Here’s What You Need To Know Before Your First American Trip

by

Last Updated on: 4th November 2025, 02:10 pm

Visiting a country for the first time can be as daunting as it is exciting, and never is that more the case than when it comes to America. The scope of the USA alone is enough to make any traveler’s head spin. And that’s not to mention things like the country’s strict eligibility criteria.

The first step when planning your trip is, of course, to check your eligibility and whether or not you require a tourist visa. But once you’ve tackled those technicalities, you may still feel like it’s a little tricky to get a grip on your trip. That’s why we’ve put together a straightforward list of everything you need to know before you can party in the USA.

 

Main Topics of Here’s What You Need To Know Before Your First American Trip

# 1  – You can’t do it all

You may have waited your entire life to head to America, but don’t think that you can tackle the entire country during one brief stay. With 50 states, 63 national parks, and four million miles of highway, there’s simply no way you’ll be able to see or do everything.

So, focus on what you want to do the most. If it’s the city life you’re after, New York is an obvious choice with iconic sights like Times Square and Central Park. However, if you prefer the idea of a rural trip that sees you exploring the wildlife in Yellowstone and other iconic national parks, then you might want to consider a state like Wyoming or Idaho instead.

# 2 – Leave Plenty of Time

Don’t assume that you can absorb everything that an American location has to offer in a single day. In reality, it’s worth dedicating at least a week to each location you visit. This ensures that you have plenty of time to truly explore, and also that you’re able to fully recover between what can be some pretty long-haul travel.

For larger states like California, you may even want to dedicate ten days of your stay. This ensures that you can fully explore the sites on offer, which include an astonishing nine national parks, as well as tourist hotspots like the Golden Gate Bridge.

# 3 – Always Plan Your Route

It’s also important to note that moving around America is nowhere near as easy as traveling around a smaller country like Malta or the UK. As well as requiring far longer stretches of travel between locations, there aren’t always easy public transport routes available between American states.

The good news is that there are no states without public transport at all, but the public transport infrastructure in states like Florida and Dallas isn’t on par with the options on offer in New York. So, it’s always worth planning your route in advance, and also pre-booking wherever possible to ensure you have a seat on buses that might not run regularly.

America can feel like a real promise-land, but the stress of planning a US trip alone might stop you from ever visiting if you don’t consider these crucial tips.

Violeta Matei
Latest posts by Violeta Matei (see all)

If you liked this article, click here to join my community of readers:
Subscribe