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Visas & entry
Most eligible Visa Waiver Program passport holders can visit for tourism for up to 90 days with an approved ESTA; everyone else generally needs a B-2/B1-B2 visitor visa. Canadians are generally visa-exempt for tourism, while VWP eligibility is restricted for some travelers with recent Cuba or other designated-country travel, and some dual nationals. Rules and processing times change: verify directly with the US State Department before booking non-refundable travel.
Getting in
- New York John F. Kennedy International Airport: The main international gateway for New York City and a strong entry point for the Northeast; use rail or short onward flights for Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.
- Los Angeles International Airport: The dominant gateway for Southern California and a major hub for Hawaii, the Southwest and Pacific connections. It is useful, not pleasant: allow serious time for traffic and airport transfers.
- Chicago O'Hare International Airport: A central, heavily connected hub for the Midwest and domestic onward flights. Good for Chicago and practical for linking east and west, but not a substitute for a scenic regional itinerary.
- San Francisco International Airport: Best for Northern California, Yosemite access and the Bay Area; an efficient open-jaw pairing with Los Angeles or San Diego for a California road trip.
- Miami International Airport: The logical gateway for South Florida, the Keys and Caribbean/Latin American connections. Use Orlando separately for theme-park trips rather than treating Florida as one compact destination.
Getting around
Fly for long interregional jumps; the country is too large for casual overland travel. Amtrak is genuinely useful in the Boston–New York–Philadelphia–Washington corridor, but outside it long-distance trains are usually scenic experiences rather than efficient transport. Rent a car for national parks, California beyond its core cities, the Southwest, Florida outside central Miami, and almost all rural travel; avoid one in Manhattan, central Boston, Philadelphia and central Washington.
Money
The currency is the US dollar. Cards and contactless payments are nearly universal, but carry a little cash for tips, small businesses and remote areas; tipping is structurally expected in restaurants, bars, taxis/rideshares and many service settings, with 18–22% common for sit-down meals.
Book before you land
Angels Landing permit, Zion National Park (seasonal or day-before lottery) · Phantom Ranch lodging and inner-canyon trips, Grand Canyon National Park · Haleakalā sunrise vehicle reservation, Maui · Rocky Mountain National Park timed-entry reservation in peak season · Popular national-park lodging, especially Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, Zion and Grand Canyon · Guided Antelope Canyon tours near Page, Arizona · Alcatraz Island ferry tickets, San Francisco · Major Broadway shows in New York and top-demand Orlando theme-park days
- Distances are routinely underestimated: check driving times, not just map mileage, and do not build an itinerary around daily multi-hour transfers.
- Do not rely on public transport outside a few major cities; rideshares help, but they are not a replacement for a car in park country or suburbia.
- Prices shown on menus and shelves often exclude sales tax, and restaurant prices exclude the expected tip.
- National parks can require timed entry, permits, reservations or advance lodging; check official park alerts for road, fire and weather closures shortly before travel.
- Weather is a safety issue, not just an inconvenience: avoid midday desert hikes in summer, take hurricane warnings seriously, and expect mountain conditions to change quickly.
- US cities can feel safe block by block rather than neighborhood by neighborhood; ask your accommodation for current advice and use ordinary big-city awareness at night.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.