Multi-City Travel in the USA

Question

Since I can't stand being in the air for longer than 8 hours, whenever I travel to places that have multiple connections, I make a Multi-City trip of it. For example, I'm planning to fly to Denver from the Midwest, spend a few days there, fly to Honolulu for a few days, then fly to San Francisco for a few before coming back. My trip will be 13 days and 12 nights. No, this cannot be extended. My question is how do you think I should allocate the nights?

I was initially thinking 3-5-4, but am currently leaning towards 4-4-4. I am not a relaxing vacation type of person. I am the type that need a vacation from my vacation once it's over because I explore heavily. What is making me lean towards 4-4-4 is the amount of sites and things to do in Denver. I won't visit Pearl harbor or any other war memorial because I find them boring. I'm also not overly into fine dining. I am more into hiking, botanical gardens, scenic views, cultural museums, art and music. Of course, I will visit the beach, but I'm not as crazy about them as other people are. With this is mind, how would you allocate the time?

Answer

Given your travel style — highly active, exploring-focused, hiking, botanical gardens, cultural museums, art, and music — your inclination toward a 4-4-4 split makes sense. Since you’re not into Pearl Harbor or fine dining and the beach is secondary, allocating time based on the richness of activities in each city is the best approach.

Here’s a suggested allocation and reasoning:

Denver — 4 nights: Denver and its surrounding areas offer a lot of hiking, scenic drives, botanical gardens, and art/cultural museums. With your preference for active exploration, 4 nights gives you enough time to:

Explore downtown Denver, including the Denver Art Museum and Clyfford Still Museum.
Visit the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Take day trips to nearby areas such as Boulder, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, and the Rocky Mountain National Park for hiking and scenic views.
Explore local music venues or cultural neighborhoods in the evenings.

Honolulu — 4 nights: Honolulu has more concentrated experiences. You can explore the city, the beaches, and nearby hiking trails like Diamond Head and Manoa Falls. Since you’re not overly beach-focused, 4 nights gives you enough time for:

Hiking and scenic walks (Diamond Head, Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail, etc.).
Visiting botanical gardens and cultural sites such as the Honolulu Museum of Art or Iolani Palace.
Exploring local neighborhoods like Chinatown for art and small music venues.

San Francisco — 4 nights: San Francisco is very walkable and dense with cultural attractions, art galleries, and nearby hikes. With 4 nights, you can:

Explore the Golden Gate Park, including its botanical gardens and museums.
Walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge and explore Marin Headlands.
Visit art districts like Mission and SF MoMA.
Take a day trip to Muir Woods or Point Reyes for hiking and scenic views.

This 4-4-4 allocation balances the cities’ activity levels and ensures you have enough time in each without feeling rushed. Denver requires some extra planning for day trips to nearby mountains and parks, while Honolulu and San Francisco are compact enough that 4 days allows you to enjoy both urban and natural highlights without overpacking your schedule.

Since you travel intensely and need downtime after your trip, this schedule also avoids overloading any single city with too much exploration and gives you a reasonable rhythm of activities and transitions.

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