The United States is not a destination, it is fifty of them, and the single most common planning mistake is treating a coast-to-coast trip as feasible in a fortnight. New York to Los Angeles is a six hour flight. Texas alone is larger than France. A trip that works picks one or two regions and stays in them.
Two things changed for foreign visitors in the last year and both cost money. The ESTA fee has almost doubled, and from 1 January 2026 eleven of the most-visited national parks charge non-US residents an extra $100 per person on top of the standard entrance fee. Neither is a reason not to come, but both belong in the budget before you book.
The quick answer
ESTA costs $40.27 as of 1 January 2026, up from $21 before September 2025. It is valid for two years or until your passport expires, and covers stays of up to 90 days.
Eleven national parks charge non-US residents an extra $100 per person aged 16 and over from 1 January 2026: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion.
The annual pass costs $250 for non-residents against $80 for US residents, and it pays for itself if you visit three or more of those eleven parks.
Most reservation systems ended for 2026. Yosemite, Arches and Glacier all dropped theirs. Rocky Mountain is the only park still running a season-wide timed entry system.
Tipping is not optional. Eighteen to 20 percent in restaurants, and service staff are paid on the assumption you will.
Health insurance is essential. There is no safety net for visitors and an ambulance ride alone can run into four figures.
Daily budget: roughly $180 to $300 per person mid-range, with wide variation by state.
Entry requirements
The Visa Waiver Program covers around 40 countries, including the UK, Ireland, most of the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Citizens of those countries travelling for tourism or business for 90 days or less apply for an ESTA rather than a visa.
ESTA costs $40.27 following two increases: from $21 to $40 on 30 September 2025, then a small inflation adjustment to $40.27 on 1 January 2026. If an application is refused you pay only the management portion, currently $10.27. Apply at least 72 hours before travel through the official Customs and Border Protection site, not through the many third party sites that charge a markup for the same form.
An ESTA is not a guarantee of entry. The decision is made by the officer at the border. Be ready to state where you are staying and how long you are staying.
Everyone else needs a visa, usually a B-2 for tourism, applied for through a US embassy with an interview. Wait times for interview appointments vary enormously by country and can run to many months, so start early.
The 90 day limit is firm under the Visa Waiver Program and cannot be extended from inside the country. Travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean during a visit does not reset the clock.
Passport validity should extend beyond your stay, and Visa Waiver Program travellers need an electronic passport with a chip.
Customs is strict on food, plants and animal products. Declare anything you are unsure about rather than risking a fine. Cash over $10,000 must be declared.
Getting around
Fly between regions. The country is 4,500 kilometres wide and domestic flights are frequent and often cheap if booked ahead. Trying to drive between coasts eats the holiday.
Drive within regions. Outside a handful of cities, the United States assumes you have a car, and public transport between towns is either slow, infrequent or nonexistent.
Amtrak is scenic rather than practical. The north east corridor between Washington, New York and Boston is genuinely useful and fast. Everything else is a journey you take for its own sake, and it is frequently late.
The cities where you do not need a car are New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia and, at a stretch, Seattle and Portland. Everywhere else, hire one.
Car hire runs $45 to $85 a day for a standard car, plus insurance that is worth understanding before you arrive. Many non-US credit cards do not provide the collision cover that European hires assume. Under-25 drivers pay a daily surcharge.
Tolls are increasingly cashless and billed to the rental company with an administration fee per day of use. Ask at the counter what the policy is.
The regions, briefly
The north east is compact, historic and the easiest region to cover without a car: New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington DC are within a few hours of each other by train. Autumn foliage from late September makes it the best time.
The south east runs from Virginia down to Florida, with Charleston, Savannah and New Orleans as the distinctive cities and a coastline that is warm from March. Summers are humid and hurricane season runs June to November.
The midwest holds Chicago, the Great Lakes, and a great deal of farmland. Underrated, cheap and best in summer and early autumn.
The south west is the classic road trip: the Grand Canyon, Utah’s five national parks, Las Vegas, Santa Fe and Monument Valley. Spring and autumn only, because the summer heat is genuinely dangerous.
The Rockies mean Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, with Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier. A short summer season from late June, and skiing from December.
The west coast covers California, Oregon and Washington, from desert to rainforest within a day’s drive. September and October are the best months in all three.
Alaska and Hawaii are separate trips with their own seasons and their own costs, and neither works as an add-on.
When to go
September and October are the best months across most of the country: past the summer crowds, warm in the south, foliage in the north and mountains, and lower prices.
April to early June is the other broad window, with spring in the south, wildflowers in the desert and the mountain season not yet started.
July and August are peak season everywhere, with school holidays, the highest prices and dangerous heat in the desert states.
November to March is winter, which means skiing in the Rockies, warm weather in Florida, Arizona and Hawaii, and cheap city breaks everywhere else.
Public holidays to plan around: Memorial Day at the end of May, Independence Day on 4 July, Labor Day in early September and Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, which is the busiest travel week of the year.
What it costs
Accommodation: $130 to $200 a night mid-range in most of the country, $200 to $350 in New York, San Francisco, Boston and Hawaii. Resort fees of $25 to $55 a night are common and rarely included in the headline rate.
Eating: $15 to $25 for a casual lunch, $40 to $80 per person for dinner with a drink. Add 18 to 20 percent tip and, in some cities, a separate service charge on top.
Prices exclude tax. The figure on a shelf or a menu is not the figure you pay, because sales tax is added at the till and varies by state and city. Oregon, Delaware, Montana and New Hampshire have no sales tax at all.
National parks: $20 to $35 per vehicle for seven days, plus $100 per person for non-residents at the eleven listed parks. The America the Beautiful annual pass is $250 for non-residents, and non-residents are excluded from the fee-free days.
Internal flights: $80 to $250 one way if booked weeks ahead. Budget carriers charge separately for everything including a cabin bag.
Medical care is the risk that ruins trips financially. Travel insurance with substantial medical cover is not optional here.
Practical notes
Tipping, because it catches every visitor. Restaurants 18 to 20 percent, bars $1 to $2 a drink, taxis and rideshare 15 percent, hotel housekeeping a few dollars a night, tour guides $10 to $20. Card machines now prompt for tips in places that never used to.
The legal drinking age is 21 and identification is checked routinely regardless of how old you look. A passport is the only document reliably accepted from foreign visitors.
Distances on maps deceive. Always check the drive time rather than the distance. Two centimetres on a map of Texas is four hours.
Air conditioning is aggressive indoors everywhere in summer. Carry a layer even in a heatwave.
Cannabis is legal in many states and federally illegal, which means you cannot carry it between states or onto a plane, and it remains prohibited on all national park land.
Emergency number is 911 for police, fire and ambulance. An ambulance is a billed service, not a public one.
Plan your trip state by state
The west coast. Our California guide, Oregon guide and Washington State guide cover the coast from desert to rainforest.
The south west and the Rockies. Start with Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Texas.
The north east. Our New York State guide, Massachusetts guide, Pennsylvania guide and Maine guide.
The south. Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina.
The midwest and the far north. Illinois, plus Alaska and Hawaii for the two states that are trips in themselves.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an ESTA cost in 2026?
$40.27 per traveller as of 1 January 2026, following an increase from $21 to $40 on 30 September 2025 and a small inflation adjustment after it. It is valid for two years or until your passport expires. Refused applications are charged only the management portion, currently $10.27.
Which national parks charge foreign visitors an extra $100?
Eleven, from 1 January 2026: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. It applies per person aged 16 and over, on top of the standard entrance fee. Every other park in the system charges standard rates.
Is the America the Beautiful annual pass worth it for foreign visitors?
It costs $250 for non-residents against $80 for US residents, and it pays for itself across three or more of the eleven surcharge parks. For a trip covering only parks outside that list, the standard per-vehicle fees are usually cheaper.
Do I need a car in the United States?
In most of it, yes. The exceptions are New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC and Philadelphia, which all have usable public transport. Everywhere else assumes a car, and intercity buses and trains are slow or infrequent.
How much should I tip in America?
Eighteen to 20 percent in restaurants, $1 to $2 per drink at a bar, around 15 percent for taxis and rideshare, a few dollars a night for hotel housekeeping. Service staff are paid on the assumption that tips make up most of their income, so it is not discretionary in practice.
Do I need travel insurance for the USA?
Yes, with substantial medical cover. There is no public safety net for visitors, an ambulance is a billed service that can cost four figures, and a short hospital stay can run into tens of thousands of dollars. This is the single most important thing to arrange before travelling.
How long can I stay in the USA on an ESTA?
Up to 90 days per entry for tourism or business, and it cannot be extended from inside the country. Short trips to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean during your stay do not reset the 90 day clock.
When is the best time to visit the United States?
September and October for most of the country, with warm weather in the south, foliage in the north and lower prices after the summer peak. April to early June is the other good window. Avoid Thanksgiving week in late November, which is the busiest travel period of the year.
How much does two weeks in the USA cost?
Roughly $180 to $300 per person per day mid-range, so $2,500 to $4,200 for a fortnight excluding international flights. New York, San Francisco, Boston and Hawaii sit well above that range, and much of the midwest and south sits below it.
