How to Prepare for a Trip to the United States

Опубликовал Admin
17-11-2020, 14:00
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The United States of America is one of the world's largest, most renown and ethnically diverse countries. For most first-time visitors from other parts of the world, many of your impressions may have been cultivated by Hollywood movies and what you hear in the news, but the USA you'll experience can in reality be quite different from the perspective of a foreign traveler. Here is how to prepare for a trip to the United States.

Steps

  1. Understand how geographically large the USA is. While you might think you can visit New York City in the morning and hop over to Los Angeles for dinner, the truth is that America is a vast country with two coastlines separated by thousands of miles. Modern air travel has significantly shortened the length of time it takes to get from one city to another on the opposite side of the country, but very few major metropolises are within reasonable walking (or even driving) distance of one another.
  2. Respect the widespread cultural, ethnic, and racial diversities. One of the most unique aspects of America is how many people of various backgrounds are living together as a unified society. Learn about the different types of people you'll encounter, and respect their differences.
  3. Disregard any misconceptions you may have. Yes, crime is unfortunately something to deal with (worse in some places and much less of an issue in others), but odds are extremely slim you'll run into any problems if you know what you're doing and just use common sense. Also, any political assumptions you may have could be off base from reality; the majority of people are honest, tolerant and accepting of all kinds of values.
  4. Plan accordingly for the weather. Unlike countries with essentially one climate year-round, the USA is home to cities with every kind of weather, from frigid and snowy to humid and tropical. Unless you are traveling to multiple states during your visit, you will probably have to deal with only slightly varying weather conditions and temperatures on a day to day basis, but if not then you will need to bring appropriate clothing and outerwear.
  5. Investigate your local transportation options. Some cities, like New York, have public transportation options that'll allow you to get around without a car. However, in other places, like Los Angeles or smaller, rural areas, it's harder to use public transportation to get everywhere you need to go. Depending on where you call home, you might not be used to this.
    • Many cities fall in between these two extremes, in that you might be able to use public transportation for some of your travel plans but not all of them. Plan accordingly, depending on where you're visiting.
    • Consider using ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft if you just need a lift by car a few times during your stay. If you'll need to use a car more often, it might be better to rent one.
  6. Get ready to deal with culture shock. Foreign visitors from Western countries (e.g. France or Australia) will notice only some cultural differences, but most infrastructure and public services will feel familiar. However, visitors from countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America, etc. may find some things wildly different from what they are used to back home. To feel most comfortable, study a guidebook of your destination and cultural tips before you leave home, or even better to stick with your American host(s) for direction.
  7. Make the most of your trip. With so much to explore and experience, the USA is an excellent destination for business or pleasure; and for the most part foreign visitors will be pleasantly surprised.

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