Going Stateside

For most Brits like me, it’s something that commonly pops up on many people’s bucket lists: visit America. And I was no different. I recently had the pleasure and privilege of ticking off that item from my bucket list when I visited the tourist hotspot of Washington DC, a place completely packed with history. So what did I get up to, and what would I recommend?

Getting Prepped

It’s one thing just booking your flights and heading across the pond, however, with good preparation you can get the most out of your trip. You’ve got to make sure you’ve got boring things like plane tickets, hotel rooms, your passport, and a visa sorted. But also, you have to make sure you have some exciting things packed too. Whether you go during the winter or summer months, then you’ll want to make sure you wear the best clothes when taking photos in front of some of the world’s best monuments and attractions, as well as having a comfortable pair of shoes. Also, you’ll want to make sure you have a nice camera to take the best snaps (because your phone is good, but a DSLR can be great). And also, if you’re a bit more zany and out-there, you’ll want to get your hands on a Spider-Man costume before you traipse the streets of Washington pretending to be the masked webslinger, just like in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Well thanks to sites such as My Favourite Voucher Codes, you can make some great savings on all your holiday essentials and luxuries from retailers like Debenhams, Argos, and Jokers Masquerade; meaning you will have more cash left over for all your holiday spending.

Wandering in Washington

The great thing about Washington DC, the country’s capital, is that there is so much to see and do in a relatively small space; it’s a hive of history. The fulcrum of DC is the National Mall, which features the Capitol Building at one end, the Washington monument in the middle, and the Lincoln memorial at the other end. And it’s not just that, a multitude of Smithsonian museums line both sides of the Mall, including the infamous Air & Space Museum. If you’re a fan of everything related to aeronautics and space exploration, then taking a trip here should be a top priority. When I visited, I wanted to see everything to do with our excursions when leaving the planet, including the Apollo 11 command module, a spacesuit worn during the Apollo 15 mission, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Prior to the trip I didn’t know what the test project was, but if you go in with the knowledge by reading this, you’ll appreciate it even more.

Whilst I didn’t have time to visit any of the other Smithsonian museums, I did have time to take a trip to the Holocaust museum, which is just around the corner. A trip to Washington DC was never going to be a riotous lad’s holiday, but visiting the museum is something you probably have to do out of duty and respect, and it is not designed to be fun and enjoyable, but a sombre reminder of the horrors of the past. Across the Potomac is Arlington National Cemetery, which includes the graves of former presidents John F. Kennedy and William H. Taft, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Washington DC is probably best known for being the home of American politics, with the city being the residing place of the President in the White House, and congress in the Capitol Building, which is only a few blocks away. Also, there are a huge amount of federal buildings in the vicinity, such as the National Archives Museum, and the Library of Congress. And if you want to get your fix of past Presidents, there are many monuments I recommend, such as the Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t just take my word for it, though. Expedia have put together this travel guide. There were so many things to see and do in Washington, which I didn’t get the chance to fit into my schedule. However, I’m sure I’ll be back one day.