Last Updated: December 21, 2023
Traveling to the USA has been a dream come true for me. Something that I’m sure you have realised if you’ve read about my experience road tripping across the West Coast. Both trips required a lot of planning, mainly due to the fact that I wanted to see as many places as possible. I am certain that any of you wanting to visit America are overwhelmed. Not only by the excitement of the unknown but also by many questions of what to expect when you finally step foot there. The information below, will hopefully answer some for your questions not to serve as spoilers but to help you avoid any potential unpleasant surprises. Little tips if you will, that will save you time, money and effort and leave room instead (hopefully) only for good memories. Here are 10 Things to Know Before Traveling to the USA.
RENTING A CAR IN THE USA
Renting a car is almost mandatory when visiting the USA. The cities are vast and not easy to explore on foot. In most cases public transportation can be quite shady, speaking from experience as one that has tried both public buses and the underground in LA. Avoid at all costs!
You might want to rent a car online and prepay it. That way you’ll save some time at the kiosk when you arrive. That will also allow you some time to read the fine print and decide at your own pace about any extras you might want to include to your booking. If you land in big cities such as LA, be prepared to queue at the rental kiosk, as LAX is one of the busiest airports in the West Coast. Our experience from San Francisco was more seamless. We had of course pre-booked our rental and when we arrived, the kiosk was empty.
One more thing worth mentioning is that any additional extras such as Sat Nav and Bluetooth are at an extra cost. Also, note that your only chance to include them in your rental will be at the kiosk. I had prepared my playlist on Spotify with my favorite songs, months before our trip. So, opting out of Bluetooth was definitely a no go for me. Driving on the open road and listening to all-time favorite American songs, is part of the experience, won’t you agree?
HOW EASY IT IS TO PARK IN THE CITIES?
Finding a parking space in large cities such as LA, Las Vegas and San Francisco can be quite a headache. Be prepared to allocate some of your budget towards parking spaces such as garages, parking lots and parking meters.
You will find parking meters in most areas of the cities. They usually allow up to two hours time limit and you can pay by cash or credit card. Once ready to pay, the meter will set a default time which you can then amend by pressing the plus and minus buttons. A few apps that will make your life easier are The Parker App and BestParking. Such applications are a godsend as they save you time and hassle! Not only you can search for a free parking space but also reserve it and pay via the app. What’s more, The Parker App also has the option to set a timer, which helps you remember when it’s time to move your car and avoid getting a ticket.
HOW DO GAS STATIONS WORK IN THE USA?
Paying for fuel in the USA can be quite tricky. At most gas stations you will be prompted to insert an American zip code upon tapping your card at the pay machine. You will need instead to go to the kiosk and inform the clerk of the amount of gas you want to put in your car, which you can choose to be debited to your credit card. In case you have overestimated, the difference will be credited back to your card shortly after. Unfortunately, there is no way of calculating exactly how much fuel your car will need. Therefore, it is safer to just fill your car up to full, especially if you’re planning on a long road trip. If you don’t own a credit card and you want to avoid using your debit card, then your best option is to use Revolut for safe transactions.
HOW TO CUT YOUR EXPENSES WHILE TRAVELING TO THE USA
Traveling to the USA can be quite expensive. Chances are that you will realize some time mid-trip that, you have likely spent more than what you expected. There are a few things you can do however to limit your expenses by a few dollars.
FOOD
It goes without saying that in most cases, food is something that we don’t want to cut back while traveling. In my case, traveling to the USA, meant that I could finally try a few restaurants that I had my eye on. I was prepared for the cost and I did not want to compromise on that. Once that was over and done with, I started going to more affordable places to eat so that I didn’t drain all my budget only on food.
You might want to consider staying at an Airbnb which has a kitchen. That will allow you to cook from time to time and save money on restaurants. Another solution could be Whole Foods which has ready-to-eat meals. Whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, your options will be plentiful. Here, you will find anything from pancakes to roasts and from ready-cut fruits to a salad bar. One thing to keep in mind is that the meals are charged by the weight. Meaning that it is very easy to get carried away by the delicious food, overfill your box, and be unpleasantly surprised at the cash desk.
COFFEE
I know, this one is not easy to cut. In my case it is actually impossible, seeing how much I love coffee. However, giving up to the cute cafes and large coffee chains such as Starbucks, will definitely save you a couple of bucks. Try instead switching to a standard brew sold at large supermarkets. Whole Foods for instance (yes I do love their stores), have their own variety of good quality coffee. Alternatively, you can try Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s or iHop (who happen to have THE BEST pancakes I’ve tried in the US).
ACCOMMODATION
As far as accommodation goes, be sure that you don’t compromise on the location, especially in the big cities. It is best to pay a little extra and avoid dangerous neighborhoods. That way you will feel safer and most likely be closer to the attractions you want to see.
While traveling to the USA the first time, one of our stopovers was San Francisco. As you may or may not know, San Fran is one of the most expensive cities in the world! In this case, it was almost impossible for us to find an affordable lodging and be in a central location. We opted instead for booking through AirBnB a cute guest house, located in the Lafayette area. We would use the parking lot at BART and catch the 40-minute train to the centre of San Francisco. The ticket cost about 5$ one way, so we felt that that way we saved money on gas, as well as parking fees.
ENTRANCE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS
Before traveling to the USA, I had done my research trying to narrow down which National Parks I would visit. I wanted to squeeze in as much as possible seeing how incredible they looked. In the end, I decided to visit Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Death Valley. Keep in mind that the entrance to most National Parks in the USA is with a fee. Therefore, if you plan on visiting more than one, perhaps it is worth considering buying an annual pass. Here you’ll be able to find more information on entrance fees.
ROAD TRIP ACROSS THE USA
Many people have the false idea that if you take a road trip across the USA, it will be difficult to find a rest stop. While this may apply to very few extremely remote locations, most of the routes across the USA offer rest areas. In most cases it will be a gas station or a diner at the side of the street. All you have to do is follow the signs and you won’t miss them. Most of them offer bathroom facilities, picnic tables and a store where you can stock on snacks, water and coffee.
TIP YOUR WAITER
Unlike in most other countries where tipping is left at your discretion, in the USA it is expected. At restaurants and bars, you are expected to tip an additional of up to 20% on top of your bill. Be sure to factor this in your budget so as to avoid unpleasant surprises. Of course, I’ll admit that there was an instance while traveling to the USA where the service was slow and the server not very attentive, so we felt it was not fair to tip. If that happens to you, be prepared to receive a few rude looks from the staff. But, as I said, our experience overall was not the best, so we did what we deemed was right.
TRAVEL INSURANCE IS IMPORTANT
Naturally when we plan a trip, a health emergency is the last thing going through our mind. As much as we don’t like to admit, these things happen. Act wisely and invest in travel insurance which will cover any medical emergency that you may need during your trip. Even more so, when traveling to the USA, where the public health services are ridiculously expensive.
