United States

The South Rim is open year-round and easy to reach, which is why almost everyone goes there; the North Rim closes in winter and is far quieter. It is four or five hours by car from Las Vegas, so people do it in a day, but sunrise and sunset are different canyons and staying a night is worth it.

You can only arrive by boat, and pedestal or crown access is a separate ticket booked months ahead. If going inside does not matter to you, the Staten Island ferry passes alongside for free and many people find that enough. The same boat covers the Ellis Island immigration museum.

Summer mornings it often disappears entirely into fog, so late afternoon is the safer bet. Vista Point at the northern end gives the classic angle with the city behind, and you can walk or cycle across. It is windy and colder than the forecast — bring a jacket even in July.

An active volcanic system underneath produces boiling springs and geysers that erupt on schedule, and bison and bears turn up beside the road. The park is vast enough that one day covers one section, and most roads close in winter. Keeping your distance from wildlife is a rule, not a suggestion.

Worth seeing once, not worth lingering in — that is the common verdict. The real use of the neighbourhood is a Broadway show, and the same-day discount ticket booth sits in the square itself. Pickpockets work here, so wear your bag in front.

Superseded by the interstates and removed from the official system, but stretches of the old road and its towns survive. Driving the whole thing takes two weeks, so picking one segment in Arizona or New Mexico for a few days is the realistic version. It is the template for the American road trip.

El Capitan and Half Dome stand on either side, and the falls are at their strongest in late spring as the snow melts. Some years the park runs a vehicle reservation system in peak summer, so check the park notice before you set off. About four hours by car from San Francisco.

Looking down from the rim and walking down into it are two different experiences. The hike to the bottom and back is hard enough that the park officially advises against attempting it in one day. Temperatures at the bottom are extreme in summer — carry more water than feels reasonable.

A small, plain brick building that disappoints anyone expecting scale — the point is entirely that both documents came out of this room. Entry is free but timed tickets apply in some seasons, and the Liberty Bell is across the street. Under two hours from New York by train.

Stone dwellings built into the cliff face eight centuries ago, still standing. Entering the main dwellings requires a separate ranger-led ticket and involves climbing ladders. Much of the park closes for winter.

Less a river than a sheet of water moving across grass, which is where the name "river of grass" comes from. People come for alligators and birds, usually by boat tour, and the dry winter months concentrate the wildlife at the water. Summer is hot, humid and full of mosquitoes.

It is still erupting, so which areas open depends on current activity. During an eruption you can see the crater glowing at night; between eruptions you walk across hardened lava fields. Volcanic gas is a genuine concern if you have a respiratory condition.

Almost everything works on foot and by subway, which makes it the exception in this country. Museums, theatre and food are packed onto one island and five days will not finish it. The subway runs all night but weekend service reroutes constantly — check the app.

Los Angeles is spread out and effectively needs a car; San Francisco is compact, hilly, and made for walking and streetcars. Driving the coast road between them over two days is the classic west coast trip. Mornings and evenings stay cool in California even in summer.

The Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce and Antelope Canyon all fall within a day’s drive of one another, so five days to a week with a rental car is the usual shape. One annual parks pass covers them all. Desert summers are punishing; spring and autumn are better.

The skyscraper as a form began here, and the river architecture cruise is the city’s signature outing. The lakefront path and the museums run together, and the wind off the lake in winter is not a joke. It is a common connecting airport, so it is easy to add on.

The architecture, the music and the food are unlike anywhere else in the country. Walking the balconied streets of the French Quarter and hearing live jazz in the evening is the basic plan. Summer is very hot and humid and overlaps hurricane season.

Oahu has the infrastructure, the Big Island the volcano, Maui the coastal driving and Kauai the wildest landscape. Moving between islands means a domestic flight, so staying on one is simpler. Direct flights from Korea make it closer than the mainland.

Autumn colour in the east; the best desert temperatures in the southwest. Flights and rooms cost less than peak summer and the crowds are thinner. Mountain parks can still have snow and closed roads into May.

School holidays fill the national parks and the popular cities, and prices follow. Southwest desert highs reach genuinely dangerous levels and the south is humid. On the other hand, Alaska and the northern mountains are only properly open now.

Florida and the southern coast can see cancelled flights and closed attractions in this window. It is the one stretch where travel insurance and a changeable ticket genuinely earn their cost. Forecasts arrive days ahead — check before you fly.

The northeast and midwest bring snow, hard cold and frequent flight delays; the south and southwest are at their most pleasant. The Rockies and Utah are in ski season. Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays are when the whole country travels and fares peak.

Many passports qualify for short visits under ESTA, but it has to be obtained online before departure and approval can take time. Certain past travel history can make you ineligible, in which case you need a visa instead. Apply weeks ahead, not days.

At a sit-down restaurant, fifteen to twenty per cent on top of the bill is normal and forms a large part of staff income. Some bills already include a service charge, so check once rather than paying twice. Counter service does not require a tip.

Few cities have dense public transport, and national parks and small towns are hard to reach without a car. Carry an international driving permit alongside your home licence, and read what the rental insurance actually covers. Traffic law varies from state to state.

Tax is not included in displayed prices, so the total goes up at checkout. Rates vary by state and city, so the same item costs different amounts in different places, and a few states have no sales tax at all. Budget roughly ten per cent above the sticker.

One number covers all three. An ambulance ride without insurance can be extremely expensive, so treat travel insurance as equipment rather than an option. Bring prescription medicine in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription.

Parks charge per vehicle, so if you are visiting several the annual pass usually costs less. You can buy it at the first park gate and it covers the car and everyone in it. Popular parks run timed entry reservations in peak season — check each park’s notice.