Going2USA: Tourism- After reaching USA

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Education in USA

After reaching USA

Transportation in USA
Food in USA
Where to stay in USA?
Important Telephone numbers in USA
Shopping in USA
Things You should Know

Transportation in USA [top]

Air Travel is a necessity in USA. Air Travel is frequently the most practical method of covering the large distances between sights in the USA. It is the fastest, the most convenient and frequently the most economical means of transportation. You can usually purchase an airline ticket from New York to Los Angeles (a distance of 3000 miles or 5000km) for under $400 and sometimes under $300 by taking advantage of special promotions. The trip via airplane takes only 5 hours. Train fare between the same cities costs about $300 to $500 (with limited sleeping accommodations) and requires a minimum of 3 to 4 days.

Cars are almost a necessity: In many parts of the USA where public transportation is inadequate or non-existent, a car is a practical necessity. In most large cities, the major shopping centers and sports or entertainment facilities are usually located in the suburban communities far from the metropolitan center. Without a vehicle, sightseeing, shopping and touring can be very inconvenient.

ln major cities, public transportation is not necessarily very good or frequent or well connected. Therefore most people prefer to travel by their own cars. It is better that you own a car in the U.S. so that you are independent, provided that you know driving rules in USA and comfortable with roads and driving speeds. Dont drive if you are not comfortable!!

Car Rental: If you are familiar with driving in USA, most major international car-rental agencies have offices in the USA. It is impossible to say that any one company is the best as you may have good experiences or bad experience with the same company in different cities. You can now compare those deals against the best rates offered by all of the US car rental agencies through www.orbitz.com. You should not risk driving without insurance.

Remember when you rent a Car:

The person who hires the car, is suppose to drive and nobody else.
Include the name of other driver IF some else also going to drive the car.
Its advisable to get the insurance also , If you don't have car insurance coverage.This protects you in case of any accident.It may cost you some extra (10-20$)/day. Though the cost of the rent goes up a little high, but it is worth taking.
A few credit cards provide facility to cover your insurance e.g. Discover Card, american express. So, if you use such cards for renting, you can take such advantages.
If you are going to drive outside the state, Do notify it at the time of renting.

Taxis: In some areas you must telephone for a taxi and make an appointment. You will not find them waiting in the street corners but you do find them waiting in a queue at the airport. Taxis are listed in the yellow pages under the name "Taxi" or "Taxicabs". When you call, tell the "dispatch" operator where you are and where you want to go. The dispatch operator will tell you how long it will take for the taxi to arrive at your starting point. He or she will ask for the telephone number, so they can call you if the taxi driver cannot locate you. You should ask for the estimated cost of the ride. When you enter the taxi, the meter will read flat rate. This is the minimum charge. You will be charged the flat rate for each mile you travel.

Buses, an economical option but time consuming. The Greyhound Bus line offers inter-city and transcontinental bus service. It can be an inexpensive alternative to other forms of travel if you are willing to put up with the discomfort of long rides with minimum comforts. Greyhound's Web Site has information about bus fares, schedules, discounts, and packages. http://www.greyhound.com/

Food in USA [top]

In US, there are plenty of good choices to eat outside. Be it a break fast, lunch or dinner, you got so many restaurants ranging from fast food to traditional types. You also have plenty of choises like American, Chinese, Continental, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mediterranean, Mexican and Thai. Click here to get information about various restaurants and their rates.

Non-vegetarians have a lot of choice in America. There are many fast food places and restaurants. There are various fast food centers which have chains all over the US like McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell etc. Eating food from such places would cost approx. $5-8.00 per person. Fast food chains are usually cheaper than restaurants.

Vegetarians have a limited choice, especially to those who dont prefer to eat in a place where both Non-veg and Veg food is cooked. If you have close relatives in US and if you are planning to stay with them, then cooking at home is one of the options. But if you are going to be traveling then eating outside is more convenient. For such tourists, there is a very limited choice. Best they can do is pack something from India itself and eat it there. Otherwise breads, jam, butter and other stuff can be bought from the grocery stores which will cost approx. $5.00 person from stores like Wal-Mart, Kroger. Other items which you can buy from grocery stores are milk, juices (you get concentrated readymade juices), readymade lunch packs, fresh fruits etc. Some of the Indian restaurants have only vegetarian dishes, especially south Indian restaurants. Few tips for Veggies:

1. If you are going for breakfast, ask for things with "no meat". The best break fast items with no meat are Bagels and Donuts
2. If you are going for Pizza ask for Veggie Pizza and ask for vegetable toppings
3. If you are going for Burgers, ask for Veggie patties or Burgers with no Meat
4. If you are going for Chinese, ask for Vegetable fried rice with no egg, no fish and no shrimp
5. If you are going for Burritos, ask for Bean Burrito or Vegetarian Burrito. Make sure that the Beans doesn't have chili in it since chili contains beef.
6. The best food is Indian and of course you know everything about it.

Stay in USA [top]

If you have to find the Hotel by yourself you can find the nearest hotels by visiting the city web site / hotel web site. When booking the room ask them the type of room, rate, deposit, refund and cancellation policy.

www.orbitz.com: Find out about the hotels, motels in USA. Just type in the city or state or ZIP if you know and it will list several motels /hotels in that area.

Some tips:

1. Make sure you are not keeping your Passport and other valuable items in the Hotel room.
2. There may be some areas which are not safe to go around. You can ask the front desk personnel which areas of town to avoid.
3. Do not open the door for strangers. Use the peephole and request for identification. If you are still unsure call the front desk to very the identity of the person and why he/she is here.
4. Carry money separately from credit cards.
5. Never leave the luggage unattended when at the ariport or even using the restrooms at the airports!
6. On luggage tags use your business address if possible

Shopping in USA [top]

Wise Shopping: Mostly, people buy electronic items or cosmetics from USA. There are various other items for which you should see after reaching USA. There is a limit on how much worth you can bring to India. See the customs and regulations site in India. There are various departmental stores like Walmart, Savemart, Kmart, Safeway, Albertsons, Longs Drugs, Rite Aid, Target, Walgreens etc. where you can buy cosmetics, toys, clothes etc. for a reasonable price. Sometimes there are excellent deals on thanksgiving day (it falls in the month of november). Ask about it from your relatives or friends.

Always Keep the Receipts: You should always keep the receipt of the item that you have bought. You have right to give back or change any item within some period of time if you are not happy with that, unless it is a eatables or any open perishable item.
The important difference you will notice is, the shops are driven by customer service. So if you don't like anything that you� bought� or it� doesn't fit you properly you may return it within a certain period allowed. You should inquire about the return policy when you buy� returnable goods.

Shop depending on the custom restrictions in India: Or else get ready to pay custom duty if you dont turn out to be lucky and the Indian custom officer asks you to show the items!

The usual duty free regulations of one bottle of whisky, i.e 590 ml or less and 200 cigarettes apply for India. If the Tourist brings in more than $1000 in cash or traveler's checks, it must be declared by completion of a currency declaration form.

Visit the site Central Board of Excise and Customs for more information.
Find out what are the restrictions and how much duty you have to pay
Customs duty on imported goods

Calling & Finding Information on Telephone [top]

Making International Call: To make an international call i.e. to� India� you� need to� dial 011-91-. e.g. 011-91-22-1234567.� Here 011 indicates an international call. 91 is the country code� for� India.� 22 is the "area code" for Bombay and� 1234567 may be the actual� phone�� number you want to dial.

Useful Information and Numbers:
Directory assistance�for Local telephone numbers: 411
Long distance within USA: 1-(Area Code)-555-1212
Toll Free number enquiry: 1-800-555-1212 .� Most of the 1-800 numbers are toll free. You will not be charged� for� the calls you make to such numbers.
Emergency Number in case of fire, theft, medical emergency etc: 911

Ways to Call:

1) Pay phones- Using pay phones is the same as using public telephones in India. You need to drop in the coins (usually 35cents or more) to initiate a call.�

2) Collect Call- If you are running short of coins, you can use the collect-call facility to call anywhere in the U.S.� All you have to do is pick up the handset and dial 1-800-COLLECT(press those numbers which forms the word COLLECT, for example:1-800-2655328)� or 1-800-CALLATT and follow the instructions on the phone.� Making a collect call is free for you, but the person who receives your call is charged.�

3) Calling card- Pre-paid cards are available sometimes in the airports to call all over the U.S.� Follow the instructions provided in the calling card to call.

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