Written by Heidi Kingston
During the summer of 2024, I worked at Camp Birch Trail, an all-girls summer camp in the USA, on a J-1 working visa. The visa allowed three months of paid work followed by 30 days to travel. Camp was one of the best experiences of my life. It was exhausting, rewarding, and unforgettable however once it ended, I was more than ready to start travelling.
I set off with three girls I met at camp. After three months of living, working, and laughing together, travelling together felt like the obvious next step. We had similar budgets, bucket lists, and no solid plan, other than catching a bus from camp to Chicago and figuring it out as we went. We stayed in Chicago for three nights, and it quickly became one of my favourite cities of the trip. It was vibrant, beautiful, and full of energy.
From Chicago, three of us flew to New York City. Rach had been before, so she did her own thing for a few days and planned to meet us later. Mollie, Anna and I had only 48 hours in New York, which somehow made it even better. Manhattan accommodation was wildly out of budget, so we only booked one night in the city and an overnight bus for the second. It was chaotic, exhausting, and honestly one of the highlights of the whole trip. We took on New York with a long bucket list and a serious time limit.
After our whirlwind 48 hours, we boarded an overnight bus at 11pm and arrived in Niagara Falls at 5:30am, where only Starbucks was open. We spent the next six hours sitting in the café, half asleep, half planning a road trip. By the time we left, we had booked flights to Denver, hired a car, and mapped out our first few stops. Seeing Niagara Falls the following day was one of the most awe-inspiring moments of the entire trip; nothing compares to witnessing it in person.
From Niagara, we flew to Denver to start our road trip. What should have been simple turned into one of the most chaotic days of the trip, involving flight delays, a four-hour wait at the car hire desk, and us calling an ambulance when someone fainted in line. Thankfully, it ended on a high when we were upgraded to a seven-seater van, the prefect start to our road trip.
We stayed in Moab, exploring Arches National Park, then continued to Bryce Canyon and Zion before crossing into Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. We added a spontaneous night in Las Vegas, which was fun even though most of us were under 21, before heading into California.
Yosemite National Park was my favourite stops. Hiking Lambert Dome at sunset and looking out over the entire park was unforgettable, even though we wished we had more time. After returning the car in San Francisco, we said goodbye to Anna and Rach, and Mollie and I spent three days exploring the city. We saw Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, pier 39 and soaked up plenty of sunshine.
From San Francisco, we travelled to Santa Cruz, which ended up being a highlight. Quiet, relaxed, and uncrowded, it felt like a hidden gem. We loved it so much that we extended our stay, swimming with seals, exploring local markets, and enjoying ocean views from our upgraded room.
Our trip finished in Los Angeles. After saying goodbye to Mollie, I spent five nights solo in Santa Monica. I ticked off all the classic sights including Hollywood Boulevard, Santa Monica Pier, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive. Arriving back in Sydney on September 2nd and seeing my family waiting for me was the perfect ending to an adventure I’ll never forget.
Charlie Blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
