Every Saturday in The Independent's award-winning Traveller section, our "48 hours" stories explore new and exciting city-break itineraries. Now, 25 years after the series was first launched, we've produced this special, designed to help you get the most from a visit to a selection of 20 key North American cities. Among them, you can choose from New York's dizzying nightlife, the rollercoaster thrills of Orlando, the Hollywood glitter of Los Angeles or Vancouver's great outdoors. We've also included a range of accommodation options to suit your budget.

Simon Calder is routinely called on by every broadcaster for comment whenever a major travel story breaks. This is for a reason - Simon's knowledge of the world of travel is simply unrivalled, and he has been to almost every corner of the globe - and "paid his own way", uniquely. His integrity and authority are unparalleled and he continues to be among the most brilliant of British journalists.