Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Hotel reservation - Preparation for a self-driving tour in the western United States on the 15th: route + visa + car rental + luggage + consumption
Preparation for a self-driving tour in the western United States on the 15th: route + visa + car rental + luggage + consumption
This is my first time to go to the United States. Although I prepared a lot, I still encountered various problems, big or small.
1. Itinerary Arrangement
The schedule is as follows:
Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs, Kingman, Grand Canyon, Page, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite San Francisco, Monterey, Solvang, Los Angeles
This is a honeymoon trip, and the time is from 10.16 to 10.31. Because it is late autumn, some national park scenic spots will be closed due to snow. If you want to go to the national park, you must Check the official website of each national park in advance to see if it is closed. I originally wanted to go to Yellowstone Park, but after being reminded by my best friend in the United States, I discovered that some attractions in Yellowstone Park may be closed, so I had to reluctantly leave. As for another scenic spot, Yosemite, we also checked it every day along the way. Route 120 was closed for a few days, which caused us to almost change our itinerary. Fortunately, the road opened again the day before we went to Yosemite
There is various road information on the page~
The other two national parks we went to are the Grand Canyon and Death Valley. These two national parks will basically not be closed due to winter, but it is still recommended to pay more attention to the official website information~ Because there are reference travel routes on the official website, I will talk about this when I guide the specific attractions~
It’s my first time in the United States. Everyone definitely wants to go to a few more places. At the beginning, our plan was to go to the east side of the United States first and then take the bus. Flying to the Western United States, but this is actually quite troublesome, and it takes a lot of time to fly back and forth, so I gave up this plan. Fortunately, I can play in the Western United States for a long time. I’ll leave the Eastern United States next time~ (It’s a pity that I can’t see you there. It’s my best friend~
2. Visa procedures
Now that the route has been decided, let’s start preparing for the visa~ Because the visa takes a long time, you must apply in advance and leave enough time. !
The first thing is of course the passport. If you have a passport, please pay attention to the validity period above. If it is going to expire within six months, it is best to apply for a new one. Applying for a passport is very simple. Go to the local place to issue a passport. Just enter the country and it usually takes 15-20 days to get it done~
Next, I applied for the visa through Everbright Credit Card Agent. I provided various information according to their requirements and made an appointment to go to Guangzhou for a visa interview~ (If you want to apply by yourself, you can also check the guide online, because it will save you trouble.
The materials you need to bring for the interview are:
1. Original passport (old passport is also required, It is probably because you need to check the countries you have visited when applying;
2. One visa photo (must be consistent with the electronic version of the photo uploaded to the system, signed in pencil on the back, and affixed with transparent tape
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In the middle of the passport; (I brought this, but I didn’t use it~
3.DS-160 confirmation page (must be printed in color;
4. Appointment confirmation Letter (print it out and check whether the information is correct before printing;
5. You can bring some materials such as marriage certificate, graduation certificate, employment certificate, etc. I brought them all, but the visa officer didn’t even look at them. Take a look, haha~
My appointment was for 9:30 in the morning. I arrived more than half an hour early. If I am late for fifteen minutes, the appointment will be cancelled, so be careful not to be late.
When I arrived at the entrance of the embassy, ??I found many aunts with countless bags hanging on them. It turned out that you could only bring visa materials into the embassy, ??and you could not bring anything else. The embassy required that all documents must be placed in In a document bag, it is recommended to buy a document bag in advance to put all the materials. Other mobile phone wallets and other things cannot be brought in. The aunts at the door will enthusiastically help you manage the bag. Of course, the cost is a 20 yuan management fee per bag. , I hesitated for a moment. After all, my mobile phone and wallet were all in the bag. At this time, the aunt immediately took out a copy of her ID card for you to take with you. Just give it back to her when you pick up the bag. Thinking about it, we don’t have anything else. Choice, the embassy does not provide lockers, so I chose to trust the aunt. When it was over, I went back to the original place to find the aunt to get my bag. I found that the aunt had a lot more bags. It seems that the business is indeed booming~ If you live nearby, you can also You can just leave it at the hotel~
Then you will queue up to enter the embassy. After passing the security check, you must take off your belt, so it is recommended that boys wear casual pants, otherwise it will be awkward to hold up the pants.
After entering, we will have our fingerprints taken first, and then the interview. We are on honeymoon, so the visa officer didn’t ask many questions. He looked at our passports first and asked why we went abroad, when we got married, and what our jobs are. I saw my husband’s passport and went to Europe a year ago and asked why he didn’t take me with him (good question, although it was actually because we hadn’t talked about it at the time, haha), and then he passed without reading any supporting materials. But a lady in front asked She was asked for a long time about going to the United States to have a baby, but she honestly said she wanted to have a baby. The interviewer asked her how pregnant she was and why she was going alone without her husband. She explained that her husband was very busy, and then provided proof of a million-dollar deposit (a wealthy person). Ah, she said that because she felt that the medical conditions in the United States were good, the interviewer finally let her pass, so she didn’t have to be nervous. The interview process was relaxed and she wouldn’t ask any difficult questions, and the interviewers could all speak Chinese.
We chose to mail it to CITIC Bank and then pick it up. After about a week or two, we will receive a notification and just bring our ID card to CITIC to get the visa!
Don’t forget to register for EVUS after applying for the visa. , otherwise what awaits you is being refused entry after flying to the United States. ~Attached is the URL for applying for EVUS: /application
It is all in Chinese and can be filled out in just ten minutes~
3. Rent a car
As a country on wheels, the United States loves speed and passion. It can be said that if you don’t drive, you can’t play with the same car unless you join a group.
There are many car rental companies. You can refer to the ratings of each company. Please note that some companies do not provide Chinese services. The page operation is very convenient. You can select the car location, car model, etc., and then compare the car rentals with different dates one by one. Car rental fees vary greatly in different locations, and there is also a lot of difference between designated vehicles and unspecified vehicles of the same model. (If you do not specify, you will probably get other models of the same class. When choosing a car, do a little comparison and choose one. A more cost-effective car. I don’t know if it was because of the off-season when we went there, but it was relatively less expensive. Because we were traveling for a long time and often traveled on the road, we chose the JEEP Liberty, which cost about 300 to 400 yuan a day. Ordinary cars can also be used without leaving the highway, but it turns out that there are still advantages to choosing an SUV. Firstly, there is a lot of space and you can put a lot of luggage (you will know how much you need when you buy it). Secondly, some small SUVs in national parks The scenic spot may have to be off the highway, but SUVs still have their place~ I found that there are a lot of people driving Mustangs on the road, which is very popular and the rent is much cheaper than in China. It is about the same as the Free Light or even cheaper (the price always changes, so refer to the real-time price on the website Oh, but the space is small and the fuel consumption of the large chassis is low, so it is more suitable for locals~
The car rental company we chose is yesway, which is run by Chinese, the price is relatively high, and there are various insurances on the same car rental page There are many packages, and there is an option called flash rental. If you are visiting the United States for the first time, I recommend this option. We used flash rental for fifteen days and it was very convenient. After payment, you will receive an email. If you add customer service WeChat, we will also handle it for you. International driving license. Our English is average, so having a Chinese-speaking service makes us feel more at ease. The direct airport pick-up is very convenient, and the guy who picked us up from the airport chatted with us all the way, which was quite interesting. If you have any questions every day, feel free to ask via WeChat, although sometimes the replies are a bit slow~ The only drawback is that it’s expensive, haha, depending on the model, the cheapest insurance package adds dozens to hundreds a day, and it’s not the off-season, it’s probably more. , so you should choose based on your personal affordability~ If your English proficiency is sufficient, you can choose other car rental companies~
4. Driving on a self-driving tour
After driving for fifteen days, I feel sorry for the Americans Driving is really crazy. In China, the distance between cars is about 30 or 40 speeds. In the United States, it is about 70, 80 or even 100. Sometimes my heart beats faster when I change lanes (although I am not driving, haha. Originally, two people interact with each other. After driving, I discovered that the speed of American cars is so amazing. My husband would never let me touch a car again. I was itching to secretly start the car while he was going to the toilet in a scenic spot, but he still kicked me out of the car.
Please pay attention to the following points:
1. American cars display miles, and one mile is equal to 1.6 kilometers. You must control your speed especially when turning;
< p>2. There will be speed limit signs on the road, even if you are speeding, you must keep within 10%;3. There are often stop signs at intersections, be sure to stop for three seconds!!! Otherwise you will eat I got a ticket;
4. If there is a sign saying notonred when turning right, you cannot turn right when the light is red;
5. Crossing a zebra crossing or intersection Be sure to let pedestrians go first, and if you turn, let straight vehicles go first;
6. When we encounter two yellow lines on the road, there are dotted lines inside the two yellow lines, and cars in both directions are blocked. You can enter the inside of the two yellow lines and then turn. This is a turning area. It was not clear at first that we did not dare to cross the line but we took several kilometers of detour...
7. Parking spaces in big cities in the United States Sometimes it is difficult to find. If there is a meter on the roadside, you can park directly and pay. If there is no meter, look at the sign. It will usually say whether you can park. If the roadside has a yellow line or is painted red, parking is prohibited. In the United States, The fines are heavy, so be cautious.
The price of the meter is different in different regions. Pay attention to the time when you come back, otherwise you will be fined~
If it says sundayexcepted, it means that the meter can be stopped all day on Sunday~a lot Parking is free on Sundays~
8. Regarding refueling, the United States has self-service refueling. Many gas stations cannot swipe foreign credit cards. Be sure to prepare change and go to the supermarket at the gas station to pay it. money, then gas, and then go back for change. Gas prices vary greatly in different regions. You must fill up with enough gas before driving a long distance. Sometimes you can’t find a gas station for a long time on the highway. Well, we will write about our miserable experience of almost running out of gas in our subsequent travel notes;
9. There are no street lights on American highways at night, and there are few cars on the road. It feels like being shrouded in darkness and struggling to use your car lights to pull out a small piece of light. It is quite scary and dangerous, so try to avoid driving at night;
< p>10. In the United States, it is best to use Google Maps. You can download offline maps in advance. If there is often no signal on the highway, it is best to download the map in advance and plan the route. (If there are attractions that need to be detoured on the way, add them directly on the route. Just stop at the stop point. This function is very easy to use, so that the traffic is still smooth even when offline. We specially bought a GPS as a backup for various unexpected situations that may occur in intercity transportation. Facts have proved that it is indeed necessary. At the beginning, the mobile phone holder The location is stuck at the air-conditioning outlet. It may be that it is too cold and the phone keeps shutting down automatically. I rely on the GPS to prevent me from getting lost.11. There are many forks in the road in the United States, and Google Maps is not so prompt. Plus I am not used to the United States. Traffic Conditions In the first few days, I often missed intersections and took detours. In fact, every highway exit will be marked with numbers. It is best for the co-pilot to keep looking at the map to remind the driver of various situations and road conditions (yes, I was there. It shows that I am an excellent co-pilot who has made great contributions
5. Must-carry luggage
1. Clothes
Be sure to check the weather conditions for each day's trip before setting off. , you can check it on many websites~ If you can’t find some scenic spots, you can check the weather of nearby cities~
Although I only went to the United States for fifteen days, because the route was too long, the temperature difference was huge, and the hottest place was Death Valley for thirty Duodu (it is said that summer can reach 39°C, and it snows in the Grand Canyon and Yosemite during the coldest time. Prepare a set of clothes for all seasons (you can have an extra set of summer clothes, and it is best to bring a pair of slippers, which are not provided in American hotels). Slippers and a thick coat are enough. Firstly, the luggage is very heavy. Secondly, when shopping in the United States, you can actually buy them temporarily. Leave some space for shopping~
Seen before Someone online recommended a portable electric iron, but when you go to the United States, you don’t need to consider it at all. Every hotel, including AIRBNB, usually has an electric iron, so you can iron clothes every day if needed.
But washing machines don’t. They must be available. Some hotels provide paid laundry rooms, and some high-end hotel rooms will provide them~
2. Medications
Common ones include Po Chai Pills and mosquito bite ointment. You can bring them all, but don’t bring too much as you might get checked. Just the amount you need during your trip is enough. I originally brought melatonin because I was worried about jet lag, but it didn’t seem to be of any use. You should take it according to the situation because of the big temperature difference. You can also bring some cold prevention medicine.
3. Cosmetics and skin care products
It seems that liquids exceeding 50ml may be detained by security. It is recommended that you buy small bottles that can be used to separate large bottles of lotion and makeup remover. Now, it’s very sunny and dry when you’re in Death Valley National Park, so be sure to bring sunscreen and a few facial masks.
4. Toiletries
American hotels will provide shower gel and shampoo. If you are more demanding, you can bring your own. You should bring a bath towel, preferably a thin one. Because it is difficult to find a place to dry clothes other than the closet in a hotel, and towels are often not available for drying. American hotels generally do not provide hair combs, so be sure to bring one.
5. Daily necessities
First of all, you must bring a conversion connector! Otherwise, your mobile phone will not be able to be charged. It is best to buy a car charging cable, which may be needed when driving for a long time. Charge.
It is recommended to bring several waterproof bags and pack your luggage into categories, especially toiletries, cosmetics, etc. If you accidentally spill the whole bag, you will be in trouble.
It is recommended to bring a small portable kettle. Everyone has heard a lot of urban legends about kettles, and many hotels in the United States do not have kettles. This kind of mini foldable one does not take up a lot of space.
6. Food
Please note that you must declare the food you bring into the country. If it is fresh fruit or the like, it is not allowed into the country and must be eaten before getting off the plane. The couple sitting in front of us cleverly shared the olives with us in the back seat. Although we were very grateful, the raw olives were really sour. In order to avoid trouble, it is recommended not to bring food. If you do, you will need to declare it to the flight attendant on the plane. There is also a self-service declaration machine when you get off the plane. Remember to operate it~ We are flying Xiamen Airlines. There are Xiamen Airlines employees at the airport to guide you. If you don’t understand, you can ask.
6. Prepare change and pay tips
Be sure to bring money with you when going to the United States. It is recommended to bring about 1,000 US dollars. The reasons are:
1. Most of the United States The gas station does not accept foreign credit cards. You must bring change to pay in advance. After filling up, you need to change the money. The refueling fee for fifteen days will be about 500 US dollars;
2. When shopping or eating, there are There will be extra discounts for cash payments in certain places;
3. If unfortunately you encounter a robbery, be obedient and give some money. At least you are safe. Don't try to resist. Many robbers carry guns;
As for how to tip, I feel ashamed to say it. I researched online for a long time but didn’t get any specific reply, so I asked my best friend for advice. I found out that in the United States, restaurants where a waiter brings the table to you generally require a tip. A tip is required. When checking out, give your credit card to the waiter, and the restaurant will pre-swipe it, then you sign and fill in the amount of tip you want to give, or fill in a percentage, and then the restaurant will automatically deduct the corresponding fee from your credit card. Generally 10%-15% at noon and 15%-30% at night.
7. Accommodation
This trip lasted for 15 days, and I stayed in many cities. The accommodation options include airbnb, motel, lodge, inn, and hotel. It turns out that I can’t tell the difference between so many words. Generally speaking, except for Airbnb, there are various hotels of different grades:
Motel is a motel. As the name suggests, it is a hotel suitable for drivers to stay. Although I used to think that The environment of the motel is very poor. In fact, there are motels with a relatively better environment. The more convenient thing is that the parking location is right at the door.
Lodges mostly refer to scenic hotels, which are often expensive.
Inns are a bit like express hotels, usually located on the side of the highway, and many are chain hotels. The lodges and Inns I have stayed in both have two floors and do not have elevators. They usually arrange to stay on the second floor. The first floor may be more expensive or reserved for people with walking disabilities.
The hotel is relatively high-end and has an elevator.
Considering that the United States is not that safe at night, it is recommended to choose a better hotel for accommodation and read more reviews. In each of my travel notes, I will also introduce the hotels I booked. Hotels near national park attractions must be booked at least one month in advance, otherwise it is easy to be unable to book. Hotel prices in the scenic area are cheaper than outside the scenic area, and of course they are booked earlier.
It would be better to stay in Aribnb in a big city. There are many choices and cheap prices. Most importantly, you can experience the accommodation environment of local people.
We booked Airbnbs run by Chinese people, and we could chat with the hosts cordially in Chinese~
Most of the accommodations we booked on Booking.com and Mafengwo were also available on Moubo, but it didn’t feel that reliable. Spectrum ~ If it is not a super popular place, such as a transit point during the trip, you can book accommodation a few days in advance. Note that even if you book a room that can be canceled, you must confirm it 24 hours in advance, otherwise you will still be deducted. If If you really have to change your decision at short notice, remember to cancel the order. Although the money will not be refunded, at least you will not have to pay taxes.
By the way, here’s a little suggestion. If you drive between small towns in the United States, you can usually cross a small town in a few dozen minutes. So if you choose a town next to a scenic spot or for transit accommodation, you can choose a relatively small town. Not so popular (that is, a small town that is not so prosperous but is actually within an hour's drive away~ can be much cheaper, and the gas cost is also much cheaper!
8. Food
As for food, I honestly haven’t eaten much. The best places to eat are in Los Angeles and San Diego. After that, it’s basically fast food like hamburgers. When I went to San Francisco, I had a hot pot meal. It was very expensive and my meat hurt. After that, I downgraded to eating instant noodles every day. In short, it’s not a trip without delicious food haha~ We have eaten several kinds of American instant noodles, and I think no matter what brand they are, the beef-flavored ones are delicious. I’d rather not try other flavors.
Speaking of which. For burgers, the most famous one in the west is inandout. We also ate there twice. After one bite, I really didn’t understand why it was the most famous. The taste was okay but not amazing. The fries were different from other places. I didn’t fall in love with it, but later I found out that it was because it was cheap, so I had to wait in line for a long time every time I went there. I heard that there was a hidden menu, which was just French fries with different salad dressings, and it was not too special. The car rental guy recommended it. 5gate, but unfortunately we didn't eat it. The portions were huge and the taste was pretty good. But you must eat the beef burger. The chicken burger is very unpalatable. For burgers, you can consider the homemade burgers from specialty restaurants, which have a different and exquisite taste. ~
I also ate at Pizza Hut in the United States, which I personally felt was much tastier than in China.
By the way, you must take your time when ordering in the United States, the portions are huge! Basically, one for two. A set meal is enough.
If there is a Wal-Mart, you can buy cooked food. It is much cheaper than eating out. I bought a roast chicken last time and it was so delicious~
9. Shopping
This time we checked in three outlets, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. In comparison, Palm Springs is definitely the best. After all, it is the largest outlet in the United States. You can't finish shopping in one day, and the shopping guide will give you a discount description, most of which are in Chinese. Compared with the other two outlets, Palm Springs has the most Chinese services and the best experience~ The one I dislike the most is Las In Vegas, maybe you were not in good shopping condition that day?
Many credit cards offer discounts and cashbacks for overseas purchases. Be sure to check what activities are happening on your credit card.
Remember to go before shopping. Get a discount book at the service center, fill in the information and you can get one for free. There are many extra discounts in it, which can be used when you show it to the store.
Most of the things we buy are clothes, pants and bags. For example, let’s take some of the brands we have bought:
Levi’s - really cheap!!! We bought four pairs of trousers for only $100. I heard that some people go to get bigger discounts in the summer. I bought ten pieces for a hundred dollars!
A/X-The style is great, I bought a denim jacket (the same one in my desert chapter, it cost about fifty dollars~
< p>coach-The store is very big and has a lot of styles. It is indeed much cheaper than in China, so there are a lot of people. There are good-looking and ugly bags, and the ugly ones have huge discounts, but. . .I won’t buy it == It’s still quite worth shopping~ I bought a set of cape coats with a discount of about 200 dollars. The original price was 800 or 900 dollars. I don’t know if it contains moisture~
Michael Kors - A classic bag is about 120 knives after discount. The one size larger I bought is even cheaper, 100 knives, very cost-effective~
CK-Outlets may have two or three CK's store has MEN, WEMEN, and SPORT. I don't know why they don't have them all. There are so many styles and discount levels. In the end, I bought a sweatshirt with a special style. It cost about 40 to 50 dollars. My husband bought it. I bought a set of thick jackets. The style is very good-looking. It costs 100 dollars, which is much cheaper than in China~
DKNY-I feel that the store is not big, maybe the style is not popular enough? But I quite like this. Style, I bought a top and pants, both costing about 40 dollars~
TUMI - my husband’s favorite, although I don’t have much love for sports bags, it is indeed much cheaper than in China. More, a large backpack costs 120 yuan, while in China it costs 3,000 yuan~
Cosmetics-Outlet does not have a store of any particular brand, it is a collection of cosmetics stores, including Estee Lauder, Clinique and Bodyshop. Yes, the discount is huge, but it’s a pity that I don’t know much about it and didn’t buy more, because it is not a brand store, and the products sold are not all available, and some are not common in China. It is best to think about what to buy in advance~
Nike Adidas - Feeling It wasn’t much cheaper, so I didn’t buy it in the end~
prada-I don’t know if there was no discount when I went there or if there is no discount forever. If there is no discount, why is it in an outlet~ p>
forever21-There is no discount on this one, and the price is not bad. You can buy one if you like, but I just shopped around and didn’t buy it~
This guide comes from Douban Ying Xiaozhu
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