Traveling advices for European people visiting the US

Posted: July 28th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Travel | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment »

Months ago I found this nice article from Bas Raayman in which he gives some important advices to everyone is visiting US from EU, with things like cellphone coverage and roaming charges and I thought I could add something on the topic.

I travel to the US quite often (obviously by my standards :-) which involves a transatlantic trip 2/3 times a year, mostly in Minnesota and Georgia, and after spending time immersed in American culture I think I know a thing or two about the do’s and dont’s when you’re abroad.

Let’s start with a couple of topics:

AIRFARE

Unless you enjoy the old fashioned week-long boat trip you will probably end up booking a seat on a plane. Internet is flooded with travel agencies (like Expedia.com) and search engines but I can assure you that the best way to find a great deal on a particular airfare is through Skyscanner or the Matrix Airfare Search.

Also apply for a frequent flyer membership card, even if you travel once in a year you can accumulate miles and enjoy small benefits, you can have a look at the best frequent flyer programs at FlyerTalk.

PAPERWORK

Most EU countries (and their citizens) do not require a VISA to travel to the US for business or leisure, they fall under the Visa Waiver Program, but you need to comply with some restrictions that you can find here, also, since January 2009 you’re required to fill an online ESTA application form (which is similar to the I-94W paper form) 36 hours before arrival (note that starting January 2010 this policy has been enforced so they can deny boarding if you do not comply).

When approaching US the flight attendants will ask you if you have a VISA or not, if you fall under the Visa Waiver Program you DON’T HAVE a Visa, so ask for an I-94W Form (the green one).

BAGS

Pack light, you’re not flying to a Third World Country, so leave at home everything you do not need and put stuff in your checked baggage as much as you can, just keep valuable things in your carry-on (and some clean underwear too :-) and don’t forget to lock your checked baggage with a TSA-approved lock.

CAR RENTAL

Just a couple of tips: never buy gasoline from the rental outlet, or things like “return your car with any gas amount”, they’re a ripoff, just refill your tank before returning your car, it will be surely cheaper. Another nice tip if you want a free car upgrade is to check out the reviews at yelp.com. Here you’ll find some rental agencies that don’t carry every car model so if you book a size that isn’t available you’ll get a free upgrade to the next class (Last time I ended up with a Crossover SUV instead of a Mid-sized SUV).

FOOD

Well, that’s a really delicate topic, being Italian sometimes I miss the mediterranean dishes, but the US offers a great variety of cuisines from all over the world, more than the average European city, so it’s a great meltin-pot like experience, every day you can try out something different like Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Argentinian and of course local cuisine, especially the southern part of the US has some great local food (like Gumbo, man, I really love Gumbo).

Another food topic is GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), they are quite common in the US (except California where their production is banned), in Europe we have a more strict regulation on them, so if you want to stay free from GMO you need to shop in those “Organic” Supermarkets and look for GMO-free products.

One thing you should not worry about is wine. I’m Italian and I’ve been to France, but nothing amaze me like the quantity and quality of wine choices that you have in the US, it looks like heaven for wine drinkers, you can have amazing Californian reds or go for import, whatever you choose your throat will not end up dry :-) .

DRIVING

First things first: JUST STICK TO THE SPEED LIMITS! you do not want to be chased by the police and then start explaining that you were doing exactly what the others were doing, also, if you find a not-so-nice cop and you’re not equipped with an American driving license you can easily end up to the police station.

Another thing directly tied to the one above, do not spend money on an international driving license, it simply doesn’t matter, just show your regular EU driving license and you’ll be good to go, if they want to check your position more in depth you’ll end up at the police station anyhow.

Right turn on red, this is something you need to check out before traveling because the legislation vary from state to state, but in most of them, if there’s no signage that prohibits it, you can turn right at the traffic light if the red light is on. As I said previously, check if that behavior is OK where you’re traveling because YMMV.

INTERNET CONNECTION

Ok, forget about roaming because they’re gonna be *REALLY* expensive, let’s focus on the free alternatives: Free WiFi hotspots. They’re quite common all around the US, you can easily find them in coffee chains like Caribou Coffee or Starbucks, you can also look if there’s a FON hotspot available near you, or, if you’re lucky enough, you can find private WiFi hotspots left open.

Also if you’re hardcore / geek enough you can try this method called NSTX to encapsulate IP-over-DNS and surf for free from almost every pay-per-use hotspot :-) .

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m in no way affiliated to anyone mentioned in this article.

That’s all for now, I hope I gave you some nice tips for your travel, and of course have a safe trip! :-)

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