USA

Jake grew up in Texas. Between the two of us, we've visited around 40 states. So when we write about the United States, it's not from the perspective of Europeans doing a checklist tour of New York, LA, and the Grand Canyon.

Most international visitors see the same five percent of the country. The obvious coasts, the famous parks, the cities that already have more coverage than they need.

Louisiana is where we'd send anyone who thinks they've already "done" the USA. Cajun food alone is reason enough — the first spoonful of gumbo changed Eli's life and she still hasn't fully recovered. We followed the Boudin Trail through Acadiana, slept in a bayou cabin in Breaux Bridge where the marina cooks jambalaya for everyone at weekends, stayed in a restored mansion in Tremé in New Orleans, and held a baby alligator at a conservation centre. Louisiana runs on food, music, and a complete refusal to be anywhere other than exactly where it is.

Alaska is the other end of the spectrum — raw, vast, and one of the few places left where nature wins unconditionally.

The Florida Keys are not off the beaten path but are worth lingering in a little more than a weekend.

Seattle we covered as a Vancouver day trip, but Kerry Park at sunset with Mount Rainier on the horizon earned it a page of its own.

We're selective. Everything below is what we'd tell someone who's done the obvious and is ready to go deeper.