Tips For Brits Visiting The US

[Simon Hopes]

There is usually lots of information for Americans going to the UK, but relatively little on the web for Brits escaping to the US for a few weeks. Advice from Expats doesn’t count as they focus on actual living in America instead of holidays.  We are here to help with some valuable tips!

Get Your ESTA

You probably know that as a Brit, you don’t need a visa to jet off to the US for some time at the Grand Canyon or Disney World. Whilst this is true, you still need to notify the US officials about your impending presence in the Homeland. This is why they have the US ESTA-VISA for everyone covered in the Visa Waiver programme. You will need to provide some personal information before your application is approved. Even though applications are approved pretty quickly, fill out your ESTA on time.

Cancel the road trip

In the UK, it is easy to enjoy a road trip to virtually anywhere. In the USA, you can spend 24 hours on the road without even making it out of one state. The country is massive. So if you are planning for a road trip, it is a great idea to cancel any interstate trips, unless you perfectly understand what you are up against in terms of costs and general stress.

Tip everyone

In the UK, tipping isn’t really deeply entrenched in the culture.  In the USA however, it is culturally mandatory to tip everyone from taxi drivers to bartenders and bellboys. And no, you don’t have to only tip as a reward for great service. It is expected as long as the individual does their job. If you don’t tip, you will be regarded a cheapskate or rude. How much should you tip? 15-20% of the service charge is usually the norm.

Get adequate insurance

The NHS may have its flaws but you will appreciate its use when you have a medical situation in the USA! Simple procedures like fracture care could set you back thousands of pounds depending on your location. When you are going on holidays for some hiking, snorkelling, bird watching, etc. who is to say there won’t be emergencies?

Avoid debating on guns

…Or politics. …Or racism. You get the point. Forget heading to the bar and enjoying some heated discussions with strangers or even supposed friends. In the UK, you could debate hot button issues with just about anyone, get called names, show disgust for the opinions of the other individuals and everyone would still walk home laughing in just a few minutes (at least most of the time). In the USA, such a situation quickly degenerates into ugly situations. Police could be called in and in worst case scenarios, guns may be drawn (and fired!).