[Collaborative Post]

There’s so much going on in the United States currently that it can feel quite overwhelming. Whether it’s new seasons of shows featuring high-profile celebrities coming at you from all angles, political disasters which are making their ways overseas (and onto Twitter…) or the thousands of must-have styles and cosmetics which are springing their way onto social media, it’s definitely a country which makes an impact.

In fact, this is the thing that draws us to it today – and drew our ancestors to it too. The appeal never dies; with that in mind, you need to ensure that you have got everything covered for visiting America.

Get your ESTA sorted

ESTA stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorisation. You will need this to be able to enter the country. If you don’t do this, you will need to apply and pay for a visa instead. The information on the site states that the only thing that you need is a valid passport with a machine-readable section on the biographic page. It will only last you for 90 days, but this is the easiest way to be able to get into the country. The processing of your application has a turnaround of 72 hours at the very most (most applications go through in minutes), which has to be completed before you actually depart for the USA.

Check your states

A lot of people have an idea in mind of where they are going. They’re either flying to New York and staying in the city, jetting to Miami for a bit of sun or heading to California for a bash at celebrity-spotting. It doesn’t matter what you are doing or why you are doing it – just make sure that you get a good grasp on the safest places to go, what to look out for when you’re there and ensure that you are taking a note of what the weather is going to be like. All of the different states have different climates – the weather isn’t the same across the country. If you have packed to go to New York with what you faced last time in Miami in mind, you could be in for a cruel surprise when the weather decides to turn on you.

Sort your travel

There are some places where it’s really easy to get around, and others where you will have to really look for how you are getting from A to B. Generally speaking, this is easier to do in cities, where trams, trains and cabs are available for you to utilise, and everything else is within walking distance. If you are travelling to a rural part, look into hiring a car or do some good research into how you are going to travel, and make sure that you plan ahead and print off public transport timetables to have with you just in case.

Check your gadgets

There’s nothing worse than discovering you have battery issues or your Facetime camera not working on your smartphone or tablet, so it’s best to check everything before you travel. Don’t forget to carry spare chargers or find somewhere to get it repaired beforehand, so you have complete peace of mind everything is in working order.