united states

Although cities in the United States draw the most tourists – New York, Washington DC, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco are all iconic destinations in their own right – the U.S. is above all a country of impressively diverse and breathtaking landscapes, from the otherworldly red-sand deserts of the Southwest, to the snowy mountains of Montana and turquoise waters of Florida.

Built on the land of Indigenous Peoples across the contiguous United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands, the country and its territories have felt the effects of European colonization since the 1500s. Today, over 330 million people— with roots from Mexico, Italy, Nigeria, Iran, the Philippines and beyond— call the United States home. The sheer size of the country prevents any overarching statement about the typical American experience just as the diversity of its people undercuts any notion of the typical American.

There is no denying the U.S. has had major cultural and social impact on a global scale. From the proverbial “American Dream” to Hollywood films, literature, art, the social movements of Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, the musical innovations of blues, country, jazz, rock ’n’ roll and hip-hop, you are guaranteed to come across some form of American influence while traveling (I distinctly recall Katy Perry blasting from the radio in one of the most secluded areas of the northern Philippines).

Awe at the sensory overload of Times Square in New York and devour street tacos in L.A. Experience the magical foliage of New England, hike the Hoh Rainforest in Washington State’s Olympic National Park, salsa dance in Miami and listen to jazz music on New Orleans’ Frenchman Street. Challenging, beguiling and maddening at times, the United States is always changing and will not fail to surprise you.