Travel Around USA

The United States Of America

The United States of America is a large country in North America, often referred to as the "USA", the "US", the "United States", "America", or simply "the States". It is home to the world's third-largest population, with over 310 million people. It includes both densely populated cities with sprawling suburbs, and vast, uninhabited and naturally beautiful areas.

The United States is made up of many diverse ethnic groups and its culture varies greatly across the vast area of the country and even within cities - a city like New York will have dozens, if not hundreds, of different ethnicities represented within a neighborhood. Despite this difference, there exists a strong sense of national identity and certain predominant cultural traits.

United States has literally thousands of distinct cultural traditions. One will find Mississippi in the South to be very different culturally from Massachusetts in the North.

An economical US trip is possible, but it is very, very easy to spend much more than you bargained for, no matter what your travel style. Mode of transportation is a big factor, as is destination: US cities don t chip away at budgets, they jackhammer them into pieces.

Only the extremely thrifty will spend less than $100 a day. A comfortable mid-range budget typically ranges from $175 to $225 a day; this usually gets you a car, gas, two meals, a good hotel and a museum admission or two. Spending over $300 a day isn t hard: just splash out a few times, drive a lot, and stay, eat and whoop it up in New York. Chicago. San Francisco etc.

We define a midrange hotel very broadly (as $80 to $200). in rural areas, $100 buys a princely night s sleep, but in some cities, clean places start at $200. The same math holds for meals.

To travel on the cheap, plan on camping or hosteling ($15 to $25 a night), cooking some of your own meals, and touring by bus. It s not hard, but it limits your flexibility and it s slower (which isn t so bad). Be wary of budget motel come-ons; the sign might flash $39, but it s probably for a single and won t include tax.

Traveling by car is often a necessity. A rental is a minimum of $40 a day (type of car, tax and level of insurance can push it higher), plus gas. Planning the great American road trip? Petrol could cost more than the car itself (say, another $20 to $40 per day).

Mainly, don t forget the second part of that travel chestnut: after you halve your clothes, double your estimated budget, and it ll work out fine.

Tipping is standard practice across America. In city restaurants, tipping 15% of the bill is expected; less is OK in an informal diner, while top-end restaurants expect 20%. Bartenders expect $1 per drink. Taxi drivers and hairdressers expect 10% to 15%. Skycaps at airports and porters at nice hotels expect $1 a bag or so. It s polite to leave a few dollars for the hotel maid, especially if you spend several nights.

Cash

The stable US dollar aka greenback, simoleon or buck is the only currency generally accepted in the country, though a few places near the Canadian border also accept Canadian dollars.

The US dollar is divided into 100 cents ( ). Coins come in denominations of 1 (penny), 5 (nickel), 10 (dime), 25 (quarter), the seldom-seen 50 (half-dollar) and the $1 coin. Quarters are most commonly used in vending machines and parking meters. Bills come in $1, $2 (rare), $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 denominations.

ATMs

ATMs are available 24/7 at most banks, and in shopping centers, airports, grocery stores and casinos. Withdrawing cash from an ATM using a credit card usually incurs a fee ($1 to $3), but if your home bank account is affiliated with one of the main worldwide ATM networks (Plus, Cirrus, Exchange, Accel), you can sometimes avoid the fee by using your bank card. The exchange rate on ATM transactions is usually as good as you ll get anywhere.

Check with your bank or credit card company for exact information about using its cards in stateside ATMs. If you will be relying on ATMs (not a bad strategy), bring more than one card and carry them separately.

Credit cards

Major credit cards are almost universally accepted. In fact, it s almost impossible to rent a car or make phone reservations without one (though some airlines require your credit card billing address to be in the USA a hassle if you re booking domestic flights once here). It s highly recommended that you carry at least one credit card; Visa and MasterCard are the most widely accepted.

Carry copies of your credit card numbers separately. If your credit cards are lost or stolen, contact the company immediately:

Taxes

Sales tax varies by state and county; check out state sales taxes at Sales Tax Clearinghouse (thestc.com/STRates.stm ). Hotel taxes vary by city.

Traveler s checks

Because of ATMs, traveler s checks are becoming obsolete except as a trustworthy backup. If you carry them, buy them in US dollars; local businesses may not cash ones in a foreign currency. Keep a separate record of their numbers in case they are lost or stolen. American Express traveler s checks are the most widely accepted.

Foo d

Food is much more than a mere means of subsistence. It is filled with cultural, psychological, emotional, and even religious significance. It defines shared identities and embodies religious and group traditions.

Today, food tends to play a less distinctive role in defining ethnic or religious identity. Americans, regardless of religion or region, eat bagels, curry, egg rolls, and salsa, and a Thanksgiving turkey. Still, food has become a class marker. For the wealthier segments of the population, dining often involves fine wines and artistically prepared foods made up of expensive ingredients. Expensive dining has been very subject to fads and shifts in taste. Less likely to eat German or even French cuisine, wealthier Americans have become more likely to dine on foods influenced by Asian or Latin American cooking.

Food also has assumed a heightened political significance. The decision to adopt a vegetarian diet or to eat only natural foods has become a conscious way to express resistance to corporate foods. At the same time, the decision to eat particular foods has become a conscious way to assert one's ethnic identity.

Dedicated in 1886, "Liberty Enlightening the World" (known as The Statue of Liberty) is a gift from France to the United States of America to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the birth of liberty in the US. and the end of slavery after the Civil War. She has since become a universal symbol of freedom, embraced by advocates of self-government the world over.

The American bald eagle was adopted as the national bird symbol of the United States of America in 1782. The bald eagle ( Haliaeetus Leucocephalus ) was chosen for its majestic beauty, great strength, long life, and because it's native to North America. In the wild, an eagle will live 30-35 years (up to 50 years in captivity). A full-grown bald eagle has a wingspan up to 7 feet. They fly up to 30 miles an hour and can dive at 100 miles an hour! Eagles feed primarily on fish, supplemented by small mammals, waterfowl, and carrion.