United States Travel Guide

The United States has a strict and notoriously perplexing visa policy; nearly everyone needs a visa to visit the country, and obtaining an American visa of any kind can be a complicated and cumbersome affair.

The U.S. currency is the United States dollar ($), divided into 100 cents (¢). Foreign currencies are almost never accepted, though some major hotel chains may accept traveller's checks in other currencies. Some establishments close to the Canadian and Mexican borders accept their currencies, though usually at poor exchange rates. Japanese yen is sometimes accepted in Hawaii.

The size of the U.S. and the distance separating major cities make air the dominant mode of long-distance travel for short-term travellers. If you have time, or are travelling a short distance, travel by car, bus, or rail can be far more interesting. Long-distance car travel, in particular, is a quintessentially American way to see the country. That said, do not underestimate the size of the country and the time it takes to travel between cities. For comparison, the distance between New York City and San Francisco is greater than that between Lisbon and Moscow.

Almost all Americans speak English, and visitors are generally expected to speak and understand English. Popular tourist sites often have signs and information available in other languages. Americans have a long history of immigration and are very accommodating towards foreign accents. Major cities often have groups of foreign language learners who meet up regularly to practice their language skills, and these can be a good way to meet locals if you speak the language in question. Meetup.com is…

The United States is generally a safe country for tourists, but risks do exist.

Crime

Although headline-grabbing major crimes give the U.S. a reputation for crime, few visitors experience any problems; common-sense precautions and staying alert are generally sufficient to avoid trouble. The U.S. does have a notably higher homicide rate than European countries, but with the highest rates of violent crime connected with gangs and drugs in specific neighborhoods, and with heated disputes; avoid those and you'll likely be fine. Most urban tourist areas are heavily policed and are generally s…

Disease

The U.S. is relatively free from serious communicable diseases found in many developing nations; however, the HIV rate is higher than in Canada and Western Europe, with about a 0.5% infection rate in the overall population.

The best option is a mobile phone with a U.S.-based carrier or with Voice over IP (VoIP) software and Wi-Fi. Public pay phones are very rare even in major cities, and hotel room telephones impose high fees for even local and toll-free numbers.

Cultural norms vary significantly from region to region. In general, social etiquette tends to be more formal in the Northeast and the South, more casual on the West Coast, and somewhere between those two extremes in the Midwest.

All federal government offices, post offices and banks close on federal holidays, but private businesses may choose whether or not to observe them. Nearly all states and localities observe the federal holidays, and many also observe additional holidays. If a federal holiday falls on a weekend, the observance is shifted to the nearest weekday (either Friday or Monday), though festivities are held and most store closures occur on the annual date, even if it's during the weekend.