Tips for preparing a USA trip

Visum

These instructions are from the perspective of a German citizen!

As an german citizen you benefit from theVisa Waiver Program.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP), administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in consultation with the State Department, allows citizens of 40 countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. In return, these 40 countries must allow U.S. citizens and nationals to travel to their countries for a similar period of time without a visa for business or tourism purposes.

This means that no visa is required to enter the United States. However, the United States still checks whether a person's entry could pose a security or legal risk before entry. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is used for this purpose.

Notes on the ESTA application

The application must be submitted before the trip and confirmed positively. All information must match the passport you will be using to enter the country, otherwise you will be denied boarding at the airport.

In my opinion, anyone can submit the application themselves and does not need the support of third parties. The application is available on the official website of the US Border Protection Agency, in many languages. A credit card or a PayPal-Account is also required, as there is currently a fee of 21 USD for the application.

ESTA-Application on the website of the US border protection authority

Means of money and payment

Almost all bills can be paid by credit card. Nevertheless, you should have some cash with you. I recommend withdrawing cash from an ATM at a bank in the USA. This is easy and also the cheapest option. In my opinion, exchanging EUR for USD in Germany is not recommended, as high fees are charged.

Always make sure you have a "real" credit card and not just a debit card. This can be problematic if, for example, deposits for rental cars or hotels are reserved with it.

I also recommend "topping up" your credit card account before you travel. This means that you transfer money to your credit card account (ask your bank about this) and thus increase the credit limit and ensure that you do not reach the limit and suddenly can no longer pay with the card.

Never pay in euros!

You will often be offered (especially in outlet stores) the option to pay your bill directly by card in EUR. Please do not accept this offer and always pay in USD. This way you will get the current exchange rate from your bank and not that of the payment provider, which is always worse.

Rental Car

I can only recommend booking the rental car from Germany. Portals such as Check24 or Mietwagen-billiger.de are ideal for this.
Always book the rental car with fully comprehensive insurance with no excess and with tire, glass and underbody insurance. Even if this makes the package more expensive, it can make things much easier in the event of an accident and is definitely cheaper than taking out additional insurance with the local rental company.

I always book the rental car immediately after I know the exact travel dates. Of course, I always cancel free of charge, because then I can check at regular intervals to see if the prices have changed and, if necessary, cancel again and rebook at a lower price. This is another pleasant advantage of these booking portals.

These tips are based solely on my personal experience and do not constitute a legal claim. Entry regulations in particular can change at short notice. Therefore, please always use the official information and advice from the relevant authorities.