From sea to shining sea…the wonderful and wacky, beautiful but bizarre, mesmerising and maddening United States of America is not so much one country as a collection of countries under a single star spangled banner.

Outsiders may struggle to grasp the scale of the US or to understand it—hardly surprising when the natives often seem to be strangers to each other. The super rich of Silicone Valley may not have much in common with the folks making ends meet in rural Kentucky; It can seem that the vast areas insultingly dubbed the 'flyover states' are a world apart from the cosmopolitan seaboard cities.

So how is a visitor to make sense of the vastness and variety of the USA? You can have fun trying, or you could just go along for the ride.

The first challenge is deciding which USA you want to see, because a lifetime’s worth of trips won't be enough.

There’s the natural America: The landscapes, of course, are mind-blowing, the wildlife fabulous. The national parks are unmissable, the mountains breathtaking. We all know about the Rockies, but what about the Appalachians—or the Sierra Nevada range, or the Cascades?

Away from mountains, the deserts are forbidding but unforgettable, the coastlines magnificent. From New England in the Fall, to the beaches of California, to the drama of Alaska; from hot springs to hotter volcanoes; from one of the highest points on earth to one of the deepest. All this and more is waiting for you.

Let’s not forget the cities, among the most vibrant on earth. But where to start? Perhaps with gaudy, in-your-face Las Vegas; or New York, one of the most exciting collections of humanity on the planet? Cool Boston? Sophisticated Seattle? It’s your choice.

And we haven’t touched on the sport, the food, music, the culture—the US has some of the finest art galleries, museums and theatres in the world—and of course the history which has shaped the can-do attitude that the rest of the world has come to associate with America, and the Americans.

Of course as with any good friend, you don’t have to be blind to the difficulties they may be facing to admire them, even love them. The US has its share of problems and there’s no point in pretending otherwise. But go with an open mind, open eyes and an open heart. Whichever America you opt for, prepared to be welcomed, surprised, enlivened and enriched.