Solo flight to US (from UK), a bit scared. Advice??

26F (will be 27 when I travel). I live in the UK but plan to fly to America in September for a friend’s wedding. I’m very nervous! I’ve never had a solo flight before, I’ve always been with someone and relied heavily on them for navigation. I’ll likely be flying from Manc or a London one (preferably Manc) but will have to have a layover in NYC to go to my destination. I’ve just heard so many horror stories about the US customs right now and it’s really freaking me out. I’ll be meeting friends at my final airport and staying with their family so I don’t have any accommodation. I gather I’ll need an ESTA/visa? and insurance. But I’m not sure what else I need to know about and I’d just love some reassurance that I won’t be detained for something like a meme of a political on my phone (yeah I saw that news article) and other stuff?? Am I overreacting? Is there anything else I’ll need to make sure I have? --- **Post Details:** - **Subreddit:** r/travelhacks - **Author:** u/apennington221 - **Score:** 8 upvotes - **Upvote Ratio:** 68.0% - **Comments:** 65 - **Posted:** 6/28/2025 - **URL:** https://reddit.com/r/TravelHacks/comments/1lmt49m/solo_flight_to_us_from_uk_a_bit_scared_advice/