USA Travel Seasons
The United States of America has a rich variety of climate types, and the vastness of the country can be a good thing for the traveler; while there are places that are wildly rainy and stormy, there are certainly places that are always sunny and dry. In other words, the destination or timing of the trip needs to be adjusted for the different seasons.
Usually March-May is spring, June-August is summer, September-November is fall, and December-February is winter. Summer is naturally the peak travel season, and Americans usually take their vacations in the summer; spring and fall tend to be the best times to visit, but in some alpine areas, spring doesn't arrive until June. And with careful planning, it's possible to take a winter trip to see some of the country's most spectacular scenery.
Best time to visit the United States
In the United States, summer is the peak season for travel, and spring and fall are the best times to travel because of the pleasant climate and relatively few tourists, or to come to the United States in winter to ski is also a good choice.
Local Currency and Exchange in the United States
The currency of the United States is the U.S. dollar, symbol $.
Banks are generally the best place to exchange foreign currency. Most banks in major metropolitan areas offer currency exchange services, while banks in rural areas may not. If you want to exchange currency at airports or passenger information centers, it's a good idea to ask about the charges before doing so, as the exchange rates at airport and passenger information center currency exchange points can often be very low.
UnionPay and Credit Cards
Common credit cards are basically universal.
In fact, there's no way to rent a car or make a phone reservation without a credit card (though some flights require that your credit card billing address be in the US - which can be a problem for people who are new to the US and are ready to book a domestic flight). It is highly recommended that you carry at least one credit card with you, just in case.
U.S. Travel Tax Refunds
1. The U.S. federal government collects customs duties (CUSTOM?DUTY) on imported and exported goods. Duties are collected under the jurisdiction of the federal government. You are exempt from this tax on purchases made at DUTY-FREE stores at airports. The rate of this tax varies depending on the product and where it is produced.
2. Sales tax (SALES?TAX) levied by U.S. states. Sales tax is imposed by the state governments of the United States. The goods collected are tangible items sold at retail. The amount of this tax varies from state to state. New York and California are two states that have higher sales taxes in comparison. On top of the state tax amount, each administrative county, locality or city can also collect its own sales tax. For example, the total sales tax for the Los Angeles area is 8.25% (the components are 6% state tax, 0.25% county tax, 1% joint state and county tax, and 1% district tax). This tax has nothing to do with the federal government.
Taking shopping at the Galleria in Houston, Texas, as an example, the details of tax refunds for shopping in the United States are as follows:
1. Overview: The U.S. has developed a system of tax refunds for foreigners for purchases made prior to departure and brought out of the U.S. for use in the U.S. based on the principles of trust and confidence as well as equality and reasonableness. The system requires that the foreigner must present his or her departure ticket (including connecting tickets within the United States), passport, purchased goods, and a receipt for the purchased goods, go through the relevant procedures through the tax rebate organization, and then receive a tax refund for the purchased goods within three to seven months after leaving the United States.
2. The date on the purchase receipt must be 29 days or less before departure.
3. The refund must be $10 (8.25% in Houston, i.e. at least $125 for a single item). Shopping must be paid for with your own redit?card or cash purchases. Tax refunds are not available for hotel, supermarket and car rental purchases. Items purchased must be able to be taken away by airplane.
4. Individuals or stores are unable to handle tax refunds alone, and must have the help of the relevant tax refund agencies (regularly contact the U.S. Department of Exit Management to determine whether the tax refund is true on time to leave the country), and the tax refund agencies to charge a fee of about 33% of the tax (paid in cash on the spot). This means that only 5.50% of the purchase tax can actually be refunded.
5, a person can only apply for an exit tax refund once. When I presented my departure ticket, my passport, my purchases (including complete packaging), and my purchases to the staff of the agency for inspection, the tax rebate processor suggested that I bring together my purchases made within the last month prior to my departure and then apply for the refund at the agency a few days prior to my departure. After checking and verifying the items by the staff of the tax refund agency, I made a copy of the ticket and my passport, and then filled out an Attention?Foreign?Shoppers?Recover
your?State?Sales?Tax form and signed it to make it valid. ("By and by only" means you don't have to be checked at the airport to see if your refundable items are on your person and out of the country with you, which is a very different way of thinking about tax refunds than in Europe).
6. Getting a tax refund: After the tax refund organization verifies the tax refund, the store will refund the tax received from you back to you. Getting a tax refund has three kinds of cash, check, travelers?check, cash can be obtained through Visa or Master?Card (debit card does not work), check through the post office to send you. But all are done within 3-7 months of making sure you have left the country. (This can actually vary, and the tax refund processor will say: only through VISA or Master?Card.)
7. Store requirements: The store where you shop must be able to process tax refunds.
Tipping in the USA
Tipping is usually expected, unless you feel you have received extremely poor service.
1. Porters at airports and hotels are tipped at $2 per bag and no less than $5 per car.
2. Bartenders are tipped anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of each purchase, and no less than $1 per drink.
3. Tips for hotel maids range from $2 to $4 per night and can be pressed under the card provided.
4. Tips for restaurant servers range from 15 to 20 percent of the cost of the meal, unless the bill has been pre-tipped.
5. Taxi drivers tip anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the fare, rounded down.
6. Parking attendants are expected to tip at least $2 when they return their keys.
U.S. Travel Traffic Rules
1) Cars are driven on the right side of the road. Seat belts and child safety seats are mandatory in all states. At most car rental companies,? you can rent a child safety seat for about $12 per day, but you must declare it at the time of booking, and in some states, helmets are required on motorcycles.
2) On interstate highways, the speed limit is 75 miles per hour. Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit is generally 55 or 65 miles per hour on highways, 25 or 35 miles per hour in cities and towns, and must also be as low as 15 miles per hour in school zones (speeds over 15 miles per hour are strictly prohibited during school hours). Overtaking is prohibited when the lights on the school bus are flashing.
3) Most states have laws against (and huge fines for) littering along highways. In a growing number of states, it is now illegal to talk on a cell phone in your hand while driving, and legal to use a hands-free device.
4) Drivers can drive in states where the blood-alcohol concentration is .08% or less. If over, a "DUI" (?) is required. Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and/or Drugs) penalties are very severe. The police can give a roadside driver a check assessment to confirm that you are not driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. If you are unable to pass the screening, they will ask you to take a breath test, urine test or blood test to determine the amount of alcohol or drugs in your system. If you refuse to take the test, you will be deemed to have failed the test. Carrying open bottles of alcohol in your car is illegal in some states, even if those bottles are empty.
Cell phones and calling cards
Cell phones: If your cell phone is not compatible, you can also buy an inexpensive contract-free (prepaid) cell phone, which comes with a local number and a set value of airtime that can be renewed as needed.Virgin?Mobile,?T-Mobile,?AT& T and other providers sell phones starting at $15 that come with 400 minutes of airtime starting at $40.? There is no cell phone reception in huge areas of rural America, including many national parks and recreation areas. Please verify your cell phone provider's coverage.
Phone cards: Prepaid phone cards are a great option for the budget-conscious traveler. Read the small print on the card carefully, as many cards have hidden fees such as "activation fees" or "connection fees" on top of the basic rate.
Internet access
There aren't many internet cafes in the US. If you bring your own computer, there is provided Wi-Fi at coffee shops such as Starbucks. Most hotels also offer free Wi-Fi, and Apple stores and other cell phone stores have free Wi-Fi that is very fast. If you frequently surf the Internet, it is recommended that you bring a U.S. portable wifi device, which allows you to freely access the Internet anytime, anywhere throughout the United States.
Power and Voltage
The standard voltage is 110V. If you need to use non-US standard electronic devices, please prepare an adapter.
Travel Medical Services in the United States
911 is the emergency number in the United States for any emergency. The U.S. fire, police and medical teams are very efficient and are guaranteed to show up within minutes. The law requires that no matter what the situation, the patient must be treated first. But without insurance, medical care can be very expensive. So make sure you have travel medical insurance before you go. Over-the-counter medications can be purchased at CVS, Walgreen's, and other pharmacies. You can buy them at CVS, Walgreen's, and other pharmacies.
The approximate cost of traveling to the United States
How much it costs to travel to the United States is mainly determined by the number of days of travel, the longer you play, the higher the cost, in general, go to the United States to play for 10-15 days, the per capita cost of roughly 20,000-30,000 yuan look.
U.S. Tourist Route Recommendations
To travel to the United States, in terms of travel mode, we recommend that you drive, the U.S. highway is very developed, the driving tour is more convenient, there are a lot of famous attractions, Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon of Colorado, Highway 1, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, New York City. Plaza are worth a visit, here are a few of our previous customers tailored to the depth of the free line, refer to it: /destination?utm_source=baidu&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=zhidao