Eight lucky Australian travel advisors won an epic American Southwest famil, exploring three states in seven days, thanks to Viva Holidays, Air Tickets, Rocky Mountaineer, United Airlines, Brand USA and Visit Utah. What went down for this Down Under crew? Let’s find out.
Top-selling USA travel advisors joined hosts Jordan Carpenter (Viva Holidays), Frank Levey (Rocky Mountaineer) and Samantha Harrison (United Airlines) on an American Southwest famil adventure.
Alby Daniel (Helloworld Travel Geelong Central), Chantelle Woods (Helloworld Travel Tuggerah), Kate Cummins (Frank Ford Travel Ballarat), Sonya Webb (Helloworld Travel Goulburn), Fiona Oliver (Castlemaine Travel), Rhonda Sunderland (Helloworld Travel Kotara), Ben Asprey (Globetrotter Travel Toowoomba) and Janet Kirzan (Geelong Travel) were winners of the American Southwest USA incentive.
The crew touched down in Denver, Colorado, flying United Airlines via San Francisco, ready to board Rocky Mountaineer’s new Rockies to Red Rocks two-day journey from Denver to Moab the next day.
The luxe rail experience saw the agents witness the spectacular scenery from snow-capped mountains to vibrant red rocks while enjoying the 5-star service, cuisine and cocktails on board.
After overnighting in Glenwood Springs, the group continued on Rocky Mountaineer, disembarking in Moab, Utah for a guided 4WD experience in Canyonlands National Park with Southwest Adventures.
The next day, agents ventured into Arches National Park before a picnic lunch at Goblin Valley State Park and onto Capitol Reef National Park for an easy afternoon hike – three national parks in two days!
Day four saw a drive from Torrey to Escalante along the Scenic Byway 12 known as ‘A Journey through Time Scenic Byway’ for its changing landscape. After site inspections, the group explored Bryce Canyon National Park, followed by a live country music dinner show at Ebenezer’s Barn & Grill.
After a cool early start to catch the sunrise over Bryce Canyon, the crew drove into the fifth national park of the fam – Zion National Park – where they were greeted by big horn sheep and hiked and e-biked trails, spotting Californian condors on the way, before enjoying a beer at Zion Brewery and dinner at the Spotted Dog.
The final day of the itinerary began with exploring Grafton, a Utah ghost town, and views from Snow Canyon overlook before driving into Las Vegas, Nevada with a spare hour to hit the Strip.
Check out this and other USA itineraries at vivaholidays.com.au
