Planning a Trip to the United States?

The United States is a continental-scale destination, and the most useful thing to accept early is that you are not going to see much of it in one trip. The distance between the coasts is a long-haul flight in its own right. Choosing a region — and largely staying in it — produces a far better trip than trying to link the famous names.

There is no national season. The southern states are pleasant in winter and punishing in high summer; the northern states and the mountain west reverse that. Coastal California, the desert southwest, the Gulf coast and New England all peak at different times. Pick the region first, then the month.

The practical constraint is getting around. Public transport between cities is limited compared with Europe or East Asia, so most itineraries come down to domestic flights, a rental car, or both. Plan the ground transport at the same time as the flights rather than afterwards — arriving without a way to reach where you are staying is a common and avoidable mistake.

Two things worth checking well ahead: travellers from visa-waiver countries need an approved travel authorisation before boarding, applied for online in advance rather than on arrival; and several popular national parks now use timed-entry or advance reservation systems in their busy months. Both are straightforward, and both are much harder to fix late. Two smaller habits catch visitors out repeatedly: displayed prices often exclude sales tax, and tipping in restaurants is expected rather than optional.

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