Lester family Santa Barbara beach
Lester family Sooze and Nate in Sequoia
Lester family Golden Gate bridge sailing
Lester family Santa Barbara beach
Lester family Sooze and Nate in Sequoia
Lester family Golden Gate bridge sailing
A family roadtrip through California

The Lester family

The number one reason we are extremely relieved we chose Little America came during the early part of our stay. We were enjoying ourselves in Santa Monica, completely unaware of wildfires building up in Yosemite, our next destination, until we received a calm email from our travel specialist followed up by a phone call. This is where a self-booked trip would have collapsed into panic, but Little America simply suggested a couple of alternatives and sent us to Lake Tahoe instead.

When the Covid restrictions started to ease in early 2022 we realised that our 7-year-old son Nate was old enough to enjoy a road trip and that we were overdue for a major family holiday. Sooze had dreamt of visiting California for a long time and I was excited to return for a visit so it was a perfect choice.

Customer review: child in a tree at Sequoia National Park
Nate enjoying the trees in Sequoia National Park
Emerald Bay Tahoe
Beautiful views at Emerald Bay Tahoe

We always thought the "right way" to plan a holiday is to research everything in detail and book it yourself. We weren't sure at first whether a travel agent was the right approach for us but with post-pandemic uncertainty still in the air, we wanted to make sure everything worked out smoothly, especially because we were planning to travel with our young son.

We came across Little America and decided to at least listen to their suggestions. Once we heard their expert advice we felt confident they understood what we needed and were extremely pleased to have their help.

We had some ideas for the itinerary but appreciated their support and experience in working out the details. For instance, certain places weren't suitable for a young child to visit at the time we were travelling (too hot to enjoy the experience). Also, it was better to focus on a smaller number of locations to avoid excessive travel during a 20-day trip.

Santa Barbara pier
We enjoyed our time on the beach in Santa Barbara
Lake Tahoe
Relaxing on the shores of Lake Tahoe

We would probably have never found some of the real gems without Little America's insider knowledge. We would no doubt have left it too late to find such a unique sailing experience in San Francisco bay, and we wouldn't have found such an interesting remote cottage in Sequoia National Park. In fact, all our stays were highly tailored to our requirements; we were keen on having two rooms, for example, and it is almost impossible to really understand hotel layouts if you're booking online yourself.

A cottage in the bush
Little America helped us find this hidden gem
Views of mountains and bush
We enjoyed watching the sunset and relaxing on the deck at the end of the day

Looking back, we would have struggled to do so many days in the national parks in the heat with our young boy. We benefited from Little America helping us to rearrange our itinerary mid-trip to avoid Yosemite National Park and its wildfires. After one incredible day in Sequoia, where we saw the largest tree in the world and were lucky enough to spot a bear in the wild with her cub, we set off on the longest stretch of our journey to relax on the shores of Lake Tahoe.

Our return leg from San Francisco back to Los Angeles was just as memorable, seeing a blue whale in Monterey Bay and enjoying some time on the beach in Santa Barbara.

Since arriving back home we have been recommending Little America to all our friends. From our experience, finding the right travel agent for a big holiday is the best way to go. It didn't cost us any more than we would have spent on an online booking service or app. It saved us a lot of time and helped us enjoy the perfect holiday for our family.

Thank you

The Lester family

Hospital Rock Sequoia
We saw so many amazing things like this: Hospital Rock in Sequoia
A baby cub running in the green grass near the forest
Spotting a cub in Sequoia National Park