USA is full of gigantic scale national parks. Some of the best places to visit in USA outside cities include Niagara falls, Grand canyon, Antelope canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite National parks
The cosmopolitan melting pot
I have always had mixed feelings about the US
The landscapes here are one of the best in the world- Canyons including Grand canyon, Antelope canyon, Bryce Canyon; Niagara falls, Yellow stone National park, cedar trees of California.
At the same time, the country is so large that it takes so much time going from one corner to the other and there are hardly good options to go around if you can’t drive
It feels like the country has same character without much change across the country unlike Turkey, South East Asia, India
I have not travelled dedicatedly to cover the country. My visits have been around work by extending over the weekend
Best time to visit
No good answer to this- it all depends on the exact place you want to visit. Spring and autumn are safe bets for any place in general
Visa
The most harrowing process at the end of which you can get rewarded with a 10-year long visa, one of the longest across countries. I got mine before the pandemic where waiting times were not going in years
US visa is quite helpful to enter other countries in South America, Central Asia where you either don’t need a visa or can get visa on arrival with a valid US visa on passport. We recommend you get one even if you don’t intend to travel to the US
To avoid rejections, it is recommended you build some travel history to any of the countries like UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand. While not a sure shot thing, it helps a bit to increase your chances
Getting In
Major cities like New York, San Francisco are connected directly from India. Most other large cities will be one stop away from hubs like Dubai, Istanbul
Book return flights – they are much cheaper vs. individual legs
Currency: US Dollar
You can get cash of all denominations easily in India. I use Bookmyforex for doorstep delivery: https://www.bookmyforex.com/?u=PHALRVUYHGZ
You can also opt for prepaid travel cards if you want to avoid lot of cash. Another good option to use zero charge credit cards for purchases and ATM withdrwals
Getting around
Within cities, you can rely on public transport like buses. For travel between cities, unless they are directly connected by flights, you will have to drive. While booking domestic flights, go through the terms carefully- most charge for bags separately. You need to select second option beyond the saver fares to have bags included. Adding bags at the airport is expensive costing around 2x more at times
For select routes, you can get inter-city buses like Greyhound https://www.greyhound.com/
Places to visit in USA
The ideal list of places to see in the US is endless! I am not a city type person, prefer covering landscapes in general. So far, I have visited cities that are hubs to travel to beautiful landscapes
- Boston
- Niagara falls
- Miami
- Las Vegas and around
- Grand canyon
- Antelope canyon
- Chicago
Details in a separate post here
Things to know
- Pick one area to cover and focus, rather than covering major US cities all at once. My personal view is that cities are quite similar. The remote landscape beyond cities is what US is worth for
- If you are in Boston, go whale watching. It is one of the best places with high chances of spotting humpback whales
- Go beyond Vegas to places around like Hoover Dam, canyons of Arizona and Utah
- Tipping is considered important to express appreciation for good service.10% of the bill is considered going in rate. You might see disappointed faces if you choose not to tip
How much does it cost
Unlike other countries, US is not a single time travel destination. Typical per day costs range between $100-200
- Hotel: $50-$100 per night depending on the city
- Food: $20 per day on lower end
- Travel: $50-100; Of course, depends on how many flights you take and how frequently