About Our Trips

Length of Trip

Our trips are thoughtfully designed to showcase the highlights of each region while making the most of your time and budget. We've grouped national parks and key attractions together in ways that help you experience the best an area has to offer. 

If you prefer a longer trip with more sights or a slower pace, we're happy to customize an itinerary for you. While shorter trips may require some tough choices about what to pass up, we understand that time and budget are often limited, and we're here to help you find the trip length that works best for you.

Travel Season

Most national parks have a "peak season", and for good reason. However, since school breaks often align nationwide, this can lead to heavy crowds, especially for families traveling with kids. For those open to less predictable weather, the "shoulder seasons" (just before or after peak times) can offer lower prices, fewer crowds, and easier access to trailheads. We aim to recommend the full range of months that will allow you to experience the best each park has to offer.

Keep in mind that accommodations and permits for popular activities often book up quickly during peak times. Planning at least 6 -12 months ahead can greatly improve availability and thus your options. That said, we’re always happy to help find alternatives, even on shorter notice. When specific crowding issues are likely, we’ll be sure to flag them. But ultimately, the timing is up to you and what works best based on your schedule.

Most nights on our trips involve lodging in 3-star hotels. Sometimes lodging in or adjacent to national parks may have fewer amenities, but is still the right choice based on location, as well as historic appeal. The pricing ranges presented reflect this level of accommodation.

If you prefer more luxurious lodging, let us know and we can present additional options along with the price difference. If you prefer to save money, let us know and we can discuss less expensive options as well. If you are interested in camping, there are campgrounds convenient to some, but not all, destination locations. Talk to our team about camping options in lieu of hotels when making your reservation. This will reduce cost significantly, but also may not always be available as park service campgrounds in particular often fill up quickly. (Note that Wandersaurus does not provide or facilitate rental of camping equipment.)

If you are looking for backcountry camping options, we can still help. See our Wilderness and Backcountry page for more details.

We typically plan for travelers to enjoy a full day of activities, usually around 8 to 10 hours (including driving), to help make the most of their vacation. That said, we understand that most people aren’t looking to spend their whole days doing strenuous physical activity. Our recommended hikes are usually in the 2–4 mile range, with no more than 6 miles of total hiking per day, unless requested. Occasionally, we may suggest a longer or more challenging experience if it offers something truly special. In those cases, we’ll clearly note the difficulty and always provide easier alternatives for those who prefer a less physically challenging vacation.

Kids: Taking your kids to national parks can be incredibly rewarding, but we're fully aware it comes with its own challenges. When it comes to physical difficulty, you know your kids better than we do. A 5-year-old with enthusiasm for the outdoors and some hiking experience may be able to handle nearly everything in one of our premade itineraries. A teenager without experience or enthusiasm might struggle. As a general rule, we aren't planning trips targeted at kids, but we are planning trips that parents can feel comfortable bringing kids along. 

Sometimes things aren't as close together as we would like, and getting from one place to another can take some windshield time. While we’ve designed our trip plans to be as efficient as possible, driving is often unavoidable when visiting multiple parks.

In this section of each itinerary page, we’ll highlight any longer drives so you know what to expect. If you'd like to avoid extended driving, we can adjust your itinerary by either (a) removing some of the more remote stops, or (b) breaking up longer drives with an extra overnight stay along the way. The good news is that most national parks are often surrounded by scenic landscapes, so at least most drives have some beautiful vistas for you to enjoy along the way.

Other Logistics

We make sure to note any unique logistical challenges for a given trip. These could involve remote areas with limited cell phone coverage, or just unique time zone situations (shoutout to Arizona and the Navajo nation). Regardless, we want to make sure you're fully informed to minimize unpleasant surprises while traveling.

By Air

Our itineraries are typically designed around a starting point city with a major airport to make travel as convenient as possible. In some cases, we offer multiple airport options, but we prioritize those served by most major U.S. airlines to give you more flexibility when booking your own flights.

Arriving in the morning and departing in the afternoon usually works best with the rest of the itinerary. However, if your flight times differ, we’re happy to adjust activities or lodging plans to fit your schedule.

By Car

Travelers from nearby states may find it more affordable to drive their own vehicle on a trip. If this brings you through our starting/ending city, that's easy. But it may be more efficient to start the trip somewhere we had listed on "Day 3" then loop around and finish on "Day 2" before driving home (as an example). Let us know your plans and we will work out the details with you. 

Some features of our trips may have seasonal variation, so all package prices are presented as estimated ranges. Contact us for a more precise price estimate for your preferred travel dates. Pricing does NOT include airfare.

Couples / Two Travelers

Our trips are originally designed for parties of 2 people, sharing a room. 

Families

Groups of 3-6 people can enjoy these trips as well, with costs variable depending on room-sharing preferences. Contact us for details.

Solo

Unfortunately for solo travelers, the majority of the costs on our trips are typically overnight accommodations, which do not usually reduce for individuals, so a solo traveler would only save a few hundred dollars off the couples' price. Assuming they are flying, they would save on airfare relative to a couple, and it would be up to that person to decide if the higher price-per-person still makes sense for them.

Larger Groups

The availability of a trip for larger groups can vary. Check the specific trip page for more information.

Payment Policies

• Payments must be made by credit card. Specific restrictions may exist for certain lodging or activity vendors. 

• 20% deposit due at time of reservation

• Balance due 90 days before trip start date (If booking within 90 days of trip, full balance due at time of reservation)

• Some portion of deposit may be nonrefundable, as some excursions or activity fees (which will have been booked upon confirmation) are nonrefundable. Accommodations and transportation will generally be reserved as refundable.

• Fully refundable until 60 days before trip start, less $100 admin fee and any nonrefundable excursions

• 50% refundable until 14 days before trip start

• If cancelling within 14 days of trip start, no refunds are given

• Itinerary changes, including changes of dates, locations, and activities, will be based on availability, and may result in pricing changes according to the pricing of our vendors.

Included In Your Package Price

• Bespoke itinerary - tailored as needed to suit your particular requirements

• Overnight accommodations for all nights

• Rental car

• Maps of all driving routes

• Trail maps and trail descriptions for all recommended hikes

• Restaurant recommendations, at a range of price points, highlighting vegetarian and kid-friendly options

• “America the Beautiful” federal lands pass (grants access to all National Park Service facilities on the trip)

• Tickets to all museums included in trip plan

• Fees for any guided tours mentioned in trip plan

• Expert advice and local information, including packing suggestions

• Updated information on any changing conditions delivered in the weeks before your trip

• Carbon offset credits for the mileage driven along the main route of the itinerary

• Full support during your trip from the Wandersaurus Travel team (9:00 am until 9:00 pm Eastern Time)

Not Included

• Travel to and from your starting/ending points

• Gasoline, parking, and/or any other ground transportation expenses unless specified

• Meals unless specified

• Additional guided tours or excursions beyond those specified

• Tips/gratuities for any guides

• Travel insurance

Note on Travel Insurance

• We recommend purchasing travel insurance via a certified insurance agency

• We are not insurance agents but can provide quotes from one or more agencies with relevant policies

In the lead-up to your trip, you'll hear from us several times. After the initial conversations leading to a finalized itinerary plan, we'll be in touch with confirmation numbers, maps, and all of the other information described above. Chances are you will have questions at some point, and we are available by email and phone for all of our paid customers. For paid customers with upcoming trips, we try to respond to all communication within 24 hours.

If we’ve done our job well, most of the work is complete by the time you hit the road. Still, we understand that unexpected issues can arise - whether it’s car trouble, weather delays, a lost phone, or something else. While we’re not a 24/7 operation, we keep a close eye on our small group of active travelers and do our best to respond quickly when something comes up. If you reach out, we will assist as soon as we can.