A volcano still venting steam, manta rays gliding through the night sea, cable cars climbing a city of hills, and drives along a cliff-lined coast — the United States is a country “too big to choose from,” so Travelers Route covers it starting from the places we have actually traveled. Our current features are the two Hawaiian islands we toured over 8 days in February 2026, and San Francisco & Santa Cruz, where we spent a week in fall 2019. All prices and entry rules have been re-checked as of 2026.
If you would rather start from what there is to see, USA: 10 Top Attractions lays out the classics in the order you would actually walk them, with prices and timings.
By trip length: choose your travel style
- Around 5 days — focus on one area: O‘ahu for beaches, food and the North Shore, or San Francisco for the hilly city and Alcatraz. The two classic first choices, each a major international gateway
- 8 days — two Hawaiian islands: 4 days on O‘ahu plus 4 on the Island of Hawai‘i, a 50-minute domestic hop to the island of volcanoes and manta rays. Our single favorite way to build the trip
- 7 days — city and seaside back to back: 3 days in San Francisco plus 3 in Santa Cruz, a road trip with a Silicon Valley pilgrimage along the way
Essential prep before you go
Entering the United States (Hawai‘i included) on a Visa Waiver Program passport requires an ESTA (electronic travel authorization) applied for in advance. The fee is $40.27 (revised January 2026, valid for two years), and the only place to apply is the official esta.cbp.dhs.gov — beware of intermediary sites that pad the fee and rank high in search results. Beyond that, be ready for tipping (15–20% for table service), and since even the cities are car country, an International Driving Permit (if you plan to rent a car) completes the checklist (as of July 2026).
Go deeper by theme
- Scenery — Kīlauea volcano and the lava fields ($30 per car, valid 7 days), Lombard Street and the West Cliff coastline
- Food — açaí bowls, malasadas and garlic shrimp in Honolulu, and San Francisco’s clam chowder in a bread bowl
- Experiences — the manta ray night snorkel off Kona (figure $120–150), the Alcatraz Island landing tour (around $47.95; book well ahead)
- Drives — a loop of O‘ahu, the lava highways of the Island of Hawai‘i, and the CA-17 mountain crossing to Santa Cruz
Best season and budget
Hawai‘i is near its best year-round, with humpback whale season from December to April as a bonus. San Francisco stays cool even in midsummer (its famous fog goes by “Karl the Fog”), and September–October, with the highest share of clear days, is the easiest time to walk it. For budget, both assume “American prices”: eating out runs $20 and up per meal, dinner passes $50 before the 15–20% tip, and hotels in Waikīkī and central San Francisco both start around $250 a night. Two habits change the total significantly: build meals around plate lunches and food trucks, and lock in your hotel early when sales are on.
Across the Pacific — where our coverage goes next
Honolulu (HNL) and San Francisco (SFO) are the gateways for these routes. Elsewhere on the Pacific rim we also cover Hong Kong & Macau and the Philippines. Our US coverage has only just begun with Hawai‘i and the West Coast — like our European features (Portugal, Spain, Italy and more), it will grow outward from the places we have actually traveled.
Scenes from the United States
Photos taken on location by our editorial team.
USA articles
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USA: 10 Top Attractions — Two Hawaiian Islands and the West Coast
Waikiki breakfast against jet lag, mantas off Kona with a 90% encounter rate, a crater that still reads red at night, cable cars where the ride is the sightseeing, and pastel cottages ten minutes from a 1907 amusement park. Five in Hawaii, five on the West Coast.
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San Francisco to Santa Cruz — Cable Cars, Alcatraz and the Coast
Pair three days in San Francisco — cable cars, Alcatraz, sourdough chowder — with a drive over the hills to Santa Cruz, Capitola and a Silicon Valley stop.
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What to Eat in Honolulu — Acai Bowls, Plate Lunch and Malasadas
Honolulu’s food is a century-old melting pot, not ‘American food.’ A meal-by-meal playbook: acai bowls, plate lunch, poke and malasadas fresh from the fryer.
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Hawaii Two-Island Itinerary — Oahu and the Big Island in 8 Days
Waikiki alone sells Hawaii short. Pair four days on Oahu with four on the Big Island — manta night snorkels, Kilauea volcano, Kona coffee and starry skies.
About Travelers Route
Travelers Route is a travel publication that stays with you from choosing a destination to shaping the trip itself. Our USA coverage is based on two trips of our own (2019 and 2026) and on facts — prices and entry rules — re-checked as of 2026. For how we work, see About and our editorial policy.
This country’s history, through places you can visit
Gold that turned a village into a city in two years, and a Portuguese pastry that came all the way from an Atlantic island.
