What procedures should I prepare for traveling to the United States?

Key points

Apply for a tourist visa directly, do not apply for a family visit visa, a business visa, and do not go through an agent; book tickets in advance through the Internet, whether by plane or car, the earlier the better; fully Take advantage of a variety of cards and passes

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Visa:

There is no need to go to a travel agency and spend those unknown money. The fact that they can help you apply for a visa does not prove that they are better than you. It only proves that you are indeed qualified for the United States to issue a tourist visa. Even if you entrust a travel agency or other organization to apply for a visa for you, you must go to the U.S. consulate for an interview in person, which is no less troublesome than applying by yourself. The U.S. Consulate's website makes it clear: No one can guarantee your visa will be approved. Let me explain, what this means is that if anyone says he can help you apply for a US visa, he is lying unless he is the visa officer himself.

Regarding the information required on the website of the U.S. Consulate, one thing to note: Although traveling to the United States requires invitations from relatives and friends, the author’s personal experience proves that if your purpose of traveling to the United States is tourism, It’s not a visit to relatives and friends. There is no need to get that invitation letter. It will only add trouble and will not increase your chances of getting a visa, unless your inviter is someone like Bill Gates or George Bush. It is better to tell the visa officer face to face that your purpose of going to the United States is to travel, and prepare a detailed itinerary plan.

What should I do if my visa is refused? Just keep applying. Having a record of visa rejection will have no impact, as long as the reason for your visa rejection is not malicious deception such as forging information. The author applied for a visa but was rejected for very legitimate reasons, so he continued to apply and got the visa, and the application went smoothly from then on.

Aircraft:

There are many airlines in the United States, but there are two main ones known for their cheap prices: Southwest Airlines (Southwest Airlines) and JetBlue Airways. Most of their fares are very cheap. For example: Southwest Airlines flies from Las Vegas on the west coast to Baltimore on the east coast. The cheapest one-way ticket is only $109, and the flight takes 5 and a half hours!

The websites of the two airlines are: Southwest AirlinesJetBlue | Airline Tickets, Flights, and Airfare

Of these two airlines, Southwest Airlines has a larger network coverage than JetBlue Although there are more stops on the plane, it takes a whole day to reach the destination on domestic routes, which is very common on Southwest Airlines. In comparison, JetBlue can reach the destination faster because it has fewer stops along the way. land. The price difference between the two companies is not huge.

The key to buying cheap tickets is: buy tickets in advance, buy tickets online, and buy tickets before leaving China! The sooner the better!

For example, the results of the online query in June 2007 showed that the Southwest Airlines flight ticket from Long Island (New York on the east coast) to Oakland (San Francisco on the west coast) in June was more than 300 US dollars, while in September The cheapest ticket is only $119. The more popular destinations, the longer you may have to book in advance, and some cheap flights will be sold out months in advance.

These websites all accept international credit cards issued by Chinese banks, so you can make domestic online payments and purchase tickets in advance.

Remember: The cheapest air tickets usually have strict regulations. For example, tickets cannot be refunded or endorsed, so you should read the precautions when purchasing tickets. In addition, because the air tickets are cheap, no meals are provided. When flying long distances, be sure to bring food.

You can compare the prices of the above two companies and other airlines through the following comprehensive travel websites:

Travelocity Travel: Vacations, Cheap Flights, Airline Tickets & AirfaresCheap Hotels, Flights, Airline Tickets, Airfare, Vacations, Rental Car & Cruises at CheapTickets

Yahoo Travel Travel Booking: Hotels, Airline Tickets and Free Travel Packages Online Booking

These websites sometimes also Provides package discounts on air tickets, room reservations, car rentals, etc.

Remember: Once you find a suitable air ticket, buy it as soon as possible. There is no need to go to the travel agency to ask, because people from travel agencies usually search for cheap air tickets on these websites.

Train:

Compared with planes, the disadvantage of trains is that they are slow; compared with long-distance buses, their disadvantages are that they are expensive and the railway network coverage is not enough. But taking a train is much more comfortable than flying or long-distance buses.

Some train lines in the United States are beautiful and suitable for train sightseeing, such as the Hudson River Valley in New York and the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco. Train tickets for these lines are not easy to buy. , need to book far in advance.

Information about U.S. train route maps, schedules, fares, passes, etc. can be found at this website: www.amtrak.com. The HotDeals section of this website often has very discounted tickets, sometimes saving 90% on regular fares!

Long-distance bus:

When traveling in the United States, if the journey is not too far, such as a three- to five-hour drive, taking a long-distance bus may be the cheapest and best option.

However, if the distance exceeds three to four hundred miles, you should carefully compare whether it is better to take a car or an airplane before deciding to take a car. For a distance of three to four hundred miles, it is normal for a Greyhound to drive for ten hours or more. It is also normal for you to change cars in the middle of the night. For the same distance, a plane can fly there in less than an hour, and the fare may not be much more expensive than a car.

The most popular long-distance bus in the United States is Greyhound. Greyhound has various passes. A 60-day pass valid for domestic use in the United States is $609. There are also passes with various validity periods from 7 to 45 days. Pass purchase must be made 14 days before first use.

Greyhound also has passes covering the United States and Canada. Travelers who want to visit both countries at the same time may consider it.

Passengers can check routes, fares, promotions and other details on Greyhound's website: Greyhound.com.

In the United States, you can call the toll-free information hotline 1-800-231-2222.

The best way to save money on bus tickets is to buy them in advance. 7 days in advance makes a big difference.

In addition to Greyhound, there are Chinese between cities where major Chinese live, such as between Washington and New York, between Boston and New York, between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The fares of the long-distance bus companies operated by Greyhound are much cheaper than Greyhound. For information on fares and bus locations, you can ask local Chinese students and immigrants.

Accommodation:

There is little difference in accommodation prices in major cities in the United States. Dormitory-style hotels (youth hostels, backpacker hostels) and the like cost around US$15-20 per bed. In motels next to suburban highways, a standard room (with two queen beds) generally costs about US$40. When you get to the city, the price for a standard room in a hotel will start from around US$80.

Cheaper hotel chains with good facilities include:

Motel6 Motel 6 - Find Discount Motels Nationwide & Book Motel Reservations

LaQuintahttp://La Quinta Inns & Suites Official Site

If traveling alone, it is certainly the cheapest to stay in a backpacker hostel.

Remember: It only costs RMB 70 to get an International Youth Hostel membership card in China. With this card, you can save about US$3 per day at member hotels of the International Youth Hostel Alliance (HI). Of course, HI member hotels are often the more expensive among dormitory-style hotels.

Others:

Telephone cards: Grocery stores, souvenir shops, and restaurants in Chinatowns in major cities all have various telephone cards specifically for Chinese users. Use these cards to make domestic calls. , often cheaper than long distance calls between domestic cities in China. You can ask relatives and friends in the United States to purchase it before you go, and then tell them the password, serial number and dialing method.

U.S. National Park Card: If you want to go to several national parks at once, it is best to buy an annual pass for the first park. It costs 80 US dollars and can be used at any time within the one-year validity period. Tickets for the bus are included.