American Way

IT'S well known that America has something for everyone.

But how do you sample it ALL in just one holiday?

How can you swim with wild giant manatees while watching dolphins play in a secluded bay miles from anywhere - and party alongside the glitterati at some of the most exclusive venues in the world?

How do you sit round a campfire under the glowing Milky Way listening to coyotes howl and owls hoot - and the next day marvel at the wonders of the spacecraft that took man to the moon?

How do you visit some of the great sites in nature - just hours after spending a fun day bashing the plastic at one of those amazing US shopping malls?

The answer is actually part of the American way of life, but strangely still a secret to most of us Brits.

Wide

I'm talking about the RV, the Recreational Vehicle, or motorhome.

I know we're all au fait with the caravan (who hasn't cursed them on the motorway). We've all seen those little VW campervans with surfboards on top tootling down to Cornwall.

But the RV is at a different level altogether - and with it you can conquer America's wide open spaces in a way you've never dreamed possible.

Because it's basically a comfy house on wheels, the size of a large removal van, which you can drive as easily, safely and speedily as a family saloon. Our holiday actually started in a saloon to explore North Carolina after flying American Airlines to Raleigh.

As songwriter Gus Kahn said: "Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina."

Next year the state celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of America's favourite drives stretching from the gateway city of Asheville through the breathtaking mountain communities of Boone and Blowing Rock.

Here you can visit famous movie locations such as Lake Lure, scene of the famous Dirty Dancing "water lift" and the Blue Ridge Mountains where most of Last of the Mohicans was filmed.

The state has charming historical towns and 300 miles of fabulous beaches. We explored as much as we could but all too soon it was on to Atlanta - near the giant granite Stone Mountain - to pick up our RV.

It took us everywhere we fancied through the south-eastern states of America. And that was mainly down the little-explored (by Europeans, that is) but stunningly beautiful and historic Atlantic coast of Georgia, Florida and Miami.

One of our early stops was the state-park campsite of Indian Springs in the wild woodlands around Jackson, Georgia - though to be fair this wasn't a campsite as we British might imagine.

We were wowed by the superb facilities. Every widely-spaced parking spot had its own water and electricity supply, hard-standing, firepit with supply of logs, easy access to piping hot showers, and laundry rooms.

But that turned out to be commonplace at every site we went to, either inland like Indian Springs or dotted along the mile after mile of golden but unused beaches we passed heading south.

For instance, we moved down the I-95 to another brilliant campsite on stunning Jekyll Island near Brunswick, which is an amazing wildlife and bird reserve.

It was gloriously remote and beautiful, but the next day we set off again down the freeway, saw a sign for the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral and on a whim detoured to see it.

We wandered round the astonishing Apollo rockets, space capsules, astronaut training facilities and space shuttles - and then, just as casually, decided to hit the road again.

A few hours later we ended up at another top-class site on Sebastian Inlet in Florida, right on the Atlantic Ocean.

Frankly, it had been a long drive so it was glorious to strip off to our swimsuits and dash into the bathwater-warm waters. It was while we were soaking away the journey that some kids nearby shouted that there were wild manatees in the waters who were allowing themselves to be petted!

It was incredible - these rare cattle-sized water mammals, which evolution has pretty much passed by, were slowly snuffling along the bottom feeding on weeds. And even when you dived down and looked them in the eye they seemed totally unconcerned.

Eventually they wandered off like small hippos diving into deeper water - and shortly after that a school of dolphins decided to entertain us by feeding and playing in the inlet.

Glitzy

It was idyllic so we decided to stay a couple of days. That's the joy of the RV, you can instantly decide to stay longer, or if it suits you move on more quickly.

The end of our RV holiday couldn't have been more different. We trucked right on down to Miami, turned our back on the simple life and nature we'd enjoyed so much - and stayed at the gorgeous Raleigh Hotel to hit the party world of South Beach. It's crazy, glitzy, noisy, brash, hot, expensive . . . and so much fun.

The perfect end to the most varied holiday we've ever had, made possible by the freedom an RV can give you.

This is why millions of Americans own them. It's a big country - and this is the way to see the bits that are off the obvious tourist route.

Getting there

AMERICAN Airlines flies daily direct to Raleigh/Durham International Airport in North Carolina with return fares from £475.92pp.

Price based on travel dates October 19 to 26 or November 12 to 19. Visit www.aa.com or call 020 7365 0777. A week's Dollar full-inclusive car hire from Raleigh costs from £125.38. See www.dollar.co.uk or call 0800 252 897.

For further information on North Carolina visit www.uk.visitnc.com or call 020 7367 0937.

Book NOW to get a 15 per cent discount on a motorhome from Cruise America. An example price for a C30 booked this month for a week's rental from June 3 next year, with pick-up in Atlanta costs from £775.

A week from July 3 costs from £1,106. Prices can go up closer to your departure date. Visit www.cruiseamerica.co.uk or call 0844 910 3271. Also email jo@cruiseamerica.co.uk

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