10 things to know before travelling to the USA

To enter the US, your passport must be valid for the length of your planned stay, although it may help to avoid questions at immigration if you have at least three months remaining. If you’re travelling through another country on your way to or from the US, you’ll also need to check the entry requirements for that country as they may require longer validity. You also need to have an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) under the visa waiver programme or a valid visa. The majority of tourists travelling to the US will only need an ESTA, although you may not be eligible if you have visited certain countries, including Cuba, so it’s a good plan to check your eligibility in advance.

The fourth largest country in the world, you could spend a lifetime exploring the US, from the frozen expanses of Alaska to the tropical beaches of Hawaii, the cities of the east coast, the relaxed west coast, the national parks, the Deep South, the Midwest and more.

Wherever you choose to go first, bear in mind the vast distances involved in journeying across America. It’s far better to choose one region to explore, and to immerse yourself in the destination than trying to explore all four corners of the country – it’s over 2,902 miles from New York to San Francisco, for example, and over six hours by plane. If you’re hoping to cover largest distances, such as visiting multiple national parks in one trip, an escorted tour is a great way to sort the practicalities and avoiding lengthy drives, as public transport is often limited.

Tipping is a way of life in the US, unlike in Europe where tips are considered a recognition of good service. With many people working in restaurants and bars earning below the usual minimum wage, they depend on tips to make up the difference – 20% is now standard, or at least a dollar for each drink in a bar. Fast food joints and coffee chains are some of the few places you’ll eat or drink and not be expected to tip (although it’s still optional). If you’re wondering about when and where to tip, and how much to leave, our guide to tipping in the US has all the information you need.

Britons have a reputation for reserve, and while we’re friendly and polite, conversations with strangers tend to focus on small talk rather than anything too personal. It can come as something of a culture shock for first-time visitors to the US, who’ll find that Americans are generally far more chatty, always ready to start a conversation and to leap into questions about all aspects of your life from the get-go. While there are exceptions to this, particularly in big cities like New York, don’t be surprised to get talking to everyone you meet as if they were your new best friend. As with the UK, politics and religion are more divisive, so this instant friendliness isn’t necessarily a sign you can leap straight through to more contentious topics though.

As with many other laws and restrictions, regulations on smoking vary from state to state. Smoking and vaping indoors is almost universally banned in public places, including restaurants, bars, cafes and shops, although you’ll find exceptions such as in some casinos in Las Vegas. No state bans smoking in all public outdoor areas, but some local areas do enforce restrictions on smoking outdoors, with rules sometimes varying from town to town.

You’ll find smoking bans on many beaches and in parks in California and Florida, along with New York where it’s forbidden to light up in public places including Central Park and Times Square, and in all parks in Philadelphia and Chicago.
Smoking in US national parks is generally restricted to very few smoking areas and is banned on trails and in buildings, as well as prohibited entirely if there’s a fire ban. There are fines if you do break these laws, so always check any local restrictions and regulations if you want to smoke or vape.

Medical care in the USA is famously expensive, with citizens and residents paying for health insurance as part of everyday life. The same costs do apply to visitors to the country, as there’s no reciprocal health agreement between the UK and the US. If you need to visit the ER (the American equivalent of A&E), you can expect to be charged around $500 for a minor issue, while costs could be 10 times that much if you need more complex care, such as X-rays or an IV drip.

If surgery or intensive care is required, costs can soar into the tens of thousands very quickly, while an ambulance usually costs a minimum of $500 for basic life support, rising into several thousand for any more advanced care. For more serious cases, medical repatriation usually comes with a price tag of £50,000-£100,000, although it can be more for more complicated cases.

Travel insurance policies vary, but the majority will cover medical expenses and repatriation (minus an excess), with some policies also covering existing conditions, to avoid your trip to the US ending with a large bill. Travel insurance and additional cancellation cover^§ is included (subject to medical screening) in Saga’s pricing, although you can opt out and get a reduction if you have your own annual policy.

The price advertised is not the price you’ll actually pay when you get to the till in the US, as sales tax is never included. This is because there are thousands of different sales tax jurisdictions across the US, with rates changing frequently and often differing over relatively small distances.

In New York, for example, the base sales tax is 4% but cities and counties usually impose an additional tax, so you’ll normally pay a total of around 7%-8.875%, while in California the base sales tax is 7.25%, the highest in the US, with additional taxes ranging from 0-3.5%. By contrast, Alaska, along with New Hampshire, Oregon, Montana and Delaware, has no minimum statewide sales tax, and its biggest cities (Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks) don’t add any additional tax either.

Unfortunately, the sales tax isn’t normally advertised and is only added at the till, so the safest option is to assume the price you pay is slightly higher than the price advertised.

When it comes to food, you needn’t worry about getting value for money – expect all-you-can-eat buffets, generous portions and free soft drink refills. Some restaurants will offer lunch portions, which tend to be smaller, and asking for a doggy bag won’t raise an eyebrow if you want to take leftovers home. You may find that a stomach-stretching American breakfast will see you through to dinner with just a snack along the way, or that you prefer to share a main course rather than waste food or leave feeling uncomfortably full.

The vast size of the United States, only slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe, means you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to wonderful scenery. From soaring mountains to pristine white sand beaches, the Great Lakes to the Grand Canyon, towering trees, burnt red deserts, immense glaciers, wide rivers and thundering waterfalls, these magnificent landscapes are as varied as they are memorable.

If you’re not sure where to begin, try one of the most beautiful states in the USA, which all have their own character and unique highlights. Or discover some of the country’s protected landscapes with a visit to one of the many national parks; soak up the wilderness of Yosemite in California, the astonishing fjords and icebergs of Glacier National Park in Alaska, or seize the chance to explore seven national parks in one trip, from Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore to the Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountains.

It won’t come as a big surprise to know that Americans love their cars – this is the home of the road trip, the highway, even the first mass-produced car. But it can still come as a shock to visitors to realise just how dependent travellers are on their automobiles. Even if you’re happy to walk, you’ll often find strings of shops and restaurants all designed for people to drive between and with nowhere for pedestrians. And while there are long-distance buses and around 30 train routes crossing the country, public transport is generally limited so unless you’re taking internal flights to skip longer distances, your only option is often getting behind the wheel (or choosing a tour where someone else does the driving for you).

The bigger cities are the exception with transport networks such as the subway in New York, the L-train in Chicago and a mix of metro, streetcars and cable cars in San Francisco.

Explore our range of escorted tours to the USA