Things to do in North America
Three countries that could not be less alike, and a strip of Central America where a month costs what a week in the US does. Road trips, national parks, and the cities everyone has already seen on screen.
19
Countries
€65
A day in the US
€22
A day in Guatemala
63
US national parks
The continent
One continent, two budgets
North America splits cleanly in half. The US and Canada are big, expensive and built for driving — a road trip is the point, and the national parks are the reason. Mexico and Central America are cheap, bus-connected and hostel-dense, closer to Southeast Asia than to Chicago in how you travel them.
Most people pick one. Two weeks of California and the southwest is a different holiday from two months overland from Mexico City to Panama, and neither is improved by trying to do both.
Distances are the thing northern Europeans underestimate. Los Angeles to New York is a five-hour flight. Texas alone is bigger than France. Fly the long legs, drive the interesting ones, and do not plan to see a country the size of a continent in a fortnight.
Read the full USA backpacking guideBuilt for road trips
The best of the US, Canada and Mexico is between the cities. A car for a week costs less than the train.
National parks
Yosemite, Banff, Zion. The park systems are the continent at its best, and camping keeps them affordable.
Central America changes the maths
Guatemala, Nicaragua and Belize run at a fifth of US prices, an hour's flight from Houston.
Country guides
Start with a country
Every country page carries its cities, what a day costs there, when to go and the hostels we would book ourselves.
USA
New York · Los Angeles · San Francisco · Chicago
78 guides
Mexico
Mexico City · Oaxaca · Puerto Escondido · Cancún
17 guides
Canada
Vancouver · Montreal · Toronto · Banff
25 guides
Costa Rica
San José · La Fortuna · Santa Teresa · Monteverde
3 guides
Guatemala
Antigua · Lake Atitlán · Flores · Semuc Champey
4 guidesNorth America
The big three road-trip countriesCentral America
Cheap, hot and bus-connectedThe Caribbean
Islands, reefs and rum shacksOr start with how you travel
Same continent, filtered by tripHostels
Where to stay while you do it
The North American hostels travellers rate most highly. Prices and availability are live on each property page.
International Student Center
New York, USA
Dorms from $50 a night
See dates and book
Lura
Antigua, Guatemala
Dorms from $16 a night
See dates and book
La Selva Hostel
Mexico City, Mexico
Dorms from $20 a night
See dates and book
HI Los Angeles - Santa Monica
Los Angeles, USA
Dorms from $36 a night
See dates and book
Samesun Vancouver
Vancouver, Canada
Dorms from $30 a night
See dates and book
American Dream Hostel
New York, USA
See dates and book
Casa Gitana, Hostel & Traveler's Home
Antigua, Guatemala
Dorms from $10 a night
See dates and book
Barrio Downtown Mexico City Hostel
Mexico City, Mexico
Dorms from $18 a night
See dates and book
Banana Bungalow West Hollywood
Los Angeles, USA
Dorms from $30 a night
See dates and book
HI Vancouver Downtown
Vancouver, Canada
Dorms from $32 a night
See dates and book
HI New York City Hostel
New York, USA
Dorms from $40 a night
See dates and book
Barbara's Boutique Hostel
Antigua, Guatemala
Dorms from $20 a night
See dates and book
When to go
Summer up north, winter down south
The north runs on a normal four-season calendar with a short, expensive summer. Mexico and Central America run on wet and dry instead: December to April is dry and busy, May to November is green, cheap and rains most afternoons.
December – March
Northern winter, southern dry season
Split
Ski season in Canada and Colorado, hurricane-free beaches in Mexico, and the best weather of the year in Central America — at the highest prices.
- Book Mexican coast early
- Canadian cities are cold and cheap
- Dry season peaks at Christmas
April – May
Spring
Best value
The southwest before the heat, the parks before the crowds, and Central America emptying out as the rains begin. The best month-to-price ratio on the continent.
- Desert parks at their best
- Rates drop sharply after Easter
- Rain starts in the south
June – August
Northern summer
Peak
Everything open, everything full. Road-trip season in the US and Canada, and hurricane season starting in the Caribbean.
- Park campsites book out months ahead
- Cities are hot and expensive
- Hurricane season runs June to November
September – November
Autumn
Quiet
New England colour, empty parks, warm deserts and the lowest prices in Central America. The hurricane risk is real but so is the saving.
- Best prices of the year in Mexico
- Parks are empty after Labor Day
- Check hurricane forecasts for the Caribbean
Costs
What a day actually costs
Daily budgets cover a dorm bed, food, local transport and one paid activity. In the US and Canada, add a car if you are leaving the cities, which most people should.
The gap between north and south is the largest on any continent. A day in San Francisco costs more than three days in Nicaragua. Travelling both in one trip is possible — the flights are cheap — but budget them as two separate holidays.
Region
Dorm bed
Per day
US cities
New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles
€40–60
€90–130
US road trip
Southwest, Pacific coast, national parks
€25–45
€70–100
Canada
Vancouver, Montreal, Banff
€30–45
€75–105
Mexico
Mexico City, Oaxaca, the coasts
€10–18
€30–45
Central America
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras
€8–14
€22–35
Costa Rica & Panama
San José, Bocas del Toro, Boquete
€14–22
€38–55
Indicative figures for a traveller in dorms eating a mix of self-catering and cheap local food. US and Canadian cities assume no car; add €35–50 a day with fuel if you rent one.
Getting around
The car is the transport
There is no rail network worth planning around outside the northeast corridor and a few Canadian routes. Greyhound and FlixBus cover the cities slowly and cheaply, Amtrak is scenic rather than practical, and domestic flights are often cheaper than both.
For anything outside a city, rent a car. Split between three people it costs less than the bus, and the southwest, the Pacific coast and the Canadian Rockies exist to be driven. Mexico and Central America are the opposite: the chicken buses and shuttle vans go everywhere, cost almost nothing, and are half the experience.
7 Best Road Trips in the USA
The southwest loop
Las Vegas, Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, back through Sedona. The best two weeks of driving anywhere, and camping keeps it cheap.
6 stops · 1 country
Pacific coast
Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Big Sur, Los Angeles, San Diego. One road, three states, and a hostel in every stop.
6 stops · 1 country
Mexico to Panama overland
Mexico City, Oaxaca, Antigua, Lake Atitlán, León, Ometepe, Bocas del Toro. All by bus, all cheap, no flights needed.
7 stops · 5 countries
What's on
Worth building a route around
These are also the dates that will triple your accommodation costs if you turn up without a booking. Both facts are worth planning for.
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31 October
Village Halloween Parade
New York, USA
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1 Nov – 7 Jan
Ozark Mountain Christmas
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From the blog
North America guides
Written by our travel writers and the travellers who host them.
Things to do, city by city
Short itineraries you can follow as written, in the cities most routes pass through.
Getting around
Road trips, buses, rail passes and when flying is cheaper than driving.
Eating well for less
Taquerías, diners and the markets worth planning a day around.
Doing it cheaply
What things cost, where the money goes and how to make the US affordable.
Everything we have written about North America
Filter by country, city or the kind of trip you are planning.
North America travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
How much does a month in North America cost?
In the US, €2,500 to €3,500 for a month including a shared car, dorms and eating out modestly. In Mexico and Central America, €900 to €1,200 covers the same month comfortably. The two halves of the continent barely belong in the same budget.
Do I need a visa for the US?
EU, UK and Australian passport holders travel on ESTA, applied for online and valid for 90 days. It costs around $21 and takes minutes, but apply before you book flights rather than at the airport. Canada uses an equivalent called eTA.
Is it cheaper to fly or drive in the US?
Drive if there are two or more of you and the trip is under about 1,500 km. Beyond that, budget airlines usually win on both cost and time. A rental car split three ways works out cheaper than Greyhound for most routes.
Is Central America safe for backpackers?
Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and Nicaragua are travelled daily by thousands of backpackers on an established route. Honduras and El Salvador need more care with routes and night travel. Take shuttles rather than night buses where the route is known to be risky, and check current advice — it changes.
When is hurricane season in the Caribbean?
June to November, peaking in September and October. It rarely ruins a trip, but it makes flights and beds cheap, and travel insurance worth reading properly.
Can I travel from Mexico to South America overland?
As far as Panama, yes, and it is a well-worn route. The Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia has no road and should not be crossed on foot — fly or take the sailing route to Cartagena.
What is the best US road trip for a first visit?
The southwest loop from Las Vegas through Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon: two weeks, manageable distances, and the parks are the best thing in the country. The Pacific coast is the other obvious answer if you prefer cities and beaches.
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