The Telegraph: From New Orleans to Nashville
From New Orleans to Nashville, Toyah Willcox shares her solo travel experiences on a fascinating escorted tour of the US’s music cities
I have spent plenty of time on tour buses as a musician, but this was my first ever tour as a tourist: the Music Highway, 530 miles of road that stretches from New Orleans to Nashville via Memphis, and takes you through one of the greatest eras in modern music history. One glorious hot and sticky week of hearing authentic live music, eating local cuisine and absorbing the rich culture along the way – and I loved it.
I travelled solo to New Orleans, Louisiana. I love travelling alone, but I did appreciate being met at the airport by a smiling representative from Collette, the specialist escorted tour operator which has been hosting trips such as this for 100 years.
There was also a “tour manager”, who introduces you to your fellow travellers and new friends – in my case, around 30 New Yorkers and Australians who were as fascinating as the places we visited – and guides you through all the activities available (and there are a lot). They also make the week-long trip effortlessly fun and hugely informative.
