USA travel guide

Most visitors to the United States need one of two things before they fly: an approved ESTA, if they hold a passport from a Visa Waiver Program country, or a US visa if they do not. The ESTA costs US $40.62 per application as of October 2026, it is only sold on the official site at esta.cbp.dhs.gov, and it lets you stay for up to 90 days. The rest of this guide covers what happens at the airport, how to get around a very large country, why the price on the shelf is not the price you pay, and how to stay online and reachable.

ESTA or visa: which one you need

The Visa Waiver Program lets citizens of participating countries visit for business, tourism or transit for 90 days or less without a visa. As of October 2026, DHS lists 42 participating countries, including the UK, most EU countries, Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Not every EU country is on it, and the list changes, so check your own nationality on the DHS Visa Waiver Program page before you book.

To travel under the program you need an approved ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). According to the official ESTA site:

• The fee is US $40.62 per application as of October 2026. It is made up of a US $10.62 processing fee, charged to everyone, plus US $30.00 charged only if your application is approved. If you are refused, you pay only the US $10.62.
• An approved ESTA is valid for two years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and covers multiple trips.
• A new passport means a new ESTA application and a new fee.
• DHS recommends applying as soon as you make travel plans, ideally before you buy flights.

Watch out for lookalike websites. The official FAQ warns that third-party sites charge extra to submit the same application. If you were charged more than US $40.62, you did not use the official site.

GOV.UK adds two current details for British travelers that apply widely: CBP now requires a selfie photo in ESTA applications, so older approvals without one may need replacing, and anyone with an arrest, a criminal record, a previous refusal or a past overstay may be ineligible and should apply for a visa instead. GOV.UK warns that visa appointments can be limited, so start early. The website of the US embassy or consulate in your country explains the process.

Your passport must also be an e-passport with a chip to use the program, and valid for the length of your stay.

Arriving and clearing customs

Every arriving traveler is inspected by a CBP officer, who decides whether to admit you. An approved ESTA lets you board the plane, but it does not guarantee entry. Have your return or onward ticket and your accommodation details ready, and be prepared to explain the purpose of your trip. GOV.UK notes that officers may ask to inspect your phone, emails, messages and social media.

Two declaration rules catch people out:

• Food and farm products. You must declare meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, animals and plant or animal products, including soup, whether they are in checked bags or hand luggage. Undeclared prohibited items are confiscated, and CBP says fines can reach US $1,000 for a first non-commercial offense. When in doubt, declare it.
• Cash. If you carry more than US $10,000 in total, in any currency or monetary instruments, you must declare it and file a FinCEN Form 105.

On medicines, GOV.UK points out that foreign prescriptions are not valid at US pharmacies and some prescription drugs cannot be brought in at all. Carry what you need, in original packaging, and check the FDA’s guidance if you are unsure.

Getting around a big country

Distances in the US are larger than many visitors expect, so plan routes by region rather than trying to see both coasts in a week.

Option	Best for	Things to know
Domestic flights	Crossing regions, coast to coast	Book early and compare on flight search sites
Rental car	National parks, road trips, most of the West	Check what your rental company and the state ask of foreign licenses
Trains	Some city pairs and scenic routes	Slower than flying over long distances
City transit and rideshare	New York, Chicago, San Francisco and other big cities	Many cities are easy without a car, many suburbs are not

For a road trip, budget for fuel, tolls and parking, and download offline maps before you head into parks and deserts where coverage can drop out. Our guides on finding cheap flights and booking hotels cover the planning side.

Photo by Filip Mishevski on Unsplash

Tipping and sales tax

Two habits make US prices look lower than they are.

Sales tax is added at the till. NYC Tourism puts it plainly: price tags typically don’t include tax. In New York City, sales tax on most goods and services is 8.875 percent as of October 2026, with exceptions such as many grocery foods. Rates differ from place to place, so expect the total to be higher than the tag wherever you are.

Tipping is part of the cost of service. NYC Tourism’s guidance for New York City, as of October 2026:

• Restaurant table service: 18 to 20 percent of the bill is standard. Some restaurants have a no-tipping policy, and the menu or bill will say so.
• Bartenders: at least US $1 per drink, or 18 to 20 percent if you pay the tab by card.
• Taxis and rideshare: 15 to 20 percent of the fare.
• Hotel porters: US $1 to $2 per bag. Housekeeping: US $3 to $5 per day.

Customs vary outside New York, but tipping at sit-down restaurants is expected across the country. Card terminals often suggest a percentage on screen, and you can choose your own.

Money and cards

The currency is the US dollar. Cards are the normal way to pay in cities and hotels. Carry a little cash for small tips and the odd cash-only place.

Before you leave, tell your bank you are traveling, check its foreign transaction fees, and bring two cards on different networks in case one is declined. If a card machine offers to charge you in your home currency, choosing dollars lets your own bank do the conversion, so you can see the rate it uses.

Getting online

Roaming on your home plan can be expensive in the US, so most visitors either buy a local SIM on arrival or install a travel eSIM before they leave. An eSIM is ready the moment you land, which helps with ride apps and maps at the airport.

We compare the main options, with prices, in our Top 5 eSIMs for the USA. One of them is Pelesim, our own eSIM store: it sells prepaid data-only plans for the United States, either a fixed amount of data or daily day passes with a fair-use limit. You install it before you fly, the plan starts when it first connects in the US, hotspot sharing is allowed, and you can get a refund within 30 days of purchase if you have not activated it.

Phone numbers and calling home

A data-only eSIM does not give you a US phone number, so keep your home SIM in the phone (or in its second slot) if you need to receive bank codes by text.

For calls, messaging apps such as WhatsApp work well with contacts who use the same app. To reach a bank, an airline or a landline back home, CallTuv calls regular landlines and mobiles from your browser or phone, pay as you go from $0.03 a minute, with credit that never expires. It makes outgoing calls only: in the US, dial 911 from any phone in an emergency.

Our guide on how to call home from abroad and our Top 5 international calling apps cover more options.

Plugs and voltage

US sockets take Type A plugs (two flat pins) and Type B plugs (two flat pins plus a round earth pin), on a 120 V, 60 Hz supply. Visit Florida’s advice for international visitors is to check the label on each device: if it says something like 100-240 V, it is dual voltage and a plug adapter is enough. Most phone and laptop chargers are. Single-voltage 220 to 240 V appliances, often hair dryers and straighteners, need a converter or should stay at home.

Health insurance: do not skip it

Medical treatment in the US is expensive, and GOV.UK notes there are no special arrangements for British visitors. Its advice applies to everyone: hospitals may ask for a deposit on admission, so make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and access to funds, and contact your insurer before paying a hospital yourself. Check that your policy’s medical cover is high enough for US prices and that it covers any existing conditions.

For anything urgent, call 911. For a minor illness, urgent care clinics can see you without an appointment and can write a US prescription.

Staying longer: what the rules allow

The US has no digital nomad visa, and its visitor rules are strict about time. This section covers how long you can stay as a visitor, what you cannot do, and how a long stay affects tax, as the State Department, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the IRS describe them in October 2026. This is not legal or tax advice.

How long you can stay

• On ESTA (the Visa Waiver Program): up to 90 days. You cannot extend that stay or change to another status inside the US. CBP says a short trip of under 30 days to Canada or Mexico does not reset the clock or extend your “admit until” date.
• On a B-1/B-2 visitor visa: the CBP officer at the border sets your permitted stay, recorded on your I-94 record, not the visa itself. To stay longer you file Form I-539 with USCIS before your date runs out, and USCIS recommends filing at least 45 days ahead.

Check your I-94 on CBP’s website or in the CBP Link app after you land. ESTA travellers can also see how many days they have left.

What you cannot do as a visitor

The State Department lists employment among the things you cannot do on a visitor visa or under the Visa Waiver Program. Business visitors can consult with associates, attend conferences and negotiate contracts. None of the official pages we checked says anything specific about working remotely for a foreign employer while visiting, so do not rely on any website that claims it is clearly allowed or clearly banned.

Tax

You can become a US tax resident without a green card. Under the IRS substantial presence test, you are a resident for the year if you spend at least 31 days in the US that year and 183 days over three years, counting all days this year, a third of last year’s days and a sixth of the days the year before. Someone who spends 120 days a year in the US for three years in a row counts 180 days and stays a non-resident. If you meet the test but spent fewer than 183 days in the year and kept a closer connection to another country, you can claim an exception on Form 8840.

Overstaying

• ESTA: any overstay ends your ESTA eligibility, and every later trip needs a visa.
• Visa: an overstay automatically voids your visa.
• Re-entry bans: overstaying by more than 180 days bars you from returning for 3 years, and by a year or more for 10 years.

Setting up for a month or more

• Social Security number: visitors cannot get one. The SSA issues them only to people allowed to work.
• Renting in New York City: under the city’s Local Law 18, hosts cannot rent out an entire apartment or home for less than 30 days, and short stays must be with the host living in the same unit. A stay of 30 nights or more falls outside those rules.
• Data: a travel eSIM covers a long trip, and our Top 5 eSIMs for the USA compares the options.