Planning the trip

ESTA, budget, season, itinerary, flights, insurance, money, phone: everything to sort out before you leave.

First road trip in the United States: twelve mistakes to avoid

An overloaded itinerary, an underestimated budget, a forgotten fill-up, a car in the city, suitcases on show: the classic mistakes of a first American road trip and how to avoid them.

When to go to the United States? The calendar, region by region

Desert heat, mountain roads closed by snow, hurricanes, Indian summer: the best season for each region of the United States, month by month.

Public holidays and major events in the United States: what closes, what costs more

The calendar of American public holidays and major events: what is closed, the weekends when everything is full, and the celebrations worth adapting your itinerary for.

What budget for a road trip in the United States?

Flights, car, fuel, nights, meals, activities: what a road trip in the United States really costs.

Building your road trip itinerary in the United States

How many kilometres a day, loop or one-way, how many nights per stop: the method for drawing up a realistic itinerary, and the mistakes to avoid on your first trip.

When to book what: the countdown to a road trip in the United States

Flights, lodges, van, campgrounds, hiking permits, visits, ESTA, insurance, eSIM: the booking calendar, from twelve months before departure to the day before.

Finding your flights to the United States from Belgium

Brussels, Paris or Amsterdam, direct flight or stopover, multi-city ticket, baggage: how to choose your flight to the United States and pay less for it.

Applying for an ESTA for the United States, step by step

Who needs one, how much it costs, how to apply with the official app and how to avoid fake websites: everything you need to know about the ESTA when travelling from Belgium.

The paperwork to prepare before a trip to the United States

Passport, ESTA, driving licence, insurance, bank cards, bookings, MPC app: the list of documents to arrange and to pack, with the right time for each.

Travel and health insurance in the United States: don't leave without it

Why healthcare costs so much in the United States, what your health fund and your bank card do (and don't) cover, and how to choose suitable travel insurance.

Travelling in the United States with children: paperwork, car seats and pace

ESTA and passports for minors, compulsory car seats, the length of driving days, the Junior Ranger programme, meals and accommodation: preparing an American road trip as a family.

Money and payments in the United States: cards, cash and bank fees

Which card to take, how much cash to carry, how to avoid foreign exchange fees and the traps of conversion into euros.

Phone and internet in the United States: eSIM, roaming or local SIM card?

The options for keeping signal and data during a trip to the United States, without a nasty surprise on the bill from your Belgian operator.

Useful apps for a road trip in the United States

Offline maps, national parks, fuel, campgrounds, hiking, weather: the apps to install before you leave, and what to download while you still have signal.

Electricity in the United States: sockets, adapters and charging on the road

American sockets, 120 volts, adapter or transformer, devices that work or burn out, charging in the car and in a van: everything for keeping your devices charged.

Packing for a road trip in the United States

The list of what we take on a road trip in the United States: clothes in layers, documents, electronics, first-aid kit, and what is better bought once you're there.

Survival English for a trip to the United States

The useful phrases at immigration, at the car rental desk, at the hotel, at the restaurant, at the petrol station and when something goes wrong, with the answers you'll be given.

American English decoded: phrases, abbreviations and signs

'I'm good', 'Xing', 'BOGO', 'No outlet', 'a buck': the small phrases, abbreviations and notices you come across everywhere in the United States, and that nobody taught you at school.

Time difference and time zones in the United States: finding your way and limiting jet lag

The American time zones compared with Brussels, the Arizona and Navajo Nation trap, and our habits for coping with jet lag on the way out and on the way back.

Going through US immigration and customs (with or without MPC)

What happens between stepping off the plane and leaving the airport: the officer's questions, fingerprints, customs and the Mobile Passport Control app.