Who isn’t curious about a little peek behind the scenes of my latest road trip through the American West? Let’s be honest – those are usually the juiciest stories, right? Of course they are. 😄
Three weeks on the road with two women and another guy – now that’s the perfect recipe for speculation and curious questions. So, let’s shed a little light on the mystery and dive into a few behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
But before we get into all the chaos and comedy, let me say this: I’m genuinely grateful for this trip. I saw a lot, experienced even more, and like every travel crew – this one had its moments. Let’s be real, no group is ever totally drama-free. Ours wasn’t either. But hey – we survived.
Well… almost. Not everyone made it back to Germany completely in one piece. Our return flight? Kind of felt like a medical evacuation. 😂 But don’t worry – I’ll get to that part soon enough.
Our Wild USA Adventure Kicked Off with a Boozy Flight to Chicago
It all began in Düsseldorf. On May 23rd, we boarded our Lufthansa flight to Chicago – just an ordinary flight… or so we thought. But from the moment we stepped on board, the four of us were anything but ordinary.
As the flight attendant rolled by with her first drink service and politely asked what we’d like, one of our two fabulous ladies didn’t miss a beat:
“Do you have champagne? We need something to toast with!”
At first, the stewardess looked a bit confused – probably not the typical question for a long-haul flight – but then smiled and said,
“Of course, but the bottle’s not open yet.”
She disappeared behind the curtain, adding with a grin,
“If you hear a loud pop in a second – that’s just the champagne.”
Naturally, we couldn’t help but burst into laughter. She returned, bottle opened – though I swear I never heard that pop. Somehow, she seemed to sense that this was just the beginning of our little inflight cocktail hour. Champagne, Baileys, Whiskey-Cola – you name it, we had it.
But as the drinks kept flowing, one thought popped into my head: U.S. immigration control in Chicago.
If our tipsy ladies end up giggling in front of the border officer, this could either turn into a hilarious scene… or one we’d rather forget.
Time’s Ticking – A Transit Made for the Guinness Book of Records
Alright, passport control? Surprisingly smooth. But then came the chaos – welcome to Chicago! We had barely an hour to catch our connecting flight to Los Angeles. Originally, Lufthansa had booked us a flight with a relaxed 2.5-hour layover… but suddenly changed it to just one hour. Thanks for that! Nothing beats racing through a terminal you’ve never been to, not knowing how long passport control will take or where you even need to go. Pure thriller vibes.
Here’s the drama in short:
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Land in Chicago from Germany
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Exit the plane and run to passport control
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Grab your luggage from the carousel
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Exit the secure area and re-check your luggage at the transfer desk
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Leave the building and hop on the airport train
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Take the train to a different terminal
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Go through check-in and security all over again
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Finally reach the gate and board
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And hope your luggage made it too
Luckily, we saw our suitcases being loaded from the airplane window – yesss, ours was on board! That kind of stress only happens when airlines decide to reshuffle your plans without asking. Could’ve gone terribly wrong. Honestly, I hate that.
A Magnetic Strip Has Never Been This Valuable
Next up: chaos, part two. Just minutes after arriving, we headed to Alamo to pick up our rental car – simple, right? Not so fast. To finalize the paperwork, the employee had to swipe my credit card. Totally standard. But after he handled it, the magnetic strip was suddenly dead. Boom. No more card swipe.
The hotel right after? Couldn’t read it. Nada. Later, my card provider confirmed the swipe at Alamo worked fine. So… what the heck happened in between?
For the next few days, I had to awkwardly explain to every American cashier that they needed to manually enter the card numbers – and trust me, they really don’t like doing that. My most important payment method, broken. Right at the beginning of the trip. Furious? Understatement.
Sure, the card still technically worked, so I passed on getting a replacement sent to Vegas. But in hindsight? Should’ve done it. Not every place accepts manual input.
The GMC Yukon XL – aka “The Black Beast”
And then came our ride. Big. Bold. Brutal. The GMC Yukon XL. Or, as I like to call it: The Black Beast.
Let the roadtrip begin.
We quickly fell in love with our ride – a jet-black GMC Yukon XL. XL, as in Extra Large. Haha! That thing was a beast (price for 3 weeks including all insurances, “Premium SUV” category: €1,440). We lovingly called it The Black Beast. The sheer size took some getting used to. And anytime we had to pay for parking, we often had to cough up a bit more just because of our super-size. Isn’t that discrimination? Totally uncool.
But what was cool about the car? Not just the standard USB ports and power outlets for our phones and cameras, but actual seat ventilation in the front – yes, seat cooling! – and a blind spot warning system built into the side mirrors. That thing saved our butts more than once when switching lanes on the freeway. Perfect for a road trip like this.
And now, let me tell you about our first major “incident”… 😄
To park the car properly, you had to press the parking brake pedal on the left (similar to a handbrake) and set the gear lever to “P” for Park. Only then would the car stay put. Sounds easy, right? Well… enter Guido – the man who quite literally set things in motion. 😄
It was in San Diego, on our first or second evening. We were in a hurry to grab a last-minute coffee before closing time at Starbucks. Guido found a spot on a slight slope, right in front of a rusty old clunker – and casually left the vehicle. Seconds later, the Yukon began to roll backwards. Straight toward the heap behind us.
The panic was real. Everyone screamed: “Guido! The car is rolling!!”
It nearly turned into an action movie – but Guido, our quick-thinking hero, managed to stop the beast using sheer muscle power and slammed on the brake just in time. No joke – only 2 or 3 centimeters stood between us and a very awkward insurance claim.
Of course, Guido got a proper (but loving) scolding from all of us. And after the adrenaline wore off, we were all able to laugh it off while sipping our well-deserved Starbucks coffees.
The Hotels – or shall we say: “Unlucky 13”? Because not all that glitters is gold.
During our road trip through the American West, we stayed in 13 different hotels – a full spectrum, from budget-friendly to bougie. Some were excellent, some… not so much.
The worst one? No contest.
Clarion Inn Page at Lake Powell (€138 per night). Sadly, by the time we booked, all the good places were sold out – and we had to bite the bullet. The reviews on Tripadvisor say it all…
Despite this rather disappointing experience, we also struck absolute gold – with the stunning Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix, where we stayed for just €150 a night.
That a difference of just €12 can feel like worlds apart becomes crystal clear when you compare it to Page or Phoenix. What we got for our money here? Absolutely mind-blowing.
A stunning room with a private terrace, a massive flatscreen, and high-quality interior design – all just steps from the pool. And as if that wasn’t enough, we also received four breakfast vouchers worth $15 each.
And let me tell you – the breakfast? A total dream. Easily one of the best on the entire trip, right up there with Vegas. Super fresh, mostly homemade, and just top quality all around. I could honestly go on and on about it…
Breakfast at the Arizona Biltmore? Simply mind-blowing.
I mean… just look at the picture – it speaks for itself. 😍
The place felt more like a lush resort than a regular hotel – endless greenery, palm trees swaying in the breeze, and a golf course right next door. Totally decadent, but the vibe? Super chill and incredibly welcoming.
This hotel has stories to tell. Nearly every U.S. president has spent a night here. A true icon with a legacy you can feel the moment you walk in.
Here you can see that other guests felt the same way.
Ironically, the most expensive hotel turned out to be the biggest letdown. The Bellagio in Las Vegas – a whopping €340 a night. And this… was the lobby view during check-in.
The day began with a small challenge: braving the line for the breakfast buffet – because even paradise makes you wait for pancakes.
Reading this Tripadvisor review – it’s like someone put my travel heart into words.
Las Vegas – the city of long walks and even longer bills.
It’s not that Vegas is bad – not at all. But what many forget: everything here is huge. The hotel complexes are so massive that getting from your room to the pool can feel like crossing time zones. If you’re coming here, one thing is crystal clear: bring enough cash.
Because if your wallet is deep enough, Vegas is pure paradise.
World-class shows that will blow your mind.
Satellite restaurants from the world’s top chefs.
And everything else money can buy – all in one dazzling neon package.
As for the other hotels on our route – no complaints there. They were solid, great value for money, and did their job just fine. But then…
Hold up – there was one hidden gem we have to talk about.
A true roadside highlight: The Inn at East Beach in sunny Santa Barbara.
Run by the legendary Frank Santana and his warm-hearted wife Linda, this place has been radiating good vibes for nearly 19 years.
Their hospitality? Off the charts.
Their breakfast? A morning ritual.
Frank personally hands every guest a tray – yes, really – and explains where to find everything. Croissants, blueberries, premium yogurt, freshly boiled eggs, and some seriously tasty bagels.
Frank isn’t just the owner – he’s a local legend. His charm and personal touch have made him a favorite among travelers, and he knows how to turn that into marketing magic. A stay here doesn’t feel like a motel – it feels like staying with friends.
Here’s the detailed hotel list (in chronological order):
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Holiday Inn Express Los Angeles Airport, Los Angeles (€151 // 1 night)
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Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel & Marina, San Diego (€169 // 2 nights)
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Radisson Hotel, Yuma (€132 // 1 night)
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Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, Phoenix (€150 // 1 night)
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Clarion Inn, Page – Lake Powell (€138 // 1 night)
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SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Kingman Route 66 (€116 // 1 night)
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Bellagio, Las Vegas (€340 // 3 nights)
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Travelodge, Bishop (€97 // 1 night)
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Holiday Inn Express, Oakdale (€90 // 1 night)
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Galleria Park, a Joie de Vivre Hotel, San Francisco (€210 // 4 nights)
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Holiday Inn Express, Monterey-Cannery Row (€166 // 1 night)
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The Inn at East Beach, Santa Barbara (€228 // 1 night)
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Hotel MdR Marina del Rey – a DoubleTree by Hilton, Los Angeles (€160 // 3 nights)
My Personal Highlights of the Tour – The Mandatory Top 10
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San Francisco – I’m in love with this city. Enough said.
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Glacier Point – A jaw-dropping panoramic view of Yosemite’s epic wilderness. Pure magic.
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Golden Gate Bridge – An iconic U.S. landmark that radiates history and power.
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Horseshoe Bend – No guardrails. Hundreds of meters high. A dizzying view over the Colorado River near Page.
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Grand Canyon – When nature flexes its muscles, it looks like this.
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Highway No.1 – One of the most scenic coastal roads in the world. And yes, the hype is real.
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Alcatraz – Haunting, gripping, unforgettable. A maximum-security prison with maximum impact.
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The Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas – A WOW view over the Strip. Only go up after dark – trust me.
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The Arizona Biltmore – No other hotel on our trip surprised me this positively.
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Hoover Dam – Human engineering at its most awe-inspiring.
The Group
Let’s get one thing straight: finding the perfect group of people to survive three weeks of close-quarters travel is… basically impossible. Three weeks together – every day, every hour – is bound to create friction. And tension. And yes, the occasional eruption.
The real art is seeing the explosion coming before it hits – and deploying countermeasures just in time to defuse it. I told everyone at the airport back in Düsseldorf – in high spirits, I might add – that there would definitely be at least one major blow-up on this trip. They laughed.
The bang came in San Francisco.
Exactly what that looked like… I’ll leave that to your imagination. Maybe, just maybe, if you watch my travel video closely, you’ll get a sense of who in the group had which role to play. We were a wildly diverse bunch in terms of character. But hey – that’s what makes a trip like this not just an adventure, but a full-blown social experiment.
Now let’s talk about the story of the walking wounded…
Out of our four travel companions, three returned to Germany with more or less serious injuries. The only one who made it home in perfect condition was Insa. She boarded the plane healthy and unscathed.
As for me? I was battling a nasty cold – complete with cough and runny nose – and to top it off, I pulled a muscle in my lower back while in the bathroom in Monterey. Let’s call it “sciatica light.” Not exactly heroic.
But now, let’s move on to the two serious cases.
Kati had been suffering from a severe burn on her lower leg ever since our stop in Page. The culprit? A photo op gone wrong. She wanted a cool shot sitting on a Harley Davidson – and accidentally touched the scorching hot exhaust pipe. groan Yep, that must’ve hurt like hell.
And then there’s Guido. Our grand finale. On our very last day, at Venice Beach – more precisely, at the legendary Muscle Beach – he decided to impress with a little stunt on the gymnastics rings. Just for fun, you know? Well, let’s just say the stunt didn’t end well. He completely tore his bicep tendon. A full rupture. Ouch. Back in Germany, he had to go straight to the hospital and was operated on two days later.
From what I know, both Guido and Kati are now thankfully on the road to recovery. Fingers crossed!
Despite all of that, I can honestly say: this trip was the adventure of a lifetime. We laughed so much, had unforgettable moments, and truly enjoyed the ride together. I hope the other three feel the same.
And one thing’s for sure: I will never forget Guido’s legendary line, “We have it all!” (More on that in the video.) It had me in stitches!
Looking ahead to 2016…
Over the last two and a half years, I’ve been to the USA four times. Each trip was epic in its own way – full of amazing experiences and unforgettable memories. I’m still absolutely in love with America, and I’ll always enjoy going back.
But hey – the world is huge. And it’s time for something different. Something new. Something exotic. So, for the next big trip, I won’t be heading west… but east. To Asia!
I’m currently leaning towards Thailand – maybe with a stop in Bangkok and Singapore. But the planning phase has just begun. I’ll be gathering inspiration from friends and Asia travel experts before mapping out my route.
More on that soon… Stay tuned!
