An Honest Trek America Review: The Answer to All Your Questions

An Honest Trek America Review: The Answer to All Your Questions

So, I’m not long back from my travels across the US of A. I spent 3 amazing weeks on a US coast to coast road trip with the most amazing group of people. But… I must admit, before I ventured off on my travels, I was extremely nervous, scared and well… excited. I found myself looking up every single Trek America review on the internet in hope that they would answer my one million and one questions.

I wondered was Trek America was really worth the money? I was scared that I would be the only solo traveller on my trek. I was concerned that I would be too old compared to my other trek mates. Lets just say… I had plenty of questions.

Now, I want to return the favour. So, this is my Trek America Review so to speak. This post is for those of you who are considering booking and Trek with Trek America but are too afraid to hit that pay button. Or those of you who have already booked onto your trek but still have so many questions that need answering. First, I will provide you guys with my honest Trek America Review and then I will answers all there is to know about Trek America.

My Trek America Review:

If I had to sum my Trek America experience up in one word it would be… BEST. TRIP. EVER. Ok, so that’s 3 words, but it’s too hard to sum into one. I have done my fair share of travels over the years and nothing compares to my experience with Trek America. There are many reasons for that.

The first being, my Trek mates. We started this big crazy adventure as 13 strangers and ended it as one big family. I have never met a group of people I got on better with. We where a bunch of like minded individuals who all had the same love for travel, adventure and exploring. And with everyday came a new adventure. It’s now been a whole year since my Trek, literally to this day, as I update this post. And I am still in regular contact with most of my Trek mates, some have even come over to Ireland for a visit.

The second reason for my trek being the best trip ever would thanks to my amazing Trek leader Tyler. Tyler honestly just blended into the group as if he was one of the Trekkers. He was super fun, charismatic and helpful. He is a true asset to the company and without him, our trek would have been no were as good. I am so happy to call him a friend.

The third reason would have to be all the amazing places I had the opportunity to see. My favourite being, Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks. Yes, our time in them was short and sometimes I wished for a little longer but other than that each and ever stop on the Trek was AMAZING. I am still in disbelief at the amount of places I had the opportunity to visit in such a short period of time. So All I can say is. If you are thinking of booking a Trek. DO IT! You will not regret it. Honestly, it’s such an amazing experience

I hope you found my Trek America Review Helpful, and now, as promised, it’s time to answer all your Trek Questions.

I have divided the Trek America Questions and Answers part of this post into 6 categories. If you would like to skip ahead to varies topics. Click the topics in the list below.

1. Trek Mates Related Questions
2. Packing Related Questions
3. Money Related Questions
4. Transportation Related Questions
5. Questions on Solo Travel, Age & Fitness Levels
6. Technology Related Questions
7. Trek America Review Video

Section 1: Group-Related Questions

Who is Trek America?

Trek America is a group tour operator for those between the ages of 18 to 38. They run organised tours through North and South America. It is a fun and relaxed way to travel with all the planning done for you.

What if I don’t like my group? 

Now I can’t promise you will love every single person in your group. It is, however, very unlikely you’ll dislike all the people in your group. Generally speaking, the groups are made up of like-minded people just like you. Going on the Trek for the same reason you are, fun, adventure, an experience. From 95% of the Trek America Reviews I’ve read, people loved their groups, just like I did <3 

Where will my Trek mates be from? 

Just about anywhere. That’s what makes it so great. My group consisted of people from Ireland, Scotland, England, New Zealand, Australia and America. We also ran into other Trek Groups along the way with people from Israel, Sweden and Norway. This was one of my favourite things about Trek, meeting people from all over the world. Plus, now I have a place to stay when I go visit their countries 

Check out Christina’s best quotes for travel with friends for inspiration before you set off on your awesome Trek America adventure.

Section 2: Packing Related Questions

The next section of Trek Review deals with packing related questions you may have. I have also made a road trip packing list for those of you who would like a step by step guide.

Rucksack or Suitcase? 

I was in America 3 months prior to my Trek, so I personally brought a suitcase as it best suited me. However, some of my Trek mates brought a rucksack and it seemed to work out just fine. Besides, you’ll never have to drag your luggage too far.

What should I pack?

 I plan on writing a full Trek America packing list next week, so stay tuned for that, I’ll attach it here once it’s complete. For now, I’ll list some of the basics. 

• 4/5 casual outfits
• 3 dressy outfits
• 2 pairs of runners/sneakers/trainers (one ruff and ready pair and a nice pair)
• Hiking boots
• Flip Flops (Especially for Showering)
• Jumpers/Sweaters
• Waterproof Jacket
• Swimwear
• A Torch
• Pillow
• Sleeping Bag
• Sun Cream
• Toiletries

I can not stress this more. READ THE TEMPERATURE GUIDE! Trek America will send you out a pre-trip brochure, with a temperature guide of each of the stops. Read it. It’s important. Aka, I was freezing on two or more stops.

What Camping Equipment Do I Need?

Trek America provides the tent and the camping mat. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow. PS: The pillow comes in super handy for the long drives too.

Section 3: Money Related Questions

How does the payment work?

When booking with Trek America, a deposit of 120 euro is needed. The remainder of the balance is paid 8 weeks prior to the Trek.

How much Spending Money do I need?

This is a hard question as it varies from person to person. It depends on how much you really want to spend and what tour you plan on booking, IE: Camping, BLT or a PLUS tour.

I Budgeted for 50 euros (60 dollars) a day and allowed for a little more than that. I didn’t end up spending all my savings but it was nice to have a little extra if needed.

Disclaimer: It can be done in less than 50 euro a day if you don’t plan on doing all of the additional activities or buying souvenirs along the way.

Are there any hidden costs?

No, there is no hidden cost so to speak. All costs are mentioned on the Trek America website and the majority of the cost are built into the price. I will list the additional cost below.

Tipping your guide: This one is super important. The guide works long endless hours and it is the guide that will really make or break the trip. They deserve a little thank you present at the end of the trip for all their hard work and dedication. My guide was phenomenal. He really made the trip one of a kind. A true asset to Trek America (Shoutout to Tyler, I miss you man).

Additional Activites: Some activities are optional throughout the Trek. Of course, you don’t have to take part but if you can afford it. I 100% recommend you do. They are so worth it!

Food Kitty: A food Kity is available on all camping trips. The food kitty cost 10 dollars per day and is a great way of saving some dolla. This includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and some snacks along the way. My Trek group even had some money left over and used it to upgrade from tents to cabins on our last night.

Section 4: Transportation

Are the drives long?

Admittedly, some of the drives are long. Really long, however, with that being said, they were not in the slightest way boring. This is when you really get to know your Trek mates. We swapped places each day, so we always had a new seat partner to talk to. Besides, with a killer playlist, the Trek group will be only short of auditioning for the X factor. I have put together an Ultimate American Road Trip Playlistfeaturing some my favourite songs from my Trek.

Also, you’ll become a fan of van appreciation day, because, after all the Trekking and exploring, you be in need of a good old nap (shoutout to Monique and Kasey).

There seems to be many stops in a short period of time, Are the Treks very rushed? 

I must admit that there were some places I wish I had longer to explore. However, Trek Americas website is very clear on the time frame spent in each place. So I booked the trip knowing how many days were spent in each destination. It’s a good way of discovering spots worth revisiting.

Do you make stops on long drives? 

Yes, bathrooms stops are an absolute must as some of the drives can be as long as 9 hours. Our tour guide was awesome, and he stopped at some of America’s hidden gems along the way. It really helped us truly experience the meaning of off the beaten path.

Section 5: Solo Travellers, Fitness and Age-Related Questions

I’m a Solo Traveller, will I be the only one?Answers Blog

No not in the slightest. There was a total of 12 people on my Trek, 13 including our tour leader. 10 of us where solo travellers but believe me when I say this, you will leave the Trek feeling as if you have known your Trek mates your whole life. They become your family.

Am I too old to do a Trek?

I felt the same way before my Trek. I was 23 and had convinced myself that I was going to be the oldest. In fact, I ended up being younger than half my Trek mates. My Trek raged of people between the ages of 18 to 30 and to be honest, age doesn’t even come into it. None of us even noticed the difference. 

I’m not 21 yet, will there be some things I won’t be able to do?

If you are planning on doing a Trek in stateside, the drinking age is 21. Some people on my trek that were under the age of 21 but to be honest they didn’t really miss out on much. Having a drink is only something people did in their free time. Those under the age of 21 could still take part in the booze cruise in San Fran, they just couldn’t drink.

Are the Hikes intense?

So, I went on the Northern Trail Trek and visited a vast majority of US national parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone. Hiking was the main feature of our Trek, with that being said, each place had a range of hikes going from easy to extremely strenuous. There was enough choice for all fitness levels.

Section 6: Tech Related Questions

On Camping Treks, Are there many Charging Facilities along the way?

I thought to charge my phone/go pro/camera was going to be a nightmare but to be honest it was a lot easier than expected. The van has charger outlets and we took turns in using them. I recommend bringing a good portable charger. Mine was a life saver. I charged my portable charger using the van outlet and then charged my devices from the portable charger (I usually got 6 to 7 charges out of it).

The big question. WIFI?

So Trek America is Awesome and they provide their Treks with an allowance of on bus WIFI. however, once it’s gone it’s gone. We decided as a group we would only use it for messaging and the occasional Instagram post (gotta keep the people at home jealous of all the amazing travel pics) It also came in handy for updating our never-ending aka AWESOME Spotify playlist.

Some campsites had WIFI and we had the occasional stop off at McDonalds along the way.

Section 6: Trek America Review Video

So, I loved my Trek so much that I made a Trek America Review video so to speak. This a video explaining why Trek America so Amazing and some of my favourite Trek Moments from the Trip.

So There You Have It

This brings us to the end of my Trek America Review. So, Is Trek America really worth the Money? The answer is YES! The Trek will provide you with a lifetime of memories, new worldwide friendships and a true American experience. So what are you waiting for? Get booking!

I WAS ON THE NORTHERN TRAIL TOUR WITH TREK AMERICA. CHECK OUT MY HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO FROM THE TRIP. I PROMISE AFTER WATCHING YOU’LL EAGER TO BOOK YOUR OWN TRIP. AND IF YOU REALLY LIKE IT DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE. 

PIN ME FOR LATER:

Disclaimer: I took part in a camping style Trek America tour. Trek America also offers BLT and PLUS style tours. Some of these answers are specific to the camping style tour. Thanks for reading my post. Happy Travelling. 

PS: I have regular photo updates from my Trek on my Instagram. Be sure to head over and give me a follow.