US Territories — hero
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US Territories

Caribbean and Pacific island territories

  • Currency $ United States Dollar ($)
  • Language English
  • Best time Nov–Apr for the Caribbean (drier, cooler); year-round tropical in the Pacific
  • Visa ESTA required (visa waiver)
Why visit

Why US Territories

Caribbean and Pacific island territories

  • Virgin Islands National Park (US Virgin Islands)
  • National Park of American Samoa
  • Puerto Rico's beaches & Old San Juan
Read more

The USA's scattered island territories — Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, and Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands across the Pacific. Tropical beaches, coral reefs and two remote national parks. Best-effort grouping: the program's Territories module isn't unlocked yet.

A pillar, not a footnote

Eat your way through US Territories

The single reason many travellers come back — the food culture worth reshaping a trip around, and the dishes to seek out region by region.

US Territories

A continent of regional kitchens — barbecue smoke, a diner griddle, and every immigrant table that ever landed here.

Join the line outside a Texas barbecue joint before it opens, because when the brisket sells out they close the doors. Inside it's meat by the pound on butcher paper — smoke-ringed brisket, glistening ribs, a link of hot sausage — no cutlery, no ceremony, just a roll of paper towels and a stack of white bread. This is American food at its most honest: one thing, cooked for hours, cooked right.

Cross the country and it changes with every state line. New Orleans simmers gumbo dark and holds the whole Gulf in a bowl; the South fries chicken and stews collard greens with smoked pork; New York folds a dollar slice and stacks pastrami to the ceiling; California piles a fish taco high with lime and slaw. It's a nation built by arrivals, each one carrying a recipe — and every city sure it does the burger, the slice, the barbecue best. Pick a side and dig in.

Dishes to seek out
  • barbecue brisket & ribs
  • cheeseburger
  • New York pizza & pastrami
  • Southern fried chicken
  • gumbo (Louisiana Creole stew)
  • Tex-Mex tacos
  • apple pie
Explore

Explore the US Territories

The USA's scattered island territories — Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, and Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands across the Pacific. Tropical beaches, coral reefs and two remote national parks. Best-effort grouping: the program's Territories module isn't unlocked yet.

States: Puerto Rico · U.S. Virgin Islands · Guam · American Samoa · Northern Mariana Islands

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© OpenFreeMap · OpenMapTiles · OSM · terrain Mapterhorn
Plan your trip

Curated US Territories itineraries

Browse all US Territories trips →
Where to stay

Hand-checked places in US Territories

Browse all US Territories stays →
When to go

Weather & timing in US Territories RIGHT NOW 24° cloudy

Best Apr–May, Oct · Shoulder Jun, Sep, Nov

Real climate data pending — chart shows a placeholder curve.

  1. Jan / -4°
  2. Feb / -2°
  3. Mar 12° /
  4. Apr 18° /
  5. May 24° / 14°
  6. Jun 28° / 18°
  7. Jul 30° / 20°
  8. Aug 28° / 18°
  9. Sep 24° / 14°
  10. Oct 18° /
  11. Nov 12° /
  12. Dec / -2°

Best time to visit

Nov–Apr for the Caribbean (drier, cooler); year-round tropical in the Pacific

Best for
  • Culture
  • Cuisine
  • Landscape
  • History
At a glance
Sunshine 7 hr/day (est.)
Rain days 8 days/mo (est.)
Wettest December · 60mm
Driest June · 10mm
Part of North America →
By season
Spring (Mar–May)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 18°C with overnight lows near 8°C, and it stays largely dry.

What's best — Apr and May are among the best time to visit — good weather with manageable crowds.

Summer (Jun–Aug)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 29°C with overnight lows near 19°C, and it stays largely dry.

What's best — Jun is comfortable, with thinner crowds.

Autumn (Sep–Nov)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 18°C with overnight lows near 8°C.

What's best — Oct is among the best time to visit — good weather with manageable crowds. Sep and Nov also work well.

Winter (Dec–Feb)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 7°C with overnight lows near -3°C.

What's best — Cold and quiet; some mountain roads and sights run reduced hours.

A little context

A little history

To read what you're looking at — the empires and eras that shaped US Territories's food, art and streets.

Indigenous nations shaped the land long before European colonies broke from Britain in 1776
a coast-to-coast expansion built the mythology of the frontier and the road trip
waves of immigration made the food and cities — New England clapboard to Southwest canyons — a patchwork of everywhere
a young, restless nation that exports its culture as fast as it makes it
Before you book

Know before you go

The practical back-matter — safety, drones and the essentials, in one place.

Safety

Low risk FCDO advice →

Official UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance is the definitive source — check it close to your travel dates.

Drone rules (sub-250g)

  • US Territories
    A genuine sub-250g drone flown recreationally needs no FAA registration and no Remote ID, but every flyer — visitors included — must first pass the free online TRUST test and carry proof, and flying near airports needs prior FAA clearance through the LAANC system. ⚠ The National Park Service bans launching, landing or flying a drone across every national park — Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion and the rest — with fines up to $5,000; many state and city parks add their own bans, so check each site before you fly. Rules checked: Jul 2026

National parks, protected sites and religious/heritage venues often have their own rules and permits — always check the specific site before you fly.

The essentials

Plug & voltage Type A/B · 120V
Daily budget Expensive
Region Northern America