US travel guides, written to help you decide
Planning guides for the ten American destinations we cover — what is worth booking, when to go, and how long to stay. Every guide links straight through to the experiences that clear our 1,000-review bar.
Guide collections
Things to Do
Evidence-led shortlists of what is actually worth your time in each US destination.
18 guides
Latest guides
August 24, 2026
Things to Do in Washington DC: What Needs Booking and What Is Free
Washington is the rare US city where the headline sights cost nothing. The skill is knowing the handful of places that need a reservation weeks ahead — and where a guided tour genuinely saves the day.
August 22, 2026
Best Things to Do in New York City: What Is Actually Worth Booking
Almost everything in New York is available to book. Very little of it needs to be. This is the short list, in the order most first-time visitors should use it.
August 22, 2026
Best Things to Do in Las Vegas: On the Strip and Beyond It
Las Vegas is two destinations: four miles of Strip, and the desert around it. Most disappointing trips spend all their time on the first one.
August 22, 2026
Best Things to Do in New Orleans: A Decision Guide
New Orleans is a city where a guide genuinely changes what you see — and also a city with more low-quality tours than almost anywhere in the US. Here is the difference.
August 22, 2026
Best Things to Do in Oahu: Pearl Harbor, the North Shore and the Water
Oahu packs a national memorial, a surf coast and a city into one island. The planning question is which of them you give a whole day to.
August 22, 2026
Best Things to Do in San Francisco: What to Book and What to Walk
Two things in San Francisco genuinely need advance booking. Almost everything else is a walk, a fare or a decision about which hill to climb.
August 22, 2026
Best Ghost Tours in New Orleans: How to Pick the Right One
Nearly every French Quarter ghost tour walks the same six blocks. What separates them is group size, whether alcohol is allowed and how much of the storytelling is history.
August 22, 2026
Best Swamp Tours in New Orleans: Airboat vs Covered Boat
A swamp tour is really two decisions: which boat, and whether you drive yourself. Both change the price by more than the tour itself does.
August 22, 2026
Best Observation Deck in NYC: All Five, Compared by View
New York has five paid high viewpoints and they show you five different cities. The choice is about what you want in the frame, not which building is tallest.
August 22, 2026
Best Monument Tours in Washington, DC: Night, Cart or Trolley
The memorials are free and open 24 hours. What you are paying a tour for is the three miles between them — and the difference between formats is mostly how far you walk.
August 22, 2026
Best Boat Tours in Miami: Cruise, Speedboat or Private Charter
Miami's cheapest boat tour and its private charters differ by a factor of ten in price — but not always in cost per person. The group size decides it.
August 21, 2026
Grand Canyon West Rim vs South Rim: Which One Should You Actually Visit?
The West Rim is closer to Las Vegas. The South Rim is the Grand Canyon most people picture. Almost every disappointed visitor confused the two before booking.
August 16, 2026
The Best Time to Visit Hawaii, Season by Season
Hawaii has no bad month, so the real question is what you want from the trip: calm snorkeling water, humpback whales, big surf, or the quietest weeks of the year.
August 16, 2026
A Las Vegas Itinerary That Actually Works: 3 and 4 Day Plans
Most Vegas itineraries fail for one reason: the Strip is far longer than it looks. Here is a plan that respects distance, heat and late nights.
August 16, 2026
Washington, DC Itinerary: 2, 3 and 4 Days on and off the Mall
The National Mall looks compact on a map and is not. This DC itinerary groups sights by how far you will actually walk, and leaves room for the city beyond the monuments.
August 16, 2026
Miami Itinerary: 3 Days Across Beach, City and Everglades
Miami is really three trips sharing an airport: the beach, the mainland city, and the water. Here is how to fit all three into three days.
August 16, 2026
Los Angeles Itinerary: 4 Days Planned Around Traffic
In Los Angeles, the itinerary is a traffic strategy. Group each day into one part of the city and the same four days suddenly hold twice as much.
August 16, 2026
New York at Night: Views, Walks and What to Do After Dark
New York changes character after sunset, and a well-planned night beats a packed day. Here is where the views are best and how to sequence an evening.
August 16, 2026
Free Things to Do in Las Vegas (and When Paying Is Worth It)
Vegas gives away more than most cities: fountains, atriums, art, desert views and live street entertainment. Here is what is actually free — and what only looks it.
August 16, 2026
Free Things to Do in Orlando Beyond the Theme Parks
Orlando without a park ticket is a different city — lakes, gardens, springs and small museums. Here is what costs nothing, and where the catch is parking.
August 16, 2026
The Best Time to Visit New Orleans: Weather, Festivals and Crowds
New Orleans has a comfortable season, a festival season and a season most locals plan around. Knowing which one you are booking changes everything.
August 16, 2026
Day Trips from Las Vegas: Every Option, Ranked by How Far You Can Realistically Go
Vegas is the best desert base in America, but the distances are deceptive. This is which day trips fit in one day, which don't, and how to choose between the two Grand Canyon rims.
August 16, 2026
Pearl Harbor Tours: What You Actually Need to Book, and What Is Free
Pearl Harbor is five separate visitor sites with five different ticketing systems. Here is how they fit together, and when a guided tour genuinely solves the logistics.
August 16, 2026
How to Choose a Luau in Maui: The Differences That Actually Matter
Every Maui luau promises sunset, imu and hula. The real differences are seating type, show format, how the food is served and where on the island you are staying.
August 16, 2026
Best Time to Visit the Grand Canyon: Month by Month, Rim by Rim
The Grand Canyon has three rims with three different climates and three different open seasons. Choosing the month is really choosing which canyon you get.
August 16, 2026
French Quarter Walking Tours: Which Type to Take, and When to Walk It Yourself
The French Quarter is thirteen blocks by six. What changes between tours is not the route but the lens: architecture, food, music, law, or the supernatural.
August 16, 2026
Day Trips from San Francisco, Ranked by How Much of Your Day They Cost
The Bay Area's best escapes are close; the famous ones are not. This is which day trips genuinely fit in a day, and which one will eat eleven hours.
August 16, 2026
Day Trips from Los Angeles: What Traffic Actually Allows
In Los Angeles, distance is measured in departure times. Here is which day trips work, when to leave, and which ones are better as an overnight.
August 16, 2026
Things to Do in New York with Kids: A Plan That Survives the Subway
New York with children is a logistics problem before it is an activity problem. Group by neighborhood, protect the afternoon, and book only what needs booking.
August 16, 2026
Hoover Dam from Las Vegas: Tour Types, Timing and What You Actually See
The Hoover Dam is the easiest half-day trip from Las Vegas — and the one where the ticket you choose changes the visit most.
August 16, 2026
Best Time to Visit Orlando: Crowds, Heat and the Weeks Locals Avoid
In Orlando the weather calendar and the crowd calendar disagree. Picking your week is really choosing which one you would rather fight.
August 16, 2026
Key West Day Trip from Miami: Is It Worth the Drive?
Key West from Miami is around eight hours of travel for six hours on the island. Here is how to make that math work — or why you should stay overnight instead.
August 16, 2026
New York Itinerary: How to Plan 3, 4 or 5 Days in NYC
Most New York itineraries fail on geography, not ambition. Here is how to group the city into workable days — with 3-day, 4-day and 5-day versions.
August 16, 2026
Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock: Which View Wins?
One deck puts you inside the skyline's most famous building. The other lets you photograph it. That single difference decides this comparison for most visitors.
August 16, 2026
Kennedy Space Center Tickets: What to Know Before You Book
Admission covers more than most visitors expect, and the add-ons are where the real decisions are. Here is how to plan a Kennedy Space Center day properly.
August 16, 2026
Grand Canyon Skywalk Tickets: Is the Glass Bridge Worth It?
The Skywalk is on tribal land at the West Rim, not in Grand Canyon National Park — and that distinction explains almost every surprise visitors report.
August 16, 2026
Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour: How to Choose the Right Flight
Not all Grand Canyon flights see the same canyon. Departure point, rim and whether you land are the three choices that decide what you actually get.
August 16, 2026
Muir Woods Tour from San Francisco: Reservations, Timing, Options
Muir Woods is 16 miles from San Francisco and the hardest part is not the drive — it is the reservation system. Here is how to get there without a wasted morning.
August 16, 2026
New Orleans Cemetery Tour: Which Cemetery, and Why a Guide
New Orleans' most famous cemetery cannot be entered without an authorized guide. Here is which cemetery suits you and what a good tour actually explains.
August 16, 2026
Maui Sunset Dinner Cruise: How to Pick the Right Boat
The boat, the harbor and the meal format matter more than the sunset — every Maui cruise gets the same sky. Here is how to choose the one you will enjoy.
August 16, 2026
Swim with Dolphins in Orlando: Options, Ages and Ethics
Orlando is inland, so every dolphin swim involves either a managed facility or a drive to the coast. Both deserve a clear-eyed look before you book.
August 16, 2026
Biscayne Bay Cruise in Miami: Which Boat Trip to Choose
Miami's skyline was built to be seen from the water. The question is which boat — and the sightseeing loop, the sunset sail and the speedboat are three different afternoons.