In summer 2013 I travelled for the first time alone. I went to the US for three months. When I was at the airport I still could not believe this trip is finally going to happen. I was very nervous. Not sure if I was happy or sad. I guess both.

I did not plan much besides my first three nights in New York City. I knew which cities in the US I would like to visit but not when and for how long.

Mostly I travelled with the greyhound bus. My longest bus ride was 48 hours from Chicago to Seattle. Transfer four times.

Public transportation (bus, metro): Between 1.50 and 2.50 dollar. It can be profitable to buy a one week public transportation card.

Cheap flights from Europe to the US: WOW Airline or Norwegian Airline. Cheapest: 150-200 Euro (if you don’t check any bags)

My route: New York City – Chicago – Seattle – San Francisco – Los Angeles – San Diego – Los Angeles – Kauai, Hawaii – Los Angeles – Las Vegas – Houston – New Orleans – Miami – New York City

ACTIVITIES

• Museums for free: http://www.freemuseumday.org/
• New York City: Staten Island Ferry (for free, take it right before sunset), High Line Park, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Many art galleries, Greenwich village by night (many concerts, shows) and Chelsea Market

• Chicago: Chicago is a city for gourmets (many fusion restaurants like Korean-Mexican), many festivals, concerts and activities in summer. Very cold in winter. Lake Michigan Beach, Millennium Park (the Bean), water taxi. Free things to do in Chicago: http://chicagofree.info/

• Seattle: Pike place market, Lincoln Beach, Olympic Sculpture Park, Space Needle plus Park and the Green Lake

• San Francisco: The weather in San Francisco can change fast. Always take a jacket with you when leaving the house. Interesting activities: Half Moon Bay, Mission District, Golden Gate Bridge and Park, Chinatown, Downtown, Pier and Dolores Park

• Los Angeles: A huge city. In the end I stayed here for two weeks. Interesting activities: Santa Monica and Venice Beach, City Hall (good overview), Getty Museum, Standard Hotel: pool and water beds on the roof (free), Little Tokyo (try the red bean cake) and the Walt Disney Hall of Frank Gehry

• San Diego: One of my favourite places in the USA besides Chicago. Interesting activities: Black Beach, Ocean Beach: Farmer market (local, fresh), many pool parties and bars with live music along the beach

• Kauai, Hawaii: Kauai was not on my list. I went there spontaneous with a friend who needed a break from hosting too many people at the same time. Since our hotel was on the other side of the island we rented a car. I really enjoyed the Waimea Canyon

• Las Vegas: An interesting city. Many hotels have pool parties (mostly free for girls/women) and if you want you can party 24 hours.

• Canyons: If you want to be independent from tours it is best to rent a car. Together with a friend from Switzerland we visited different national parks. Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon (Utah), Clen Canyon, Horseshoe Bend (Arizona), and Lake Powell

• New Orleans: First city I was afraid walking around alone by night. It can be dangerous. I liked the French Quarter (Frenchman Street and Bourbon Street)