The USA stretches across the middle of North America - 48 states on the mainland, Hawaii to the southwest and Alaska jutting out into the Pacific, Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean. US territories include American Samoa, Guam, Marianas, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Breathtaking natural wonders are matched by the manmade cities of towering steel and sparkling glass that seem to move at a hundred miles an hour.
The country is diverse and given its popularity as a tourist destination, there is no shortage of cheap flights to the USA. New England is steeped in history and beautiful scenery (think the autumn colours in Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Vermont) while the Mid-Atlantic contains the metropolis of New York City as well as rolling mountains and traditional seaside resorts in New Jersey and Delaware.
The South (including the states of Louisiana and Mississippi) is lush and green with a feed-stomach-and-soul approach to life.
Florida is famous for its beaches and theme parks such as Disney World and, in Orlando, Universal Studios and SeaWorld. Another tourist favourite, California offers a rugged northern coastline, snowy Sierra Nevada mountains, Napa Valley vineyards and the megalopolis of Los Angeles / San Diego, all with a relaxed West-Coast vibe.
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The climate varies throughout the US depending on the time of year. Generally, the US has four seasons - winter, spring, summer and fall - but some regions of the country don't experience the changing seasons as intensely as other regions.The West Coast has pleasant sunny weather year-round while the Pacific Northwest Coast (Washington, Oregon) experiences cool summers and mild winters. The midwest region experiences intense summers and winters and due to the state's location in the middle of the country, tornadoes and thunderstorms are frequent. The East Coast experiences fluctuating seasons. Florida has the warmest winters on the eastern seaboard. Before you book US flights to specific states, make sure to check the weather in that area. Cheap US flights are always found during off-season travel times in various states.
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Peak Season:
There is not really a bad time to visit the US, but New York is nicest in the spring and autumn. May and June have the most comfortable hot weather. For visiting Los Angeles, August and September are the hottest months.
San Francisco is an all-year-round type of place with warm temperatures. Las Vegas is best experienced during spring and autumn. Orlando is a family favourite. Its best months are July and August coincide with school holidays (and higher-priced Orlando flights), although temperatures can climb to 37 degrees Celsius.
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The car is king in America, but there are dozens of low-cost airlines including Southwest, the granddaddy of all the no-frillers, JetBlue, AirTran and Spirit Airlines to name just a few.
Rent a car and take to the open road, Route 66, and all that. The major car rental outfits all have a presence at most US airports including Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Thrifty, AAA Rent-A-Car and Payless. Your arrival airport will generally have this information.
By bus: GotoBus.com sells line run bus tickets and tours throughout the States. Travellers can search by destination and compare all the options for a given route from one screen. The site sells tickets for more than 100 bus companies ranging from low-fare to luxury.
By rail: AmTrak covers the States and Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal in Canada. See where you can ride the rails, and check for weekly specials.
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- New York is a Mecca for shoppers. To make the most of your time there, book a tour of one of the shopping districts. Shop Gotham runs two-hour walking tours from about $25 (about £14), which have been described as like having a knowledgeable (and shopaholic) friend to tell you the latest retail gossip and coolest places to shop.
- There's no need to feel lost in Los Angeles. Purple People Greeters answer questions, provide directions, make referrals or even call the police if things go awry. They're easy to spot. The Greeters travel in pairs, wear purple teeshirts with “District Safety” or “Downtown Guide”, and can be visited at their Service Center at 801 S Hill St.
- Feed your inner vulture some culture. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music presents hundreds of recitals and concerts by students, faculty and guest artists each year. Most of the performances are free.
- Orlando - there's not a giant mouse in sight in Harry P. Leu Gardens, 50 acres of lush vegetation in the middle of the city. There is also a restored farmhouse which harks back to a time when space travel was barely imaginable and citrus, not theme parks, was king. The gardens are open every day, from 9am to 5pm. Adults pay $5, school children pay $1, and Monday mornings are free (excluding tour groups).
- Las Vegas - eat well and save money by starting the day with an all-you-can-eat buffet. The Spice Market Buffet at the Aladdin Resort & Casino, a “killer whale in a sea of buffets”.
- Whatever you do, don't forget to tip. Between 15 and 20 per cent is acceptable. Angry waiters have been known to follow customers onto the street to ask why they did not leave more money.
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Visitors entering the country under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) must have a machine-readable passport (MRP) that has a bar code on the photo page. From October 2006 eligible travellers under the VWP must include biometrics in their machine-readable passports if they wish to enter the country without a visa, containing unique personal data such as fingerprints or iris details. All new passports issued on or after October 26, 2005, must contain a digital photo image in order to travel visa-free. Due to new security measures, all visitors to the USA will have a photograph and two fingerprints taken by an inkless scanner on arrival, including those traveling visa-free under the Visa Waiver Programme.
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UK passport holders require a valid passport for travel to the USA. Under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), most British citizens do not require a visa for holiday, transit or business purposes providing their passports are machine-readable, the stay does not exceed 90 days and a return or onward ticket is held. Note: Holders of UK passports with the endorsement British Subject, British Protected Person, British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen or British National (Overseas) Citizen do require a visa.
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