First, the itinerary

The schedule is as follows:

Jin Man Grand Canyon in San Diego, Los Angeles, Peggy Las Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco, Monterrey, Solvan, Los Angeles

This is a honeymoon trip, which lasts from 1.16 to 1.31, so some scenic spots in national parks will be closed due to snow. If you want to go to national parks, you must go to official website of each national park in advance to check whether it is closed. Originally, I wanted to go to Yellowstone National Park, but after being reminded by my best friend in the United States, I found that some scenic spots in Yellowstone National Park were likely to be closed, so I had to reluctantly remove them. And another scenic spot, Yosemite, we also check it once a day along the way. Highway 12 was closed for a few days in the middle, which caused us to almost change our itinerary. Fortunately, the highway was opened again the day before we went to Yosemite.

There are all kinds of road information in the page ~

The Grand Canyon and Death Valley, which we went to, are basically not closed because of winter, but it is recommended to pay more attention to official website information ~ because official website has reference tourism. I'll talk about this when I'm going to the specific scenic spots ~

When I first visit the United States, everyone will definitely want to visit more places. At first, we planned to go to Meidong first and then fly to Meixi, but this is actually quite frustrating. It takes a lot of time for the plane to take off, so I gave up this plan. Fortunately, I can play in both the United States and the West for a long time, so I'd better go to Meidong next time ~ (Unfortunately, I can't see my best friend ~

Second, visa procedures.

First of all, of course, it's a passport. If you have a passport, please pay attention to the expiration date on it. If it expires within six months, you'd better apply for a new one. It's easy to apply for a passport, and you can go to the local area for entry and exit. Generally, it takes 15-2 days to get the visa.

Next, I handled it through the agent of Everbright Credit Card, provided all kinds of information according to their requirements, and made an appointment to go to Guangzhou for a face-to-face visa ~ (If I want to apply I took care of it for the sake of saving trouble.

The materials needed for the interview are as follows:

1. The original passport (the old passport should also be brought, presumably because you have to check the country you have been to when applying;

2. A visa photo (it must be consistent with the electronic photo uploaded to the system, signed with a pencil at the back, and pasted

in the center of the passport with transparent adhesive tape; (I brought this, but I didn't use the ~

3.DS-16 confirmation page (it must be printed in color;

4. Appointment confirmation letter (printed, check whether the information is wrong before printing;

5. I can bring some materials like marriage certificate, graduation certificate and work certificate, but the visa officer didn't even look at them. Haha ~

I made an appointment at 9: 3 in the morning, and I arrived more than half an hour early. If I was fifteen minutes late, my appointment would be cancelled, so be careful not to be late.

when I arrived at the entrance of the embassy, I found many aunts with countless bags hanging on them. Originally, I could only bring visa materials and nothing else when I entered the embassy. Moreover, the embassy required that all documents must be put in an file bag. I suggested buying an file bag in advance to pack all the materials, and other mobile wallets could not be brought in. The aunts at the door would enthusiastically help you manage the bags, of course, at the cost of 2 yuan management fee for one bag. At that time, I hesitated. After all, the mobile phone wallet is in the bag. At this time, Aunt immediately took out a copy of her ID card for you, and just returned it to her when she picked up the bag. Considering that we have no other choice, the embassy doesn't provide lockers, so we chose to trust Aunt. When we finished, we went back to the original place to get the bag, and found that Aunt had a lot more bags on her. It seems that business is really prosperous ~ If you live nearby, you can simply put it in the hotel ~

Next, you have to queue up to enter the embassy and pass the security belt.

After going in, we will have our fingerprints pressed first, and then face-to-face interview. We are on a honeymoon trip, so the visa officer didn't ask much. First, he looked at our passports and asked why we went abroad, when we got married and what our jobs were. When he saw my husband's passport, he asked why he didn't take me to Europe a year ago (good question, although it was actually because we didn't talk about it at that time, haha, and then he passed it without reading any supporting materials. However, the woman in front was asked for a long time about going to America to have a baby, but she actually said that she was going to have a baby. The interview officer asked her about her pregnancy, why she went alone without her husband, and she explained that her husband was very busy, and then provided a million-dollar deposit certificate (local tyrant, because she thought the medical conditions in the United States were good, the last signing officer let her pass, so don't be nervous. The interview process will be relaxed and she won't ask any difficult questions, and the interview officer can speak Chinese.

We chose to mail it to CITIC Bank and collect it ourselves. After about a week or two, we will receive a notice and bring our ID card to CITIC to get a visa!

Don't forget to register for EVUS after completing the visa, or you will be refused entry after flying to the United States. . ~ Attached is the website for handling EVUS: /application

It is very simple in Chinese, and it will be completed in ten minutes ~

Third, renting a car

As a country on wheels, the United States loves speed and passion. It can be said that if you don't drive, you can't play unless you join a group.

There will be many car rental companies for the same model, so you can refer to each company's rating. Some companies don't provide Chinese service, so be careful. The page operation is very convenient, you can select the car location, model, etc., and then compare each car one by one. Different dates, different rental locations, different rental fees are quite different, and there are also many differences between designated vehicles and unspecified vehicles of the same model. (If you don't specify a car that is likely to get other models of the same level, compare it slightly when choosing a car and choose a car with higher cost performance. When we went, we didn't know if it was because of the off-season, which was relatively less expensive. Because we played for a long time and often ran the road, we chose JEEP Freelight, which added up to renting a car for three or four hundred a day. Although ordinary cars can be used without getting off the road, it turns out that it is beneficial to choose an SUV. First, it has a large space and can hold a lot of luggage (you will know that it is needed when you buy it in buy buy. Second, some small scenic spots in the national park may have to get off the road, so the SUV still has room to play ~ It is found that there are many people driving wild horses on the road, which is cool and the rent is much cheaper than in China. It's almost the same as Freelight, and maybe even cheaper (the price changes all the time, or refer to the real-time price on the website, but the space is small, the fuel consumption is high, and the chassis is still low, which is more suitable for local people ~

The car rental company we chose is yesway, which is opened by China people, and the price is relatively high. There are many insurance packages on the same car rental page, and there is an option called Flash Rent. If it is recommended to choose this one for the first time in the United States, we will use it for fifteen days, which is quite convenient. Our English is just so-so. It's quite convenient to have a Chinese service and provide direct airport transportation. It's quite interesting for the little brother who took us to the airport to chat with us all the way. If you have any questions every day, please feel free to ask them on WeChat, although sometimes the answer is a little slow ~ The only drawback is that it is expensive, haha, depending on the model. The cheapest insurance package is tens to hundreds a day, not more in the off-season, so you should choose it according to your personal affordability ~ If your English level is enough, you can choose other car rental companies ~

Fourth, go on road trip has been driving by car for fifteen days, feeling that Americans are really driving. The distance between cars in China is about 3-4 speed, and in the United States it is about 7-8 or even 1. Sometimes my heart beats faster when I change lanes (although I didn't drive, haha, I originally said that two people interacted with each other and found that the car speed in the United States was so amazing that my husband would never let me touch the car again. I was itchy and I secretly started the car while he went to the bathroom in the scenic spot, but he kicked me out of the car.

Pay a little attention to the following points:

1. American cars show miles, and one mile is equal to 1.6 kilometers, especially when turning corners.

2. There will be a speed limit sign on the road, even if you want to exceed the speed limit, you should keep it within 1%;

3. There are always stop signs at intersections, so be sure to stop for three seconds! ! ! Otherwise, you will get a ticket;

4. If there is a sign saying noturnonred when turning right, you can't turn right at a red light;

5. When crossing a zebra crossing or intersection, you must let pedestrians go first. If turning, you must let the straight car go first.

6. We encounter two yellow lines on the road, and there are dotted lines on the inside of the two yellow lines. Cars in both directions can enter the inside of the two yellow lines and then turn. This is a turning area. At first, it was unclear that we were afraid to press the line. It was a road that detoured for several kilometers ...

7. Parking spaces in big cities in the United States are sometimes difficult to find. If there is a parking meter on the roadside, you can stop directly and pay the fee. If there is no sign, you will usually write it.

The price of meters is different in different regions. Pay attention to the return time, or you will be fined ~

If you write "Sunday except", you can stop all day on Sundays ~ Many places are free to park on Sundays ~

8. As for refueling, the United States is self-service, and many gas stations can't swipe foreign credit cards. Be sure to prepare change, pay in the supermarket of the gas station first, then refuel, and then go back. There is a lot of difference in oil prices in different regions, so we must add enough oil before long-distance driving. Sometimes we can't find a gas station on the highway for a long time. Well, the travel notes afterwards will write about our hard-working experience of almost no oil.

9. There are no street lights on American highways at night, and there are no cars on the roads. Just being shrouded in darkness, it is very scary and dangerous to pull out a small piece of light with car lights, so try to avoid burning the midnight oil.

1. It is best to use Google Maps in the United States. You can download offline maps in advance. When there is no signal on the highway, it is best to download the maps and plan the route in advance. (If there are scenic spots that need to detour on the way, just add stopovers on the route. This function is very useful, so that it is still unimpeded offline. We specially bought a GPS as a backup for intercity traffic, which proved to be really necessary. At first, the location of the mobile phone seat was stuck in the air conditioner.

11. There are many intersections on American highways, and Google Maps doesn't prompt them in time. In addition, I'm not used to American road conditions and often miss intersections in the first few days, so I detour to my heart. In fact, every highway exit will be marked with numbers. When driving, the co-pilot had better always look at the map to remind the driver of various situations and road conditions. (Yes, I'm just showing that my excellent co-pilot has made great contributions. < P > 5. Baggage that must be carried

1. Clothes < P > Before leaving, you must check the weather of your daily trip. Many websites can check it ~ Some scenic spots can't check the weather of nearby cities ~

Although it's only fifteen days to go to the United States, because the route is too long and the temperature difference is great, the hottest Death Valley is more than 3 degrees (it is said that It snows in the Grand Canyon and Yosemite in the coldest time ~ You should prepare a set of clothes for all seasons (you can have one more set for summer clothes, and you'd better bring a pair of slippers. American hotels don't provide slippers, so it's enough to bring a thick coat. For one thing, the luggage is heavy, and for another, you can actually buy it temporarily when shopping in the United States, so leave more room for buy buy to buy it ~

I saw that someone recommended the portable electric iron online before, but in the United States, it's not necessary at all.

But washing machines are not always available. Some hotels provide paid laundry rooms, and some high-end hotel rooms will be equipped with ~

2. Drugs

You can take Baoji pills and ointment for mosquito bites. Don't take too much, just the amount during the trip. Originally, I brought melatonin, worried about jet lag, but it seems useless to eat it. Let's take it according to the situation. Because of the large temperature difference, you may catch a cold, and you can also bring some medicines to prevent colds.

3. Cosmetics and skin care products

It seems that more than 5ml of liquid may be detained by the security check. It is suggested that you can buy that kind of subpackaged bottle, and repackage the lotion and makeup remover that are too big. When you are in Death Valley National Park, it will be very dry. You must remember to bring sunscreen and a few masks.

4. toiletries

hotels in the United States will provide bath lotion and shampoo. If you have higher requirements, you can bring your own bath towel, preferably a thin one, because it is difficult to find a place to dry clothes in hotels except the wardrobe, and towels often can't be dried. American hotels generally don't provide combs, so be sure to bring one.

5. articles for daily use

first of all, you must bring an adapter! Otherwise, the mobile phone can't be charged. It's best to buy a car charging cable, which may need to be charged after a long drive.

It is recommended to take several waterproof bags and pack your luggage in different categories, especially toiletries and cosmetics. If you accidentally spill the whole bag, you will suffer.

It is suggested that you can bring a portable kettle. Everyone has heard a lot of urban legends about kettle, and many hotels in the United States don't have kettle, so this mini-folding kettle doesn't take up much space.

6. Food

Note that you have to declare if you bring food into the country. If you can't enter the country like fresh fruit, you must eat it before you get off the plane. The couple sitting in front of us wisely distributed olives to us in the back seat. Although we are very grateful, raw olives are really sour ~ In order to avoid trouble, it is suggested not to bring food. If you do, you should ask the flight attendant for a declaration form on the plane. There is also a self-service declaration machine when you get off the plane. Remember to operate it ~ We are flying by Xiamen Airlines, and the airport is guided by Xiamen Airlines staff. If you don't understand, you can ask.

VI. Small change preparation and tipping

You must bring money with you when you go to the United States. It is recommended to bring about $1,. The reasons are as follows:

1. Most gas stations in the United States do not support foreign credit cards, so you must bring small change in advance, and then change it after filling up the gas. The fifteen-day refueling fee will also cost about $5.

2. When shopping and eating, there will be extra discounts for cash payment in some places;

3. If you are unfortunately robbed, give some money, at least people are safe, don't try to resist, many robbers carry guns;

as for how to tip, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't got a specific reply after studying online for a long time, so I asked my best friend to know that restaurants in the United States usually have waiters to serve you a table. When you tip, you give the waiter your credit card, and the restaurant will pre-swipe it, then you sign it and fill in how much to tip, or fill in a percentage, and then the restaurant will automatically deduct the corresponding fee from your credit card. Generally 1%-15% at noon and 15%-3% at night.

VII. Accommodation

I traveled for 15 days and stayed in many cities, including Airbnb, Motel, Lodge, Inn and Hotel. origin