1. Time difference: China is 12- 13 hours earlier than the United States, covering a large area and spanning five time zones. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust your watch at any time during a long trip in the United States.
2. Best travel time: The best travel time in the United States is spring and autumn (March-May/September-165438+1October), and the best travel time in the western United States is 4-65438+1October. At this time, the rainy season can be avoided, and the four seasons in the eastern United States are obviously suitable for tourism.
3. Consumption level: The consumption level in the United States is higher than that in China. A 2L bottle of Coca-Cola is about $65,438 +0.5-2, a bottle of mineral water is about $65,438 +0, and the steak in the restaurant is about $60 per person. In addition, consumption in the western United States is relatively cheaper than that in the east.
About air tickets &; luggage
① air ticket
There are two main ways to fly to America: connecting flight and direct flight. At present, except for Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, there are no direct flights to the United States in other cities. The cities that can fly directly to the eastern United States are new york, Boston and Washington. Generally, it takes 12 hours to fly west and 14 hours to fly east.
Direct flight: From Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other three cities, you can fly directly to the United States, and the price range ranges from 6000 to 8000. It is not too difficult to fly directly to the United States, so if you pursue cost performance, you can spend hundreds more on direct flights.
Transfer: Generally speaking, it is cheaper to transfer to America than to fly directly. You can choose to transfer in Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong. It's cheaper to transfer to the United States in Hong Kong than to transfer at Tokyo Narita Airport. For family travel with children, transfer is a good choice. Besides being cheap, it won't be too tiring to rest in the middle.
Tips:
1. Don't blindly pursue cheap air tickets: some round-trip air tickets in Los Angeles will be very cheap, but you should consider whether they are suitable for your itinerary. Sometimes, plus domestic air tickets, it will even be more expensive than going in and out of different cities.
2. Long-distance flight, pay attention to the seat: For overweight guests, please pay attention to the width of the seat when choosing the flight, otherwise it will be very hard to get on the long-distance flight. In the international zone, seat selection is free, and sometimes Asian guests' seats are not very good. If you have special requirements for seats, you can apply for extra payment for seat selection or upgrade.
3. Aircraft facilities: Most aircraft flying to the United States have USB charging ports and even provide wifi. This is still very convenient.
② luggage
Usually, you can take two pieces of 23KG luggage on international flights in the United States, but it should be noted that domestic flights usually do not include baggage check-in, and one piece of baggage check-in needs to be paid an extra $25. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the baggage allowance for international and domestic flights. It is recommended to bring a large suitcase+a boarding box or carry-on bag. If you need to do a lot of shopping in the United States, you can consider buying boxes directly in the United States.
Tips:
1. Remember not to help others with things. Please don't take off your luggage tag after you get off the plane and don't move until all members get their luggage verified.
American airports require that the checked baggage is not allowed to be locked, because the baggage is not checked in front of the owner, but checked in the background. You have locked your luggage. If unpacking inspection is needed, the staff can only take a pair of scissors and cut your lock open.
About the process of visa application: 1, fill in the form DS 1602, and pay&; Appointment interview 3. interview
If you feel that one or two steps are too cumbersome, and you are afraid of filling in mistakes, you can hand them over directly to the travel agency. Some travel agencies will help you make an appointment for an interview in addition to filling out the form. I suggest you book a love trip. The customer service is patient and the signing rate is fast. You can book directly on the flying pig.
Step 1: Fill in the DS 160 form.
Open _zh/cn-niv-paymentinfo.asp,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, understand all kinds of visa types and the corresponding visa fees, and then use CITIC Bank or do it yourself, the US visa is more complicated. If you fill in the wrong form, you can't modify it, so you have to start over. So I suggest you leave it to the travel agency for decision.
You need to put all the information in a transparent bag during the interview. Opaque bags or backpacks are not allowed to be brought into the embassy. No food, liquid, electronic equipment, etc. If you bring the above items, you will be refused entry into the embassy and need to make a new appointment for an interview.
About Entry and Exit Processes
Fill in the customs declaration form issued by the stewardess on the plane first (the whole form is filled in capital letters).
Get off the plane, follow the crowd to the arrival hall, read the signs, and take the foreign/non-resident passage.
Enter personal information before entering a row of monitors. If the card printed by the monitor shows O, it will enter the country directly through the fast track, and X will enter the country through the customs enquiry channel (generally, there will be staff on-site guidance, so don't worry).
Tips:
1. The US Customs inspection is very strict, and it is forbidden to bring fruits, meat, contraband, soil, animals and plants, etc. Pirated crops are not allowed to be brought into China, even legal works such as books, videos and computer software.
, art, etc. Each person is limited to bring one book into the country.
2. Please make an appointment for 1-2 hours to enter the United States. There are many international flights arriving at the same time, and it is slower for the United States to go through customs when luggage is checked. )
Allianz Travel Insurance enjoys a high reputation in China and is one of the world-renowned insurance groups. Comprehensive coverage and reasonable price. It also provides comprehensive medical care, emergency rescue and various travel accident protection to meet the needs of overseas travelers. There are high medical insurance, self-driving plus auto insurance, as well as basic insurance such as financial risks, weather changes, legal risks and aviation accidents.
Tips:
The data shows that the average cost of medical treatment in private clinics in the United States is $285, and the daily hospitalization cost starts from $65,438+$0,980. If you enter the ICU, it is as high as $6,000. In addition, the safety of funds can not be ignored. Stealing credit cards is a new risk that China people need to pay attention to when shopping in American towns, so it is very important to buy insurance.
5. About money &; tip
① currency
1 USD ≈6.39 RMB. It is recommended to bring 3000-4000 dollars, a VISA card and a MasterCard when going to the United States for the first time.
Card. It is convenient to swipe your card in many places in the United States, but there are few ATMs with ATM signs.
Tips:
1. If the itinerary has been booked, you only need to go to the United States for daily consumption. It is recommended to bring around $3,000. If there is still a lot of local cash to pay during the trip, you can bring $4,000.
2. If it exceeds 4000 USD/person, it must be declared.
② Prompt
Which ones need to be tipped? Probably including restaurant waiters, hotel baggage handlers, room cleaners, hotel concierge, taxi drivers, tour guides, bar waiters, chartered drivers and so on.
How much do you usually tip? Tips are generally given to 10%-20% of consumption. For example, if you spend 100 USD, you need to pay 10-20 yuan tip.
Tips:
In hotels and restaurants, tipping is usually included in your expenses, and it is automatically settled, so there is no need to tip.
6. About traffic &; be self-drive
The United States is a country on wheels. The main mode of transportation in the United States is self-driving. In addition to self-driving, there are bus, taxi, car rental, chartered car and other ways.
① chartered car
If you are a free traveler and want to go to different scenic spots in one day, and the scenic spots are far away, then you can choose to travel by chartered bus. Compared with public transportation, chartered cars are more affordable. If your English is not good, you can also choose a China driver.
Before chartering a car, you can communicate with the driver about the route and pick-up time in advance, so that you can worry about whether you are traveling or on a business trip.
② Self-driving
Do a good job in self-driving itinerary planning
When driving in the United States and the west, you must make a good travel plan. The plan includes information such as routes, hotels, car rentals, etc. , and need to reserve more than 3 months of preparation time. In order to avoid driving too tired and too fast every day, please pay attention to planning the driving route.
Self driving route
Highway 1-This highway winds through the California coastline and extends from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Cliffs stand on both sides, winding for more than 600 miles, which contains a strong American style.
Route 66-When it comes to road trip in the United States, you can't live without route 66. Today, many sections of route 66 are abandoned. You can still travel westward by changing the intercontinental highways in route 66 (such as I-55 from Chicago or I-70 from Missouri) or through the main national scenic road called "Historical route 66".
certificate
Foreigners driving in the United States must carry four valid documents: passport, driver's license, vehicle registration card and insurance card.
Rent a car
Usually rent a good car one month in advance, and then you can pick it up at the airport. If you want to find your own car rental company, you can rent a car from Hertz, Enterprise and Avis.
1. The car rental company should check carefully before picking up the car to avoid the company claiming compensation from you when returning the car. Then connect the charging interface of GPS, driving recorder and cigarette lighter.
2. Driving a child to use a child seat. /kloc-children under 0/2 can't sit in the front row, children under 7-8 need to wear seat belts, 1. 1 meter children need to use baby chairs.
3. pedestrians are preferred. In America, pedestrians have absolute right of way. If pedestrians cross the road, drivers must stop to make way under any circumstances, even if there is no sidewalk.