When Columbus sailed into America in 1492 he discovered a land of endless opportunity, and migrants and tourists have been following in the great explorer’s footsteps ever since.

The USA is a country made up of 48 neighbouring states, plus the huge state of Alaska, northwest of Canada, and the volcanic islands of Hawaii, 2,000 miles (3,219km) out into the Pacific. There are also the US territories, which include Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Midway Islands and the US Virgin Islands.

Our corporate travel agency for America can arrange accommodation and itineraries in any state, but tourism is focused mainly in the great cities such as New York and Washington, as well as the sunny states of California, Florida and Hawaii.

Natural attractions such as the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains and the Adirondacks, Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks compete for your attention alongside man-made wonders such as Disneyland, Universal Studios and Hollywood.

The USA is far more than a single country, as each state and region has its own character, geography and unique, world-class sights. California offers beaches, movie glitz and sunny weather, while west coast New York provides urban thrills and iconic architecture. There is the Creole culture of Louisiana, the wide-open plains of the great Midwest, snow and skiing in the Rocky Mountains, the magnificence and magnitude of the Grand Canyon and the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Travelling offshore while remaining within the US will bring you either to the mid-Pacific and Hawaii’s irresistible beauty, or may drop you into the spellbinding wilderness of northerly Alaska.

Unfortunately, you will still have barely scratched the surface of this fantastic, sprawling country!

The United States of America covers a huge region, stretching itself over six different time zones. Unsurprisingly, there is a similarly varied climate that ranges from arctic to tropical.

California and the Pacific Northwest Coast have a pleasant, Mediterranean-style climate. The hottest month in Los Angeles is July, which averages 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit), while the coldest month is January, with a mild average of 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit). The central part of the US has extreme temperature variations with cold winters and hot summers (not forgetting the occasional tornado). The eastern central US is more humid, while the western central US is more arid.

The east has hot summers (and it too suffers tornadoes in the Mississippi River area). The average annual temperature in New York City is 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit), with summer highs in July and winter lows close to freezing in January.

English is the most common language, but Spanish is also widely spoken.

Visitors entering the country under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) must have a machine-readable passport (MRP) that includes their biometrics. They also need to register online three days before travel.

All visitors to the USA will have a photograph and two fingerprints taken by an inkless scanner on arrival.

Please check rules around visa requirements before you travel, as they may change regularly.

Travel within the United States is generally trouble-free, however, the US shares with the rest of the world an increased threat from terrorist incidents.

For all your high-end, bespoke leisure and corporate travel needs to contact our Travel Managers on 800 NEXA (6392). You can also contact us on info@nexatourism.com .