United States of America

It feels like you have already been here before you set foot off the plane. American popular culture has infiltrated the world, and through movies, sneakers, and rock 'n roll we all arrive prepared with a camera-full of images and expectations.

The funny thing is that the cliches are mostly true, from yellow cabs, to confident, energetic people, to skyscrapers and foot long hot dogs.

It goes without saying that the United States of America (USA) is very, very large, and with this size comes an incredible amount of diversity. You can fly from tropical Florida to snowy Alaska in a few hours, or go from rush hour in New York City to the endless expanses of the Great Plains in under a day. In fact, it's more useful to think of the USA as a number of different places joined under the same flag.

So how do you condense a country of this magnitude, which blends all the cultures of the world, into a single reader friendly guide? We've selected the best cities and attractions and used them to give a picture of the country as a whole but you could spend a lifetime touring this incredible country and never manage to see all its myriad attractions.

Amidst all this diversity though there are a couple of universal truths. Everything is "bigger", food is abundant and transport is cheap, and there is plenty to do regardless of when or where you go. It's a big country with a big personality. Enjoy.