customs
To
be allowed on US soil, an electronic passport is now needed, since the
26th of October 2005.
Depending on your nationality, a visa
may be required or not (always required for stays lasting over 90 days)
You will be given a questionnaire on
the plane. Answer all the questions seriously (for example: Are you a
terrorist?) to avoid getting into serious trouble. All travellers have
their prints and digital photo taken (Program US-Visit).
It’s forbidden to introduce
meat, cheese, plants, guns and ammunition onto US soil. Any suspicious
object is systematically confiscated.
If you are under medical treatment,
take the prescription with you (in English).
You are allowed to import 1l (1.75
pints) of alcohol per person (aged 21 or more), 200 cigarettes or 50
cigars, plus any present that’s not worth more than 100$.
Don’t forget to take with
you the full address of the place where you will be staying, it will be
asked for.
Good luck :)
insurance
Medical
fees are very high in the States. If you are travelling with a tour
operator, we recommend that you do not neglect the insurance they
offer.
You can also take out your own insurance through specialised insurance companies (such as Europ Assistance, Mondial Assistance,...), some of the main mutual companies or your bank.
money
We
like to withdraw our dollars in a bureau de change rather than at our
bank.
If you don’t wish to have a
lot of cash on you, you can use the safest payment system:
traveller’s checks. It’s best to buy these from
American banks.
Credit cards are also a good way to pay for things, but be careful of commission fees taken by American banks.
health
If
you need medicine, it’s easy to get some from supermakets,
drugstores and chemists. You’ll no doubt find what you are
looking for, they’ve got so much choice
In case of an emergency, call 911, wherever you are.
tips
Tips
are essential because they are part of the employee’s wages.
You should normally count 15% of the bill at the restaurant (except if
the service is included) or for a taxi, 1$ per night for the
housekeeper and 1$ per suitcase per porter.
If you chose to pay by credit card at the restaurant, you must specify what tip you wish to add in the box “tip”.
electricity
If you are travelling with electronic devices, don’t forget that in the States, the plugs are different and dispense 110 volts. You might want to buy an adaptor before leaving
telephone
If
you need to make a phone call, the best thing to do is to buy an
international prepaid phonecard. You can get these more or less
anywhere in the States.
American numbers are composed of a
regional indication (3 figures) followed by your
correspondant’s number (7 figures).
For example : xxx xxxxxxx
If you wish to call another region,
add 1 in front of the number.
For example: 1 xxx xxxxxxx
To call abroad, dial 011 + the
national calling code (44 for England) + the number of your
correspondant.
For example : 011 44 xxxxxxxxx
Useful numbers
Emergency : 911
Information : 411
Telephone assistance : 0
taxes
The
prices displayed never include taxes. You need to add :
-State
taxes (varies between 3 and 8.5% depending on what state
you’re in)
-Local
taxes (varies from one town to the next)
Count an extra 10 or 15% on the price tag.
Local time
There
are 4 time zones in the States.
Two in the American West :
-The
Pacific Standard Time (GMT-8) : -8h compared to England
for California and Nevada.
-The
Mountain Time (GMT-7) : -7h compared to England for
Colorado, New-Mexico, Utah and Arizona.
For the summer time (from the 1st Sunday of April till the last Sunday of October), England is 1 hour ahead, except in Arizona.
