I have a friend who was a regular traveller to Europe and Asia but had no desire to visit America. Then a few years ago he had a business opportunity which necessitated that he travel there. When he came back his reaction was, “Wow, what an amazing place.”

We hear how America is extremist in its politics and full of fundamentalists on the left or the right, and there is some truth to that. So too, in its geography and demographics, you can think of America as encompassing a broad spectrum of extremes. It is perhaps the most diverse country on the planet.

Having lived and travelled extensively in the USA, there are many gems to experience. The Rocky Mountains and other ranges offer great beauty as well some of the best skiing in the world. Still in the west, there is the desert beauty of California, Nevada and Utah. In Hawaii there are the lush tropical forests and some of the biggest waves for surfing (probably for the younger ones). Alaska is a huge state of arctic splendour and largely unspoiled with tundra, glaciers and forests.

Moving eastward across the main 48 states, the Great Plains are flat agricultural areas that may be boring to drive through, though not boring for the weather. Every spring, the warm, humid Gulf of Mexico air meets the cooler, drier air of the west to produce tornadoes. The unique geography and weather systems create over a thousand of these storms annually.

Further east there are the lush forests and old mountain ranges of the Appalachians, and the great urban centres such as New York, one of the world’s great cities. This region is also the most historical part of the country as it is the oldest with some communities dating back to the late 1500’s. The Native American culture of course, dates back thousands of years.

There is also a great diversity in accents. In Boston, the accent almost sounds British. In the upper midwest there is a Scandinavian influence. Then there is the southern drawl which varies greatly. Texans have a different accent than that of South Carolinans. Then there is Mississippi. We could barely understand the locals, nor they us.

Like everywhere else there are some things that people don’t like. Some cities such as Detroit are in decay. The gun laws are way too liberal for most people however, saying that, I have never seen or experienced crime there, even when a resident and a city of 2 million such as Austin, Texas had only 32 murders last year; less than Perth. Also New York is now a very safe city, day or night.

Another annoyance centres around food. In most places the portions are too large, but many places now have senior-sized serves. Tipping is also off-putting to many visitors, but if you consider that prices are so much lower than they are in Australia, adding 15% for good service is not a great impost. People that are in the service industries receive low wages so we don’t mind, as long as the service is there.

So America is a great place to visit, but on one trip you can only skim the surface. If you haven’t been there and you love diversity – go!

Have you been to America before? What parts did you visit and where was your favourite? Share your travel memories and advice in the comments below…