Americans travel abroad alone all the time. Travelling alone inside the USA is harder than it looks, because the country was built for cars and families and never developed a backpacker circuit.
The cities that work alone and without a car#
| City | Why |
|---|---|
| New York | 24-hour subway, everything on foot, the easiest solo city in America (guide) |
| Chicago | The L, the lakefront, a neighbourhood for every night (guide) |
| San Francisco | Compact, walkable if you accept the hills (guide) |
| New Orleans | Small, musical, built for wandering (guide) |
| Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia | Walkable, linked by train, museums for days |
| Miami | Possible without a car if you stay on the beach (the honest version) |
| Las Vegas | The Strip and Downtown, and nothing else (things to do alone) |
National parks, the South, Texas and the desert need a car or a tour. A travel buddy to split the car is how solo travellers do them.
What it costs, honestly#
Prices don't include tax. Tipping is 18 to 20 percent in restaurants and bars and a dollar or two a drink. A hotel room costs the same alone as it does for two. Hostels exist in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, Miami and a few others, and almost nowhere else. The result is that the USA is one of the most expensive countries in the world to travel alone, and the fix is choosing cities where the free things (parks, walking, museums on free days) are the point.
Not being alone the whole trip#
- Hostels where they exist; pick one with a bar or a kitchen.
- Free walking tours on day one in every city.
- The bar, not a table. Americans talk to strangers at bars. It's the national meetup.
- A game. Baseball especially: three hours, cheap seats, conversation.
- Post your trip on Roavi Community with your cities and dates. Travellers heading the same way on the same dates appear, and Local Friends in each city can reply.
- A Local Friend in each city: a person who lives there, by the hour, for the neighbourhood you'd never find. Rent a friend in the USA explains it.
Solo travel guide covers the general craft, how to find a travel community the online side, and solo travel loneliness the part nobody puts in the itinerary. Coming from abroad? First time in the USA.
Travelling the USA alone? Post your trip and meet a local in each city.
Meet a Local FriendThe easiest solo country: solo travel in Tokyo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you travel the USA solo without a car?
In the right cities, yes: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia and New Orleans are walkable with good transit, and the Northeast corridor links several by train. National parks, the South and the Southwest need a car or a tour.Is the USA good for solo female travellers?
The big cities are, with the same rules as anywhere: know your route home at night, use rideshare after midnight rather than walking, keep your drink. Solo women are a normal sight in every city on this list.How much does a solo trip to the USA cost per day?
More than the sticker prices suggest: sales tax is added at the till, tipping is 18 to 20 percent in restaurants and bars, and a single hotel room costs the same as a double. Hostels exist only in a handful of cities. Expect a mid-range solo day in a big city to run well over $150 before flights.How do I meet people travelling alone in the USA?
Hostels where they exist, free walking tours, sitting at the bar rather than a table, a game, and posting your trip on Roavi Community so travellers heading to the same city on your dates can find you. A Local Friend gets you into the city itself.