United States
United States49 guides across 9 destinations — where to go, when, what it costs and what to eat.
Destinations in United States
Practical essentials for United States
United States dollar (USD)
English, designated the official federal language by executive order in 2025; Spanish is widely spoken in Miami, Los Angeles and the Southwest.
Type A/B, 120V 60Hz
New York runs entirely on OMNY, which takes a tapped contactless bank card or phone now that the MetroCard was withdrawn at the end of 2025; other cities have their own cards (Chicago's Ventra, Boston's CharlieCard, Washington's SmarTrip, San Francisco's Clipper), while Los Angeles and Las Vegas effectively require a car or ride-hailing.
Tipping is expected rather than optional: 18-20% in restaurants, and bartenders, taxi drivers and hotel staff are tipped too.
Tap water is safe to drink.
Right-hand side; there is no federal International Driving Permit requirement and many visitors drive on their home licence, but rules vary by state and rental firms may ask for an IDP, which must be obtained before you travel.
911
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Recent stories from United States
The best day trips from Washington, D.C.
Presidential estates, Chesapeake sailing towns, Blue Ridge overlooks and a river gorge minutes from the Beltway — seven escapes that repay a day away from the Mall.
3 Days in New York for First-Timers
A momentum-first itinerary through Midtown icons, downtown history and Brooklyn's waterfront — with the queues, subways and pastrami handled.
A San Francisco Weekend, Hour by Hour
Two and a half days, clocked to the hour: cable cars, the Ferry Building, the Golden Gate at sunset and a Mission Sunday done properly.
48 Hours in Chicago, Hour by Hour
Two perfect days on Lake Michigan: the Bean at sunrise, an architecture cruise on the river, deep-dish done right, and blues after dark.
Three Days in Boston, Walked from the Oldest Ground to the Newest
Boston was built outward from a small peninsula, and the quickest way to understand it is to walk it in the order it was made: colonial core, filled land, then across the Charles.
The Best of San Francisco, Ranked
Nine experiences that genuinely repay your time in the fog-washed city by the bay, from walking the Golden Gate Bridge to carnitas in the Mission.
Boston Beyond the Freedom Trail: The Quieter Side
Skip the reenactors for a morning. Boston's best moments hide in courtyard gardens, gaslit lanes at dawn, a Venetian palace of art, and an arboretum the crowds never reach.
Boston for First-Timers: Is It Worth the Trip?
Boston is the rare American city built for walking, but it is expensive, sharply seasonal and smaller than its reputation — here is how to spend three days on it well.
24 hours in Washington, D.C. for the time-poor
Washington punishes the over-ambitious: the one-day answer is to walk the monumental core before the buses arrive, commit to a single museum instead of five, and let the evening soften into Georgetown.
Wake Up on the Right Line: A Chicago Neighbourhood Map for Three Budgets
Chicago rewards the traveller who picks a neighbourhood before picking a hotel, and here is what the Loop, River North, Fulton Market, the Blue Line districts and Hyde Park each actually give you.
What to Eat in San Francisco: The Essential Dishes and Where to Try Them
Sourdough with real tang, Dungeness crab, cioppino and the mighty Mission burrito — the dishes San Francisco invented or perfected, and where to eat them.
Where to Stay in Washington, D.C.: The Classic Hotels
In Washington, the grand hotels are historic sites in their own right. A neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to the capital's famous classics — and who each one suits.