Things to Keep in Mind before Travelling to the US

United States of America (USA) is one of the three countries in the North American Continent, the other being Canada and Mexico, bordering it in the north and south, respectively. The superpower is home to enchanting concrete jungles like New York, Detroit and San Francisco that attract a lot of tourists. Another popular city in the nation is Las Vegas, famous for its casinos. Los Angeles likewise is home to the American film industry, known as Hollywood and serves as the residence of a majority of celebrities. The United States also has a horde of national parks, with mesmerising surroundings, where many endemic plants and animals can be found. A lot of people desire to tour the country, but before they do, there are many things to ponder over.

Climate, When and from Where to Go

The country is home to grasslands, plains, mountains, coasts and deserts and hence, it cannot be visited entirely during a particular period. In the southern part, the climate is generally warm and should be visited in winters. The north and north-eastern regions are closer to the Arctic Circle and can get quite cold, so summers should be chosen to go there. Summers are the right time to go to the western and west-central regions of the USA as they are home to mountain ranges that remain snow-bound in winters. Indians should remember that flights to the US operate only from Mumbai and Delhi, and ferry passengers just to New York and New Jersey.


An essential thing to know is that in the US, the central government is in charge of primarily the defence and finance of the country. Most of the other laws and regulations are formed by state governments and may vary greatly from one state to another. Every item, especially electronics that travellers will take along are to be declared clearly to the United States Customs. Not doing so may result in heavy fines and in some serious cases, even imprisonment and deportation. While rules regarding the influx of drugs and some other things are common throughout USA, those regarding alcohol are starkly different across states. Visitors are advised to be completely sure as to what visa to apply for, i.e., visiting, business or immigration as each comes with a different set of rules.

Staying Safe

While the nation is too charming for visitors, it also has its negative sides. Even its mega-cities have narrow streets, known as alleys that crawl with criminals at night. 911 is the universal emergency contact number in the country that can be made to find police, medical and fire assistance. Its different landforms bring with them harmful environmental hazards. The prairies or the grasslands, in the dry summers, are ravaged by powerful tornadoes that are strong enough to uproot cars and tin sheds from top of houses. In such a case, people are cautioned to find out about basements and underground refuges to shield themselves. The Atlantic Coast of America is notorious for its devastating hurricanes and the season in which they occur should not be chosen for visiting. Exploring the forests and national parks should also be done in winters as during summers, raging forest-fires are common phenomena.

Eating Out and Shopping

A wide variety of non-vegetarian products are consumed in USA. So, it would be a good idea to ask the waiter or the staff at the counter about the composition of every meat item that they wish to have. USA feels like a shopping hub to travellers and they generally go there with a mind to buy loads of things. This may burn holes in their pockets as the American Dollar is way more expensive than Indian Rupees. Knowing the exact exchange rate during the time of their visit will help them a lot. Another thing, worth thinking about, is that most of the things, tourists wish to buy there, they can get them all in India, only cheaper.


2 thoughts on “Things to Keep in Mind before Travelling to the US”

  1. as an 64 year old american that has traveled all over the US and traveled many countries. I am wondering where you got your information about travel in the US. The US is far safer than say India, or many places in asia. The US was the first country in the world to have a national park and suggest you go see see some. Is there crime yes just like every country including yours. The food standard is regulated for quality and cleanness. The majority of americans are not hindu so places to eat cater to the majority of americans. I live in Thailand now, enjoy the food but not ignorant enough to think it should be what I would expect in the US, I am in Thailand. I think you need to travel a little!

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