Texas itinerary and useful information for organising the trip
Deciding on an itinerary for Texas was not easy, because it is such a vast country, because there are so many things to see and because the time we had available was not so much.
At the beginning I had set an itinerary, then along the way we changed it, almost completely overturned it.
The turtles were what made us change the first few days of the trip. How could I not go and see the hatching on Padre Island? Changing this part, we decided to eliminate Big Bend National Park and El Paso, almost as if it were destiny. Just the days we were supposed to be there, the El Paso supermarket massacre happened. I am more and more convinced that we must always listen to our sixth sense, it knows best and sooner or later we also understand why.
From there on we always listened to him, that's how we went to Amarillo and the wonderful Palo Duro Canyon. And then we went on, trying to see all the major regions of Texas, each one different from the other, each with distinct colours.
This was our itinerary, which allowed us to get to know the different souls of this difficult country, hot and silent, but full of smiling people, full of vitality and landscapes where you cannot see the horizon.
Itinerary Texas
The main stops on our itinerary in Texas, places whose adventures I will tell you about later, were:
- San Antonio
the most Mexican country in Texas, where you eat Mexican, live Mexican and feel Mexican, even more than being in Mexico.
- Padre Island
Before Padre Island we stopped in Corpus Christi, one of the most famous seaside areas in Texas, full of villas lining the bay, seagulls and fishermen. From there we moved on to Padre Island for the birth of the baby turtles that leave the nest on August evenings and begin their adventure at sea, only to return as 'mothers' after twenty years.
- Bandera and Frederiksburg
Bandera is my favourite Texas town; it is exactly what I dreamed of seeing. A few kilometres away, Fredericksburg and Kerrville are worth a stop. German towns with classic saloons and beautiful Victorian houses. From there, don't miss the nearby Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and the small town of Lubbock, home of Buddy Holly.
- Amarillo
Amarillo is many things, but at the same time the city centre disappointed me. Abandoned houses, run-down hotels, and large power and oil plants. But Amarillo is worth the trip for the Cadillac Ranch, for what remains of Route66 and above all for Palo Duro Canyon. Just as beautiful is Caprock Canyons State Park.
- Fort Worth and Dallas
Dallas, skyscrapers and traffic. Fort Worth, on the other hand, lives on the Stockyard, the cows with long, coiled horns that look fake, the 'longhorns'.
- Waco and Austin
Waco, was a must see given my fondness for Chip and Joanna Gaines' TV series 'Fixer Upper', but it was a bitter disappointment. Far from being a quaint and cute little town, it is a big city where the protagonists of the series are omnipresent, starting with their life-size statues in the Tourist Information Office.
Austin, the capital of Texas, is worth a stop, more for its music that can be heard on every corner of the city.
- Galveston
another popular summer destination for Texans, the city is divided in two: on the one hand, clubs, restaurants and games, on the other, the old town with wonderful Victorian villas and old buildings.
-Houston
apart from the joy of going to see the Space Center (better the one in Florida anyway), it is a chaotic city, with little soul and a lot of crime.
WHERE TO SLEEP IN TEXAS
Sleeping in Texas, as in all the USA, is never a problem, you can find accommodation of every type and for every budget. Everywhere we found the major hotel chains, everywhere you can find rooms to rent. When planning your Texas itinerary, don't worry about sleeping and it doesn't even make sense to book in advance.
We opted for an Airbnb in San Antonio, then for the rest we booked, on the way, through booking.com or directly with the hotel chain.
A popular alternative in Texas is to stay overnight in an RV. We found some beautiful campsites, with swimming pool, restaurant and kitchen, that rented out, even for a single day, 4/6 person motorhomes, equipped with every comfort. They are not advertised, but they are one of the nicest sleeping arrangements there are. We used it in Bandera and there is no comparison, not even with a 5-star hotel.
If you decide to stay in a hotel when travelling in the US, one technique to save money is to sign up with the big chains, such as :
Hilton for Doubletree, Hilton, Hampton Inn and Homewood
Best Western: Aiden, SureStay and BestWestern
Choice Hotels: Comfort inn, Sleep inn, Quality, Econolodge and Rodeway
Wyhndham: Super8, Days Inn, Travelodge and Haward Johnson
by staying several nights, you collect points that can be used for one or more free nights or to accumulate points for discounts on rentals or other.
CAR RENTAL
The best way to get around Texas is to rent a car. We rented a sedan car, no need for an all-terrain vehicle. Vans or off-road vehicles with a tent on the roof (as in Africa) are not very common.
The alternative to the car is to rent motorhomes, which are useful for getting around Texas without worries, but they are really very expensive, because there are no small ones, they are all luxury motorhomes, with pop-up TV, a minimum of four beds, bathroom with double washbasin and veranda.
To rent the car in the USA we used the usual rental sitesand of all of them we had found an excellent offer a few months earlier on autoeurope.com, however the advice is to check several sites, avoiding the lesser known ones.
We rented the car from San Antonio and returned it to Houston, but we did not pay the oneway because the cities were 'close by'. We had tried other cities but the cost of theonewaywas higher than the rental itself. Always take a look at the final price in the rental company's offer, and check that all the optional extras are included.
In the USA, however, you can also move around by public transport, such as Greyhound buses, or use the plane to move easily between the main cities, but in this way you lose the beauty of the trip, which for Texas, lies in the endless open spaces. The USA is synonymous with on the road.
An alternative to a Texas itinerary by road can be the TRAIN. A different way that allows you to fully appreciate the landscape and travel slowly. There are three Amtrek trains that touch the main points of Texas, two of which are very beautiful: The Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited. The main problem is that they are very very expensive.
Pleasenote: to drive in Texas you MUST have an INTERNATIONAL LICENCE.
GOOD TO KNOW
- flights to Texas
to get to Texas by plane, there are no direct lines from Italy. Before booking, have a look at the flights and prices of Southwest Airline, which occasionally makes interesting offers. Other airlines with good prices are United, Turkish and Lufthansa, flight price from Milan about 700 euros.
- PHONE SIMS
in the USA all sim cards can be found in Walmart or 7Eleven supermarkets. Before buying them, one must check that they work on one's mobile phone; https://willmyphonework.net/ is useful in this regard. Among the best and safest operators, I nominate T-Mobile and AT&T, especially since they have wide coverage throughout Texas. If instead you want to buy the card from Italy, you can find SIM offers for the USA.
- seen
at least a month before you leave, apply for your visa online only on the official website https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/. It costs 14 Usd and lasts 2 years for stays of up to 90 days. Please note that if you have been since 1 March 2011 in Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Yemen to obtain your visa you will need to go to the embassy.
- food
Texas food is very spicy, influenced by Mexican cuisine, not by chance it is called tex-mex. Try the very spicy chilli, beef (Frank said it was great) and of course the Mexican style beans. In the US there is not only McDonalds or Kfc. If you like spicy, try the various Taquerie or Ostionerie, with 10 usd you eat fresh fish, rice and potatoes for two.
- TSA suitcase
After much talk about TSA, on this trip to US customs they opened Frank's suitcase. They left us a note saying 'we opened your suitcase'. Luckily we had new suitcases with TSA. In case you don't have TSA-approved suitcases, you can always buy a TSA lock so they don't ruin your suitcase.
- travel insurance
it is highly advisable to take out travel insurance in the USA. Every year new companies are born that offer travel insurance and provide different cover. If you want to learn more about this topic, go to 'travel insurance'.
- adapter
sockets in the USA are different from those in Italy, so to use our electronic gadgets or charge them, you need an adapter. Better still use a universal adapter, so you can use it anywhere in the world. A tip for anyone travelling by car is to get a car phone charger, it takes up little space and can save your life. Not all cars are equipped with a USB reader.
Other small details
- do not call fizzy drinks 'soda', but simply Cokes, which means SevenUp, Coke, Sprite or others. The only soda named after him is Dr Pepper, which was invented in Texas and is 'national pride'.
- When planning your trip, remember that Texas is tornado country. The best (or worst depending on your point of view) season is from March to August. We were there in August and just battled the heat, no tornadoes on the horizon, alas.
- Sales tax: remember that prices in the USA are all net, i.e. the finished price is obtained by adding the 'sales tax' (our VAT) which varies from country to country. In Texas it is on average 6.25%.
- Is it expensive to make a trip to Texas? The main cost we incurred was not the plane (we found a very good offer with Southwest Airline), but the overnight stays. On average a 'decent' hotel costs 80/100 usd for two people. For food we spent very little, and even petrol costs less than in Italy.
I hope that the Texas itinerary and information will be useful to you in organising and planning your trip to this surprising country.
Texas is not a common destination for Italians, and yes, of all American countries it is the most genuine, the truest, the one where you really understand American culture, from the strong religiosity to the use of guns, passing through the generosity of the people.
As I told you, Texas does not leave you breathless as soon as you see it, but mile after mile it enters you inside, it touches the deepest chords of values, of life, of freedom.
It is a country that only once you are home do you realise you have fallen in love with it and you simply ask yourself 'when are we going back?
Texas, the Lone Star State
Panhandle Plain and Palo Duro Canyon
Bandera and San Antonio
Padre Island and the coast
Fort Worth
This trip is part of Around the World in 60 Days
