Preparing for the USA
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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.
On the road
Driving in the United States: licence, rules of the road and pitfalls to avoid
Belgian or international licence, red lights you can turn at, four-way stops, school buses, fuel, tolls and police stops: what changes when you get behind the wheel in the United States.
Where to sleep in a van or at a campground in the United States
National park campgrounds, national forests, free BLM land, private campgrounds, tolerated car parks: where to spend the night in a van or a tent, and how to book.
Fuel in the United States: prices, paying at the pump and your fuel budget
Gallons, octane ratings, paying with a European card, price gaps between states and stretches with no station: everything for filling up and estimating your fuel budget.
Renting a car in the United States: booking, insurance and return
When to book, which insurance to take, the hidden fees (additional driver, one-way, young driver) and the checks to make at the desk.
Motels, hotels and lodges in the United States: choosing well and avoiding hidden fees
Motel chains, resort fees, taxes, parking, breakfast, national park lodges: how to book your nights in the United States without a nasty surprise on the bill.
Tolls in the United States: transponders, rental company packages and the roads to know
E-ZPass, SunPass, FasTrak, cashless tolls, rental company packages and their fees, congestion pricing in central New York: how to pay tolls with a rental car.
Long distances and remote roads: driving safely in the American West
Fatigue, animals at dusk, unpaved tracks, a breakdown with no signal: how to prepare your car and what to do on the empty roads of the American West.
The legendary roads of the United States: distances, seasons and which way to drive them
Route 66, Highway 1, Scenic Byway 12, the Overseas Highway, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Going-to-the-Sun Road: the great American scenic roads and how to drive them.
Getting around the United States without a car: subway, Uber, train and bus
The New York subway, Uber and Lyft, driverless taxis, Amtrak trains, long-distance buses, airport shuttles: how to get around in cities and between them without a car.
Parking in the United States: signs, kerb colours and city car parks
Reading parking signs, understanding coloured kerbs, paying a meter, avoiding the tow truck and break-ins: the guide to parking in American cities.
Renting an electric car for a road trip in the United States: a good idea?
Charging networks, real-world range, cost, return rules and suitable itineraries: what you need to know before renting an electric car in the United States.
Taking a domestic flight in the United States: airlines, baggage and security
When to choose the plane over the road, which airlines, how much baggage costs, and how check-in and security work on an American domestic flight.
Travelling by van in the United States: models, rental companies and the real cost
Campervan or motorhome, rental companies, mileage, insurance, cost compared with a car and motels: what you need to know before renting a van for an American road trip.
Eating and everyday life
Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis in the United States: what the law says
A legal age of 21, ID checks, an open bottle in the car, dry counties, cannabis legal in a state but banned in the parks: the rules to know when travelling.
Coffee and breakfast in the United States: ordering without getting it wrong
Bottomless filter coffee, coffee shop sizes and jargon, ordering on the app, diner or hotel breakfast, brunch: the instruction manual for the American morning.
American manners: small phrases, queues and subjects to avoid
The "How are you?" that expects no answer, conversations with strangers, queues, personal distance, sensitive subjects: understanding American customs when travelling.
Grocery shopping in the United States: supermarkets, prices and good deals
Walmart, Trader Joe's, Safeway, Publix, Costco: where to do your shopping on a road trip in the United States, how to get the reduced prices and what to put in the cooler.
Cooking in a van or at a campground during a road trip in the United States
Minimal equipment, gas, cooler, simple meal ideas, washing-up and the rules in bear country: how to eat well in a van or at a campground without spending the whole evening on it.
Laundry, showers and toilets on a road trip in the United States
Laundromats, showers at truck stops and campgrounds, toilets on the road and in the parks: the practical side of a road trip in the United States, by car or by van.
Eating at restaurants in the United States: diners, fast food and the customs to know
How a restaurant meal works in the United States: types of establishment, ordering, portions, the bill, menu vocabulary and regional chains to try.
Miles, Fahrenheit, gallons, shoe sizes: the conversion sheet for the United States
Distances, temperatures, volumes, weights, clothing and shoe sizes, date and time formats: all the conversions that are useful when travelling in the United States.
Tipping in the United States: how much, to whom and how
Restaurant, bar, hotel, taxi, guide: the usual tip amounts in the United States, and why you shouldn't skip them.
What to eat in the United States? The specialities to try, region by region
New York pizza, Texas barbecue, clam chowder, Cajun cooking, key lime pie, Californian tacos: the dishes to try in each region of the United States.
Travelling vegetarian, gluten-free or with allergies in the United States
Reading menus and labels, telling the server, finding vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options on the road and in the parks: the guide to eating without risk.
Nature and safety
Stargazing and the northern lights in the United States
The parks with the darkest skies, the best period for seeing the Milky Way, meteor showers, evenings with the rangers and where to try for the northern lights.
Wildlife in the United States: bears, bison, snakes and alligators
Distances to keep, food storage, bear spray, what to do when faced with a bear, a bison, a snake or an alligator: watching animals without taking risks.
A typical day in a big American national park
What time to arrive, where to park, when to take the shuttle, where to eat, how to avoid the crowds: how a successful day unfolds in a park such as Zion or Yosemite.
Extreme weather in the United States: heatwaves, flash floods, storms, wildfires and hurricanes
Understanding American weather alerts and knowing how to react to extreme heat, a flash flood, a thunderstorm, a tornado, a wildfire or a hurricane during a road trip.
US national parks and the America the Beautiful pass
How much a national park entrance costs, when the annual pass pays for itself, the reservations to plan ahead, and what to know once there: visitor center, maps, stamps, Junior Ranger.
Hiking in the American parks: preparation, permits and safety
Choosing a trail, carrying enough water, coping with heat and altitude, getting a permit for Angels Landing, Half Dome or The Wave: the guide to hiking in the parks.
Getting medical care in the United States: pharmacy, urgent care, emergency room and medicines
Where to go depending on how serious it is, how much it costs, how the pharmacy works, which medicines to bring and their American equivalents: the traveller's health guide to the United States.
Safety in the United States: theft, scams and good habits when travelling
Car break-ins, neighbourhoods to avoid, tourist scams, emergency numbers, a lost passport: the useful precautions for travelling with peace of mind in the United States.
Things to do and good deals
The Go City Pass in New York: how it works and is it worth it?
All-Inclusive, Explorer or Essentials: the different Go City Pass formulas in New York, how to use them, and our experience with the Explorer Pass during our road trip.
Las Vegas, a user's guide: hotels, hidden fees, casinos and day trips
Choosing your hotel on the Strip, understanding resort fees and parking, sightseeing for free, gambling without ruining yourself and heading off on day trips: the practical guide to Las Vegas.
Seeing a game or a show in the United States: NBA, baseball, rodeo, Broadway
The calendar of sports seasons, where to buy tickets, how much it costs, bag rules, rodeos and musicals: how to enjoy an American-style evening out.
Visiting New York at Christmas: dates, lights, crowds and budget
The Rockefeller Center tree, window displays, Dyker Heights, ice rinks, holiday shows: when to come, what to book and how to avoid the crowds in New York in December.
Theme parks in the United States: Disney, Universal, tickets and skip-the-line passes
Walt Disney World or Disneyland, Universal Orlando and Epic Universe, ticket prices, skip-the-line passes, how many days to allow and how to avoid the crowds: the practical guide.
State parks and national monuments: the sites the pass doesn't tell you about
State parks, national monuments, national forests, BLM land: understanding who manages what in the United States, what the America the Beautiful pass covers and our favourite sites.
CityPASS or Go City: which sightseeing pass to choose, city by city?
How the sightseeing passes of the big American cities work, how much they cost, when they pay for themselves and how to do the sums for your own stay.
Taking photos and filming in the United States: light, rules and drones
The best hours for photographing the parks, the rules on tripods and drones, the formalities with the FAA and backing up your photos during a road trip.
Shopping in the United States: outlets, taxes, bargains and customs on the way home
Where to find bargains in the United States, how taxes and outlets work, what is really worth it, and what Belgian customs allows on your return.
Visiting Navajo lands: Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon and the rules to know
Entrance fees, compulsory guided tours, local time, photos, alcohol, drones: what you need to know before visiting Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon and the Navajo Nation.