"The United States " a United States of America Travel Page by DesertRat

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<b>A Disclaimer</b>

<i>Americans take note: I?m directing this page principally to foreign visitors to the U.S., so I?m intending to include information that may seem obvious or even downright peculiar to you. Feel free to browse if you like, however.</i>
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<b>Introduction</b>
If I were not an American and were contemplating a trip to the U.S., I would find it a daunting prospect. The U.S. is gigantic: more than twice the size of Western Europe. There are a few well-known cities and sites that everyone knows about, but much of the country is virtually unknown on the other side of The Pond. So where should I start? Should I hit a few big cities ? New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Orlando, maybe? Or should I concentrate on a particular region, The South or New England, for instance? This is the first decision you need to make. Once you have decided your general approach, much of the rest falls into place.

My advice ? my strong advice ? is to opt for a region. Don?t even think about ?seeing it all? in one trip. You can?t. And don?t choose five or six cities spread out across the country, either, because you will not get a sense of the country or the people. You?ll spend much too much time mucking about airports or train stations, too, wasting valuable time, and becoming ever more frustrated. <HR>

<b>For detailed information about various aspects of travel in the U.S., please check the travelogues
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<b>The Regions</b>

First, if you talk to Americans, you?ll find that people divide the country up differently depending on where they grew up. I was born and raised on the western side of the Missouri in South Dakota, so for me, anything East of Chicago was ?the East? or ?back East.? I was quite shocked when I eventually met people from Detroit or Cleveland and discovered that they considered themselves to be Midwesterners. Lest I confuse you, I shall attempt to divide the country in as neutral a way as I can, corresponding roughly to the way the TV weathermen do. So bearing that in mind, here we go: