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The city where you can visit three continents in just one day

Sin City is more than just one destination - istock
Sin City is more than just one destination - istock

Sharon Haston wins this week’s Just Back travel writing competition and £250 for her account of seeing New York, Egypt, Ancient Rome and Titanic all in just one day

We set off in sightseeing machine mode, fortified with a mountain of American French toast.

First stop was Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. Our boarding passes gave us passenger names and stories. At the end, we would find out if we survived.

Looking at passengers’ belongings was poignant, but we had to sit down when we saw “The Big Piece”. Rubbing our eyes, we tried to absorb that we were looking at an actual part of Titanic, three cabins wide.

After photographs with a pharaoh, the Statue of Liberty and King Arthur’s Camelot, we strolled around New York streets. Lunch was a gigantic pastrami, turkey and ham sandwich, the size of Desperate Dan’s cow pie.

The attention to detail in these behemoth Las Vegas hotels is incredible. They are genuine works of art. I doffed my baseball cap to the architects.

Who needs Italy? - istock
Who needs Italy? - istock

Day two and already we had established a holiday custom of sampling craft beer in the afternoon. The Beerhaus was today’s perfect pit stop. Decision-making courses could do well on advising how to choose from more than 23 beers on tap.

After watching an indoor storm whip up in Planet Hollywood, with its Desert Passageway full of Arabian buildings, we indulged in some retail therapy. Later, we managed a quick turnaround in our Venetian hotel and emerged dolled up, ready for a Vegas night.

Dinner was a huge burger in Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen in the Linq hotel. It got messy – but it was worth it.

Next came a trip in the sky in a glass pod on the Linq High Roller. Our timing was perfect as the sun set behind the purple hills surrounding Vegas. We watched the city light up in its full neon glory.

The fountains of the Bellagio - istock
The fountains of the Bellagio - istock

Gazing out and pointing at the gigantic hotels, including the Luxor with its laser beam that can be seen in space, was, to use the local vernacular, “awesome”. A drink in an American bar, listening to live music and watching two guys playing beer pong followed. We bet on who would win (well, it was Vegas). I won, so Robert would have to make the coffee for the next four weeks at home.

We admired the Bellagio Fountains dancing to In the Mood, marvelled at the ornate statues and designer shops of Caesars Palace, rounding off the night with a beer in the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill. Collapsing into bed, we wondered why we were exhausted and had sore feet. So ended our second full-on, full day in Vegas. Only four more to go…!

In case you're wondering, my passenger survived the Titanic disaster, but didn’t know she was pregnant with the child of the older man she ran away with. The memory of that exhibition will remain with us for a long time.

1000 Dream Trips
1000 Dream Trips

How to enter the next round

Email your entry, in 500 words (with the text in the body of the email), to justback@telegraph.co.uk. For terms and conditions, see telegraph.co.uk/tt-justback.

The winner will receive £250 in the currency of their choice from the Post Office.

post office just back travel writing
post office just back travel writing

The Post Office is the UK’s largest travel money provider, offering up to 80 currencies in more than 11,500 branches with 0 per cent commission.

All currencies can also be ordered online for next day branch or home delivery. Check exchange rates at postoffice.co.uk/travel-money/currency-converter

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