in Las Vegas to finish.

Eight of the stops run to two nights or three. Under a thousand miles over fourteen nights means most days have no driving at all, which is the whole proposition. The itinerary is bespoke, with nights addable and stops removable, and departures are arranged around your dates. It suits anyone who wants an American road trip without spending the fortnight behind the wheel, and who would rather see six places well than sixteen badly.