Solo Travel in the United States: Best Cities for Independent Travellers
With its 50 states, each boasting unique attractions and traditions, the United States is a land of endless opportunities for exploration. Whether you’re drawn to the fast-paced energy of bustling cities, the tranquility of national parks, or the charm of small towns, the United States caters to all types of travelers. Beyond its natural beauty and urban sophistication, the country is a cultural melting pot where art, music, cuisine, and history converge to create a rich and dynamic travel experience.
The United States is a continent disguised as a country, and the solo travel experience reflects that scale. A solo trip to New York is nothing like a solo trip to New Orleans, which is nothing like a solo trip to Portland or Phoenix or Nashville. The country’s regional diversity: in culture, food, landscape, social atmosphere and political character, is one of its most defining features for the independent traveller, and the one most flattened by the instinct to only visit the headline cities.
The practical challenge of solo travel in the US is cost and distance. This is not a country where a rail pass and an open schedule covers much ground efficiently. Domestic flights (Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines for cheaper fares) are the realistic way to cover multiple regions. Within cities, public transport ranges from excellent (New York, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco) to essentially absent (Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix). A car is the default for anything beyond the handful of transit-served cities.
New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles each have dedicated city guides on this site, written specifically for solo travellers. The short orientation: New York for urban density and free culture (the Met, the High Line, the Brooklyn Bridge walk, the borough food neighbourhoods). Las Vegas for a specific cultural experience that has no equivalent and rewards 2–3 days rather than more. Los Angeles for the food neighbourhood diversity and the Pacific Coast, with the honest caveat that transport planning is essential.
United States travel facts
Annual Visitors: The U.S. welcomes over 80 million international tourists annually (pre-pandemic), making it one of the most visited countries in the world.
Top Visitor Origins: The majority of international visitors come from Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany.
Tourism Revenue: The tourism industry contributes over $1.9 trillion annually to the U.S. economy.
Jobs: The tourism sector supports over 9.5 million jobs, making it a vital part of the country’s economy.
Domestic Travel: Americans make approximately 2.3 billion domestic trips annually, highlighting the country’s strong domestic tourism market.
Beyond the Big Three
Chicago for the most solo-friendly major American city most visitors haven’t prioritised — excellent public transport, extraordinary architecture, a lakefront that is genuinely among the most beautiful urban waterfronts in the world. New Orleans for a culture of music, food and street life unlike anywhere else in the country. Nashville for the live music culture and a changing city that is considerably more interesting than its country music tourist reputation suggests. The Pacific Northwest (Portland, Seattle) for natural access, coffee culture and a social character that is unusually welcoming to solo visitors.
Safety in the US
Safety in the United States is specific rather than general. The tourist areas of major cities are consistently safe. The areas immediately adjacent to tourist circuits in cities like Baltimore, Detroit, Memphis and St Louis can transition quickly — knowing where you are and staying on well-used streets is sufficient. Gun culture is a background reality that is largely invisible to tourists in major cities but worth understanding as part of the country’s social landscape.
Written by Jennifer Ann Porter, solo travel writer at gotravelyourself.com. Jenny covers North American destinations.
