10 TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO THE UNITED STATES

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With this list of best tips for traveling to the United States We want to facilitate the organization of a trip to one of the most fascinating countries and above all, to one of the most complete countries in the world where you can also visit New York, one of the destinations dreamed by many travelers or do some of the most iconic routes in the world like Route 66, considered one of the trips to do before you die.

Based on several trips, the first to the West Coast and National Parks of the United States, the second a trip to New York in 11 days and a third visit, in which we spent a month and a half in the Big Apple and wrote this complete guide from New York, we leave you the ones that are for us, the 10 essential tips for a trip to the United States. We start!

1. What is the best time?

The first thing to keep in mind is that the dimensions of the country make the best time for a trip to the United States depend especially on the places you are going to travel to. Despite this, we leave you in general features, which would be the best times:

High season (from June to August): The weather at this time of the year is usually warm in most of the country and being a holiday period, prices are usually higher than the rest of the year.
Mid season (from April to May): Temperatures and weather tend to be much more peaceful and there are not usually so many people in tourist places, so it can be a very good time to travel to the United States.
Low season (from October to March): During these months it usually snows or rains, depending on the areas, and except for the ski areas, the prices during these months are the lowest of the year.

2. Security

The security in the United States It is one of the great themes of the country, especially after the latest news and the great controversy that creates the issue of weapons. Regardless of this, we can say that traveling to the United States is safe, always taking into account the place where you are and always paying attention to small details such as not walking through areas that you do not know at night, bringing valuable objects in sight ... etc.
The best thing in these cases is to check with the accommodation which are the most unsafe areas, if they exist, to avoid surprises and problems and thus enjoy your trip to the fullest.

Once we were told that New York was probably the only city in the world where you could go with a $ 100 bill in your hand walking through Manhattan and nothing would ever happen to you. We do not know if this is true or not, but we believe that something like this can make it quite clear that if you move around the tourist places of the country, security is assured.

3. Entry requirements

If you are a Spanish citizen for a trip to the United States as a tourist, for a maximum period of 90 days, you must take your passport and complete the travel authorization form (ESTA) online.
The ESTA application is usually confirmed automatically or within a few hours of requesting it, although it is recommended to do so with no less than 72 hours, to have enough time if there is any query or delay. The ESTA is valid for 2 years or until your passport expires, if this happens before, it costs $ 14 per person and you can request it through the official website.
It is very important to know that in recent times there are websites with URLs similar to the official one, which even promote some travel blogs, which make this management charging between 80 and 100 dollars, when it is a request that you can make perfectly online and fill it out personally, since they only ask for personal data.

Another of the tips for traveling to the United States What we want to give you is the importance of carrying a copy of the most important documents, such as passport, international driver's license, travel insurance policy ... etc in the cloud, so that in case of loss or theft, the procedures can be much more Easy and agile.

Passport

4. Vaccines and travel insurance

Another of the tips for traveling to the United States which is also the first and most important, regardless of the destination you travel to, is to go to your international vaccination center to be a professional who, depending on your medical history, type of trip and places you are going to visit, determine what Vaccines are necessary.
Given the above, but to leave a general idea, we can tell you that for traveling to North America no vaccine is necessary, except for travelers who have been in countries at risk of yellow fever in the last month, who must show the vaccination card.
Despite this, the recommended vaccines (not mandatory) for any traveler would be diphtheria-tetanus, hepatitis A and B and typhoid fever and rabies for risk groups.

In addition to this, it is very important to hire the best travel insurance for the United States in case of need, have the best assistance and care, especially in a country where health is not especially economical and a simple operation, you can Mortgage for a lifetime.
We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip.
Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.

5. Money exchange

The currency of the United States is the dollar and currently its equivalence is 1 euro = 1.12 dollars. Although many travelers choose to exchange money in their banks and take dollars directly from Spain or make the currency exchange at the airport or at exchange agencies, we after many trips, we recommend paying everything you can by card and for cash , take out directly from the cashier. These are the ways in which you will save more and above all, you will not pay commissions.

For this we always recommend using the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
Remember that if you are going to use a rental car when traveling to the United States, you must carry a credit card and that although in most hotels, restaurants and shops you can pay by card, it is also necessary to carry some cash to make payments in places where they don't accept them.

Tram in San Francisco

7. How to have internet in the United States?

If you want to have internet in the United States, something very necessary today, especially considering the amount of applications we use in our trips and the need to be in contact with our family and friends, you can choose several options:

Buy a SIM card at the airport or at a phone shop in the city.
Buy one Holafly SIM card, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, saving you all the time of the negotiations and making the whole process to have internet in the United States much more comfortable, fast and easy.
In this case, with the Holafly SIM you will have several Gb to surf the Internet (depending on the option you choose), they will send it to you for free at home, you will keep your WhatsApp number and you will have assistance service in Spanish. You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader.

More information on the Holafly post, the best prepaid SIM card for travel

7. How to start the trip to the United States

Although your trip will depend in some way on the places you are going to visit in the United States, we understand that the first thing you should do is look for a flight that will take you to one of the main cities of the country. For this, we usually use this flight search engine, with which you can find the best options at the best prices.
Once you have the flight and especially if you are going to travel to the US in high season, we recommend you find accommodation in a hotel search engine or opt for Airbnb, always making sure that in the city where you are going to stay it is legal, and from where you have up to 34 euros discount if you book on this link.
In case you want to do one of the many recommended car routes around the United States, such as the West Coast or Route 66, another thing you should do is rent a car in the United States.

For the organization of the route when traveling to the United States, we recommend using Google Maps or Maps.me, where you can go putting all the places you want to visit and see the distances between them and even if you download the maps, use them as offline GPS .

Visit Horseshoe Bend when traveling to the United States

8. New York

Known for being the city that never sleeps, making a trip to New York is the dream, we are sure, of many travelers as well as being the gateway to the United States, for many others.
Although any time is good to travel to the Big Apple, in this case, we would recommend spring or autumn, times when temperatures are more pleasant and colors begin to appear in Central Park, one of the places to visit in New York essential.
Referring to the duration of the trip, we recommend whenever you can, a minimum of one week, to enjoy the city to the fullest and even do some of the best tours and excursions in New York, which can be the perfect complement to your trip .
And to get to know it to the fullest, don't forget to read this guide from New York, in which after our two trips to the city, we publish everything we know about it and we believe, it is necessary to enjoy it in addition to guides optimized for days, to that you can make the most of your visit to the city.

Top of the Rock, one of the best viewpoints in New York

9. Other essential cities in the United States

In addition to New York and considering that the country is immense and there are many places to know, we leave you the ones that are for us, some of the essential cities if you are traveling to the United States.

San Francisco: Without a doubt this is one of the most visited and most valued cities in the United States and not without reason. Make a route through the places to see in San Francisco and enjoy the city for several days, we assure you, it will be an unforgettable experience. Also, if you have an extra day you can always make an escape to Yosemite or Muir Woods and Sausalito, considered as some of the best tours and excursions in San Francisco.
We leave you several optimized guides for days to visit San Francisco and a post about the best tips for traveling to San Francisco, so you can organize your trip easily and quickly.

The Angels: Next to San Francisco, probably the most visited city on the West Coast of the United States and also one of the ones that causes more love and hate in travelers. Although we did not like it especially, we believe it is a city that must be seen once in a lifetime, where we are safe, you will feel inside a movie touring the places to visit in Los Angeles and completing the list of things What to see and do in Los Angeles.
In addition to this, if you have an extra day, we advise you to do a Tour of Hollywood movie studios, approach San Diego or take a Tour of the beaches of California, considered all as some of the best tours and excursions in Los Angeles .

The Angels

Washington: Capital of the most powerful country in the world, Washington is known for being a city without skyscrapers but with a history and memorials, difficult to forget as well as having some of the best museums in the world.
Something very common is to make an excursion to Washington from New York, being something highly recommended if you have some extra day in the Big Apple to know some of the things to see and do in Washington DC or follow this Washington guide in one day.

Miami: Located in the southeast area of Florida, between the Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean, Miami is another of the most visited cities in the United States, where you can discover many places of interest such as Downtown, South Beach and Ocean Drive, Little Havana or The Design District, in addition to being the beginning of a route through some of the most interesting places in the country.

Boston: Known for being one of the oldest cities in the United States in addition to the most populous in New England, this can be a good gateway to get to know this area of the country and enjoy it, one of the best tips for traveling to the United States.

Chicago: Known as the City of Winds, Chicago is another city that you cannot miss in the United States. After in 1871 it was devoured by the flames, the city was rebuilt and reborn to become today one of the references of the country and one of its most visited cities as well as being the start of the mythical Route 66. It doesn't look bad, don't you think?

Las Vegas: What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. And there can be nothing more true than this. Considered as a real show for many and a traction park for others, we assure you that making a route through the places to see in Las Vegas, at least will not leave you indifferent.
And if you also have an extra day, you can not miss an excursion to the Grand Canyon, considered one of the best tours and excursions in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas

Of course, as we have said before, the options are endless and in this list we wanted to make a very brief summary of the best known and most visited cities in the United States.

10. Car routes recommended by the United States

In addition to the visits to the cities that we mentioned before, the United States is a country famous for some routes that in many cases are great trips to do before you die, dreamed by many travelers.

Route 66: Probably the most iconic route of all you can do on a trip to the United States and we would dare to say, the world. With a total of 3939 kilometers and a journey that covers from Chicago to Santa Monica in Los Angeles, passing through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, this trip is without a doubt, a reference For any traveler.

West Coast Parks: For us, one of the most incredible routes in the world, after our experience in the trip along the West Coast and the National Parks of the United States. Although there are many options for itineraries and entrance doors, we advise you in this case to enter through San Francisco, if you are not going to visit Yellowstone and from there by rental car visit Dead Horse Point, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Death Valley and Yosemite, to finish in Los Angeles.
In addition to the National Parks, if you have extra days, it is highly recommended to include some cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Monument Valley in the Western United States

Pacific Coast Highway and Big Sur: This is another one of the Most recommended car routes when traveling to the United States, where you can enjoy charming towns and landscapes of infarction. This route will take you along a section of Highway 1, along the Pacific Ocean along 200 kilometers, from Carmel-by-the-Sea to Morro Bay and passing through the Big Sur, one of the most incredible stages.
As another of the tips a trip to the United States, although this route can be done in one day, we recommend you spend at least two days to fully enjoy the place.

East Coast: Without a doubt, this is another of the routes most made by travelers and although it has hundreds of variants, depending on the days you have and the places you want to visit, we leave you what would be for us the essentials of the East Coast : Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, New Orleans and Miami.
As you will see, some of the cities are the ones that we also included as essential when traveling to the US, so if you have more days, it may be highly recommended to expand the route by visiting some of the places in the areas near the city, which we are sure , you will love it.

More tips for traveling to the United States

Other of the best tips for traveling to the United States are:

Although gastronomy is not exactly the strength of the country, we advise you to check which are the most recommended restaurants of the places you are going to visit in order to also enjoy this aspect of the country.
Although it is important to speak English or at least defend yourself, do not worry if you do not speak it because many times you will find people who speak Spanish. It can also be very interesting to take an offline translator, to use it if necessary.
It is the United States the voltage is 120V, the frequency 60Hz and the plugs are of the type A / B, so you will need an adapter.
Remember that if you rent a car in the United States and want to return it to an office other than the collection office, this is a charge on most occasions, which is usually between 500 and 1000 dollars, depending on the company and the states. Keep this in mind, especially on long routes such as the East Coast or Route 66.
Another of the tips for a trip to the United States, is to know that the tip is practically mandatory and is between 10-15% of the total amount of the account. Remember that not leaving it is like telling the waiter that it has not served you well, so it is important to leave it. Think of it as an extra and take it as something normal and not as if you were paying an extra, to fully enjoy the experience and travel.

Yellowstone

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