United States flag waving in the wind, can see a blue sky and clouds behind it. Camera is facing upwards.

With just three weeks to go until the US presidential election in November, some tourists around the world are taking the opportunity to travel to US election key spots to witness the process.

The election will be decided on Tuesday November 5, with this being a huge moment in US politics. Tourists are hoping to get in on the action too as tour groups run specialized trips to experience the drama.

A company called Political Tours is taking three group tours from the UK, Australia, and Europe to key swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and ending in Washington DC.

The vacation company was founded in 2011 and has covered every major US election since 2012, as well as the midterms and the Iowa Caucuses.

US election travel: People visit from numerous countries to experience US election

Political Tours was created and founded by former New York Times and BBC reporter Nicholas Wood who will be joined on the trips by veteran BBC correspondent Owen Bennett-Jones and Washington-based reporter Malcolm Brown.

“This is an election on a knife-edge, and likewise our tour will be edgy – taking advantage of events as they happen, giving people a real feel for what Americans are thinking in the run up to election day,” said Nicholas Wood, Political Tours’ founder in an online press release.

“For anyone who wants to understand why and how Americans might vote for Trump again, or for Kamala, this is an ideal opportunity.”

This isn’t the first time that tourists have traveled to experience a US election, as it was back in 2019 when The Guardian reported that some vacationers had headed to Iowa to witness the primary elections ahead of the 2020 election.

The publisher spoke with several people who visited through tour agencies, with one source stating the reason for his visit: “I kind of just love the theatrics of a US election. I like my UK politics, but I just find elections fascinating and [in the UK] they only go on for like a month, whereas over here it’s, like, nonstop.”

Featured Image: Photo by Yuval Zukerman on Unsplash

By Sophie

Sophie is a digital journalist and content writer for a range of B2B and B2C clients. Her work as been published by The Femedic, Readwrite, Hull Daily Mail, and more. She started out her career winning a Print Futures Award for her commitment to journalism.

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