The last and probably most important point of the first phase of our travel planning for the USA is the determination of the route - and in connection with it also the travel duration. For the Southwest, three to four weeks are usually the optimum, but of course, among other things, the costs flow into the considerations - if the time available is not clearly limited anyway.
A credit card is indispensable for a trip to the USA, but you will notice this already when booking the rental car and the accommodations - without it you simply cannot do anything, because a credit card is always required either for the reservation or for the deposit. Whether Mastercard or Visa does not matter, what is important is the limit.
Of course, you also have to think about cash, because on the road you do not pay as much with the card as is often claimed. You can get U.S. dollars either at your local bank or at ATMs in the U.S. with a debit card or credit card, both of which have advantages and disadvantages.
Besides the obligatory insurance of the rental vehicle, two other insurances are useful for the trip. Without a foreign travel health insurance you should in no case start the flight over the Atlantic, before also a travel resignation insurance can be worth a consideration. The costs for this are relatively low.
Basically, the USA travel planning is essentially completed with the bookings, only a few final preparations still want to be made. These include the entry requirements, which you should look at carefully, because you may have to take care of new passports and apply for an ESTA.
If you take a step-by-step approach to planning your trip, it's not that difficult. You start by deciding on the destinations, the time period and the route, then you can take care of booking flights, vehicles and accommodations, and finally you can get everything you need for your vacation. Of course, you do not have to proceed strictly in order, but can also first reserve the hotels and then the rental car.