When visiting the US there are a number of things to keep in mind to make sure your trip goes smoothly. Here are our top five tips for visiting the US on business:
Get Travel Insurance to Visit the US
One of the most important things to remember about visiting the US is that there is no NHS. This means that if you get sick or injured you might have to pay extortionate prices for basic healthcare in a US hospital or doctor’s office. It’s easy to think you’ll just pay the price for a broken bone, but the reality of US healthcare is that that could cost thousands!
It’s also a good idea to research the names of common over-the-counter medicine you might need to buy while there as many have different names in the US. For example, paracetamol is known as acetaminophen in US stores.
Learn to Calculate Tips
Almost everything you buy in the US comes with the expectation of a tip. This is often pre-calculated on your bill but in case it isn’t, it’s a good idea to learn how to work out 20% of your total. You might be used to giving a waitress the odd few pounds as a tip but that isn’t considered to be enough in the US and staff could become quite aggressive towards you if you try that there. Additionally, you should be wary that VAT isn’t included in the price listed so you will pay more than what you were expecting to.
Mobile Deals for Visiting the US
Before you go it’s a good idea to call your mobile phone provider (or visit the store) and see if you can get any deals on minutes and data in the US, so that contacting anyone won’t cost more than it has to. If you are only staying in the US for a couple of weeks, they might not be willing to make a deal, but this is always a good tip for longer visits.
Bring some UK essentials with you!
There are quite a few things that can be easily bought at any store in the UK that are hard to find in the US or are much more expensive. There are also some things that due to different regulations, might contain entirely different ingredients and therefore taste different. It’s worth researching which foods you eat everyday might be different in the US and consider bringing some with you. You won’t have room to bring everything, but a box of cereal and some tea bags should be fine.
Get a VPN for your Favourite Shows
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and its main purpose is to encrypt your internet connection. It might be designed to protect your device but it’s also very good for tricking streaming services into thinking that you are in a different country. Some good VPNs are NordVPN and Surf Shark.
For example, different shows are available on Netflix in different countries. This means that you might not still be able to watch your favourite show in the US. Using a VPN to make it look like you are still in the UK will allow you to still watch UK Netflix. It also means you can access other countries’ TV shows, so you can see what’s available in Australia or Japan.
