I'm glad you liked the spray cheese :)

Also in the USA, getting “doggie bags” or leftovers to go is totally normal and socially acceptable. It’s actually expected if you don’t eat everything. No big deal.

It's been almost 2 decades since I've visited anywhere outside of the USA. I understand there is a stereotype about American's not touring abroad, and while this stereotype does seem quite true for the most part, a lot can be said about how the size of USA means you can spend a lifetime traveling the States and never seeing it all.

I rode with my parents as a child from California to South Carolina. It was a 5 day trip with the stops. We can and will drive across country.

One thing I’d recommend when going to the USA is to not just go fast food places. There are so many unique restaurants all over the place that make delicious food

A driver’s license is an acceptable ID but most American store clerks or bartenders won’t know what a real European license looks like so it’s harder to know if it’s real or not

Hi Kabir, keep in mind there are 48 lower states in the US (meaning all the states other than Hawaii, and Alaska) and a 3 hour drive wouldn't take you across most of them at even given point. Driving in January could be problematic due to weather. The best times to drive across the US would be Spring thru Fall. That time can vary by a few weeks depending on what part of the country you are in. Flying around is a great way to cover more general areas and locations, but driving across the US is amazing and experience worth taking time to do.

The funniest culture shock I ever heard was when my 6' 6.5" dad went to Japan. He was there for a month. He said he hit his head every single day. Lmao. I asked him why he didn't learn from his mistake, a question he often asked me. He said he gave up when he almost knocked himself out on a sign while avoiding an awning. Then there was the bed. They had to bring in a second bed because his feet were hanging over the end of the mattress. The local kids kept calling him Kyojin. When he found out it ment giant. He said, thats Mr. Kyojin. Lol my Dad had a good soul and sense of humor. He just rolled with whatever life handed him. Glad he passed that down to me.

So FYI, if you come to the US in January, whether you fly or drive, expect snow and travel delays. Also limited access to parks anywhere in the north. Pack lots of warm clothes. I’d actually suggest that you stick to the south in January unless you like snow related activities.

I'd strongly recommend against trying to see the whole US in one trip, even if you're here for 2 months. Best to make a regional trip, and see the best of a drivable area of the country, rather than wasting a week of your trip in airports. You can always come back again in the future and see another area. There will be a pretty good reason for a Brit to visit again in 2026.

I know you said you love red lobster but when you visit DONT EAT THERE! Go local! ESPECIALLY if you’re on the East or west coast, a lot of local places do fresh caught and make amazing dishes. Also with cars here if you get a manual rental it’s practically theft proof too (which can be an issue in major cities especially if you’re visiting from another country) cause a lot of people don’t know how to drive manual. Also speed limits here are weirdly a “suggestion” to an extent. On highways if you’re going 9 over the limit most of the time the police will leave you alone. 5 over is usually not a problem. But I would say never go more than 10 over in any given place. On local roads, I would definitely stay within no more than 5 over in areas of 35 or lower cause the police will pull you over. They monitor those ares a lot more closely and are more strict

You're right about the bathroom stall gaps being partly for safety and escaping. It's also to help keep the line moving-- so people can see that you're in there. Also, it's easier for mopping and sharing toilet paper through the stalls if your neighbor is out.

In most stores, if a salesperson approaches you, it's more than fine to smile and say, "I'm good," or "Oh, I'm just looking," and they should leave you alone.

Driving across the US is actually one of the best parts about living here. Nothing will replace an unsuspecting sunset driving across the west. Totally worth it.

Cameras on the roads to catch speeders in my State (Missouri) has been ruled unconstitutional because to be convicted of a crime (in this case, speeding) a defendant needs to be able to question his/her accuser. You can't call a camera to the witness stand.

As an American, one of the things that I love to do is visit the grocery store in different states and cities.

If you are coming in January you may want to stay in southern parts of the USA. The northern states may be very cold and snowy. It makes driving a little harder for people who don’t drive in snow a lot.

I would recommend bringing your passport if you're going to be ID'd. I had a friend from Canada try to use her drivers license and the store clerk didn't recognize it and didn't accept it. Fake ID's are very common here so bouncers and cashiers are usually trained on what different state ID's look like so they can spot a fake, if they don't recognize it they may assume it's fake, whereas a passport is a more credible ID.

I know a woman from Liverpool that went to college in the US. When her father flew to Chicago to help her move to Florida for her Master's degree and finally got to Tallahassee he figured out it was equivalent to driving from Liverpool to Italy.

The hotel experience cheaper vs more expensive isn't comparing orange to orange. While the cheaper chain hotels are safe, clean, and provide a limited amount of services, like a pool, exercise room, cable, that sorta thing. The breakfast isn't an order what you'd like, it's packaged foods, self serve, sometimes even prepare like a waffle, or put out in catering containers for you to grab what you want. The more expensive hotels tend to have room service and you order off a menu and it's prepared by the hotel chef. The linens, beds, pillows, and other furnishings are nicer, most offer spa, and shopping, etc. It's just a different type of experience. Nothing wrong with the cheaper especially if you are just wanting a place to shower, and sleep while traveling and seeing the sights.

A lesser known favorite American pastime: ROAD TRIP!!! I don't even think twice about a 12 hour drive to Los Angeles, lol. Driving shows you more of "real" America than flying. But, yes. You have to have the time and the desire to do it. I love road trips, personally, but they're not for everyone. 😁

The rule for hotels in the US: avoid the seedy places and the greedy places.

Do your best to stay away from tourist traps in places like NY, Philadelphia, the larger cities. Think outside the box. And remember, each area of the states have different rules depending on the state so do your research! 💕

For a lot of Americans in the west, our great-grandparents crossed the continent in covered wagons, so we can't complain about driving long distances in a modern comfortable automobile.

It's now 21 for cigarettes in most places. Also, sodas are not as cheap now, and a lot of Walmarts are closing overnight. Covid has changed things here.

That's so crazy to hear your longest drives were like 4 hours haha. I live in Texas and regularly visit family in San Antonio from El Paso, that's an 8 hour drive just within Texas. I've made that drive more times than I can remember.

When you said, “What is that”, it was Colonial Williamsburg. You can eat foods cooked from recipes in that time, see the first psychiatrist hospital, pet the animals, buy some handmade crystal and jewelry!!!

The must have at Culver's is the fresh battered, deep fried cheese curds with marinara and/or ranch. They're AMAZING 👏😍.

I’m from Texas and when we went to Ireland, our guide was amazed that we’ll drive 200-300 miles just for a day trip. LOL You’ll definitely need to fly within the States!

Please don’t come to the US and eat fast food! Ask people for a local mom and pop places to eat. Much better food, healthier (you wont gain 35 pounds on your trip) and you will most likely learn a ton of things! Believe me, if you have a foreign accent, you will be granted local tour information for free.

Yes Kabir, our driver's license, which has our picture on it, is actually used for our ID more than anything else is; and of course we have to have our drivers license with us if we are driving! People that are still in school, whatever kind (grade school, high school, collage), usually have a Student ID they can use as well.

I worked selling alcohol in a store. I had to check ID's for everyone, no matter what age you looked like because we had people use fake ID's and other peoples ID's before. I did accept both driver license and passports. I think I also was aloud to accept military ID's too.

The “fish & chips” you saw are crab cakes! They usually come w remoulade sauce (kinda like a spicy Cajun) and lemon. They are yummy and if you’re on the east coast (specifically Baltimore or Boston) they’re a must!

I’ve driven from New York to California twice and while it is a hell of a drive and takes days it’s super cool, to see how much the terrain changes and all the cities along the way, and some national parks are crazy amazing. Literally one day I drove from the arches which is in Utah and was about 104 degrees up through the Rockies that were 60 still with snow. Hope you have fun!

I love how open minded you are and how excited you get about the food! The fish & chips looking dish is crab cakes 😊 Hope you have a wonderful time when you visit!!!

They never officially say which Springfield the Simpsons come from. Matt Greoning did this on purpose because so many states have a Springfield, so people could relate to it. But the town itself is based on Springfield, Oregon, which is his home town. Now before the movie was released, a promo was done where people could vote for where they want the town to be and Virginia won. Since then, many references in the show hint that they live in Virgina, given the distances to places, football teams, weathern patterns, etc.

Drivers licenses count as ID. In fact most people use that as their ID

Kabir - you as so sweet and fun to watch! I'm born and bred in the USA and it is so fun watching your reactions to things that we consider as "normal" and assume everyone else does too! It's really an education for us Americans as well as yourself!

We homeschooled our kids, so we would take yearly road trips to see all the contiguous US states. The last one we did took 5 weeks, and over 5,000 miles. Texas over to East coast and up to New England and Montreal, Canada, and then back home. And that was only one portion of the USA. We have visited 45 out of the lower 48 states, and it has taken 5 multi-week, thousands of miles trips.

So I have watched several of your videos about the USA, and I feel quite invested in you having a successful trip to see our wonderful country! When I travel, even just within the states, I have found that weather plays a VERY significant part in the overall quality of the trip. When you shared that you plan to visit in January, my heart sunk. It may be the best time to travel from a financial perspective, but it is NOT the optimal time of year to come to the USA, in my opinion. : (. Unless you plan on spending most of your time in Southern California, Southern Florida,or New Mexico, you will be coming to America during a very cold time of year in many states.if you love the cold weather, then great! January may be the perfect time for you. I prefer the changes in the Seasons, so I live in Kentucky. I have the “best of it all” by living where I do. I am in Northern Kentucky, known as the Tri-State area. I am only a 10 minute drive to a nice size city: Cincinnati, Ohio. I am a 20 minute drive to Southern Indiana, and in my state of Kentucky, I am a little over an hour 20’minutes to Lexington, KY where we have the great University of Kentucky. College Basketball is a huge deal in Kentucky!! If you like basketbal,

I see a lot of other people saying this too, but local restaurants will be so much cooler and the food will be much better than fast food anywhere you happen to be in the US. Seeing all the different fast food would probably be interesting for you, but local food will be much, much better

For alcohol identification, always use your passport. As in some places (like Utah) non-US identification (excluding passports) cannot be used as ID for alcohol sales. Also be aware that alcohol laws are regional, where every state, county and city has the right to make any laws regarding the sale of alcohol as long as the governing body above it hasn’t already made a similar law. This means some places can have no alcohol on Sunday, or prices fixed above a certain threshold or just flat out banning the sale of alcohol in the jurisdiction.

I know this is an older video but I just found your channel and I love it! I know we pronounce some words differently but I laughed so hard when you said 'tarter' sauce. like Tar-tar. Here we pronounce it tar-tur. Anyway, love you love your vids, keep them coming! I'm from Michigan USA

Americans are very genuine about their friendliness. And they are! Mostly. And do be careful about speeding or your driving in general because they really pull over more people there.

When you asked if that was an old timey restaurant, it could've been but we also have Amish/Pennsylvania Dutch people here that still live that way for the most part and don't accept most modern things. They make excellent woodcraft items or homemade baked goods and jams to sell to tourists though.

January? Unless you plan on spending most of your time in Florida, Texas or Southern California! Spring (May) or Fall (September) I think are best! Not too hot or too Cold. Also: You think you’re only going to gain 5 pounds? You might want to incorporate a fitness plan in your trip. The food is amazing! Go for the local cuisine!

I’m so proud to be 🇺🇸 I visited 🇬🇧 two months ago and I was so surprised as well.. You do have a beautiful country.❤️

We do have manual cars in America as well. Mostly in sports cars now. They just aren't as common as they used to be.. I love that you commented on how much fun it is to drive a manual shift car.. I drive a Chevy Camaro manual and love it! ❤️

When it comes to the “Speed Limit” in the US, it’s very important to remember that many states have laws against “impeding the normal flow of traffic” or laws to “keep right, except to pass”, etc. I regularly drive on a highway where the speed limit is 55 mph and the people will drive 70-75 mph in the far left lane; also, the more local the police, the less they seem to care. Seriously, put State Troopers on this highway and watch the speeds collapse down to 55-60. In the same county, we have a small city that seems to fund itself on speeding tickets because the smart people don’t speed or keep it to less than 5 mph over the limit. My advice to you is, get out of the locals’ way, avoid rush hour (especially in cities), and relax in the slow lane most of the time; if you approach driving in the US with the right attitude, it’s much less stressful.

Historical thingy: back in the early 20th, there were amazing public transit systems in major American cities. So much so that no one in urban areas bought cars when cars became a thing. The corporations that profited from these new fangled cars (Ford, US Steel, etc) bought all the public transit trolleys and rails in major cities...and dismantled them forcing people to buy cars. Everything in the store is for sale.

It is very sad that there are many people here in America that are not proud of their country.

if you're in the north at all in winter, you'll redefine the meaning of "cold!" (except the Pacific Northwest). regional foods: Maryland and Virginia = crabs! most of the South = local barbecue places Florida = Cuban (try a Cuban sandwich) anywhere Florida to California in the South = real Mexican food. In all those places, make sure to ask someone local for the REAL deal, not a chain. And if in Tampa, check out Bern's steakhouse (amazing menu is online). If too pricey, just go to the desert room. As someone else suggested, you might want to rent a amall RV. If you do, make sure you know how to hook it up correctly. The Southwest is GORGEOUS (Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, etc.) If you intend to hit up national parks, you might want to look into a pass to make it more affordable. Or if going to a particular state for parks, look into state park passes. If you visit Utah, that'll be eye-opening. It's mostly Mormon, and they don't drink alcohol or caffeine. While you can get coffee or coke, etc., they might serve it strangely -- like hand you an unopened cola with a glass of ice while they look at you funny. Looking forward to seeing where your adventure takes you!

That food is crab cakes. Very tasty, extremely popular in the Mid-Atlantic region- Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Delaware. A word of caution on cheaper hotels...if you see stars of 2 or below, they are not nice hotels. The rooms are usually not very clean, amenities are basic, etc... look at 3 or higher. Look at user reviews. Complimentary services usually are described on website, so you can plan. The 5 star hotels are based on ambiance, location, and quality. The extras are wonderful, but at a premium.

In regards to the large space between the floor and the toilet wall, as explained by Hollywood, you need that space to be able to escape foreign spies, slashers/serial killers, or school bullies.

Smiling, holding the door for strangers, and saying, “Ya’ll,” is more common than you think. Even my cousins in the North Midwest use it. I’m in Texas.

I drive a manual!! Born and raised in the US. Yes you can buy a manual transmission still at a car lot. Even new cars lol. I've only driven manuals since I was a teenager and I'm 44 now.

For reference on how MASSIVE the US is, if the UK was a state it would be ranked 11th in area and is about 1/6th the size of Alaska(biggest in the nation)

it’s so ironic hearing someone from Britain telling Americans to be proud of where they came from lmao

Hello there. My name is Dorothy. I live in oregon USA. born in Tennessee, raised in California, back to Tennessee, California again, Washington and oregon. And lived in rhode Island as a military wife. That's criss crossing my beautiful country a few times from two years old, on. And every Mile was by car. It took my husband and I almost a week to get to Rhode Island, and ad a child, my sad drove from California to Tennessee in about four days . ( your video is playing ax I'm typing and i have to laugh at some of the things being said. Of course we drive automatics, yes, we are patriotic. Unfortunately the last few years we haven't represented ourselves as well as we should. But when I see my flag being raised, I'll always get emotional, because there is so very much beauty, and heart. And lordy, the beauty here! Rough mentioned in-and -out burgers. My mom was in labor with her fifth child, and on the way to the hospital she made my dad stop so she could get a burger on the way. Lol. If you haven't come on your trip yet, and you really want to know the diversity of the land, and tge people, try to come to all four corners of this place. I've driven through 32 states. I'm not a big city girl but there are done amazing structures. I'm a born southerner, and I lived down the road from Graceland as a child. Southern hospitality is a real thing. The south Is beautiful. And hotter than a two dollar pistol in the summer. But of all the places I've been. Oregon captured my heart and soul early. I hope you can someday see the forests, with the biggest trees you'll ever see. The wild oregon coast. The mountains where you can ski and enjoy the views. The high desert in Central oregon where the Steens mountains rise ten thousand feet, and are sanctuary fir the famous Kieger Mustangs. These would horses are amazing. And yoy can get to all four corners of the state in one day. Our country is like any other i would think as far as personalities. It takes all kinds. You'll meet some that charm you, and some that are dumner than a box of rocks. But the vast majority are good people. And yes. Helpful and friendly. Wherever you end up please, above all, enjoy yourself. Look beyond the first glance. I'm proud of my little spot on the planet. I hope you will make really good memories here. Oh. No, you do not have to tip your bartender. Not in any place I've worked. Twenty years behind the bar, on the floor cocktail waitresses, and 25 years on stage behind the mic. If its a gratuity for a job well done. A bad server doesn't deserve a tip. It's true they live off those tips. I've not known too many servers that don't go the extra mile, tip or not. But in the nNorth West anyway, we figure you're the judge of the service you get. Sorry such a long novel here. Enjoy your stay, and Welcome!

I’m American, and I haven’t really experienced this less for more hotel concept. ( maybe the places I stay aren’t fancy enough?😆) I will say, that typically, a free breakfast is pretty much usually a garbage breakfast, and the free hotel coffee (whether it’s a nice place or not, is NEVER good.😆 Also, some places have a “mini bar”( I think some European hotels have this too.) It’s a stocked fridge in your room with snacks and drinks, but if you partake they will charge you way more than they are worth.

I would avoid the bus systems like Greyhound for travel. Not what they use to be. You can get a rail pass that will allow you to travel all around the US by train and get on and off where you like. You get to see the country you would miss by air. I've driven across the US quite a number of times. About 5 days travel coast to coast and is interesting if you don't have an agenda you can poke around small town USA and see lots of neat stuff.

That “oldie worldie” place you were asking about was Colonial Williamsburg. It’s a living history museum; you have those in the UK as well.

The US is so big with many states. The location you go will determine the friendliness of the people. If you are traveling, be mindful that racism still exist. The experience of traveling is much different between races. Know where you are going, who you are, and stay safe.

If you want to travel while you're in the US, I suggest May-June or September-October. The weather will be suitable for planes & cars, and it's outside of the major holiday/tourist season so you can get better prices on hotels. Some national parks where it snows may be closed in January if you wanted to visit them, like Yellowstone. And the heat in the south will be more tolerable.

Colonial Williamsburg is a living museum. The city played an important role in Colonial America & after we won our independence. Actors help bring it to life, giving tours to tourists. They do reenactments. A historic restaurant serves period inspired food, served by staff in period costume. Craftsmen like blacksmiths, glassblowers, and so on give demonstrations and answer questions.

I was about to recommend you come up to New England during your trip to the US..then you said you were thinking of coming in January, in which case NEVERMIND! But if you come in the autumn it’s absolutely gorgeous, and I’d be happy to provide a free tour guide!

Most hotels in FL add on a resort fee and a daily parking fee and a tourism tax as well as sales taxes.

Regarding the size of the country, I'd encourage someone traveling here, who has time to do so, to not be intimidated by the travel time between places but enjoy the journey and not just the destinations. For example: yes, it's a long drive from Miami to Las Vegas. But if you stretch that trip out you can drive through the Smoky Mountains, stop over in Nashville, Memphis or St. Louis (and/or hundreds of other locations), drive across the great plains region (which some lament but I think has its own beauty) and the desert Southwest, experiencing the varying sights, terrain, attractions and people along the way. Of course this is all as time permits - and if time is limited then yes, flying from point A to point B is most practical. There is a lot to see all across the U.S., however you experience it.

Also, fun thing about where I live (Arizona), it's actually illegal for businesses that serve drinks to charge for water by itself. We live in a desert, hydration is a serious issue here. So if your business is able to offer any drink, even if it's a gas station, you can't charge for just water, and most places here have a separate set of small plastic cups used for water alone. It's honestly one of the best things about this place, even if I hate how hot it gets.

What's also cool though, is the US'S huge diversity of terrain & animal life. In Florida, they have black panther's, all variety of snakes & spiders, as well as gecko's. In the NE here, we have black bears (no grizzly's on East Coast; but on West Coast there is), we do have diamondback rattlesnakes, the occasional moose, copperhead snakes, tons and tons of deer, and we're extremely dense with tree's. All of the East Coast has really gorgeous beaches & little islands that you can boat too, or kayak too. We have huge deserts, we have the middle America plains, Grand Canyon, Rocky mountains....I could go on! When I won a trip from CT to Montana, I won a trip to a dude ranch! It was amazing, to be able to go dog sledding in the Rocky Mountains. Although walking around at night at the ranch was scary as they have lot's of mountain lions in that area of the NW. But skiing down the Rocky's was amazing!! Quite a bit different than going skiing over here in the NE where we don't have such huge mountains. Oh and they have mountain goats in Montana/NW area too. Super cool to see. I also went to Yellowstone & saw the hotsprings. So we have such a huge variety of differents types of land & animals. Pretty neat.

Also at the medium priced hotels, sometimes you can negotiate price. When my daughter was having her wedding in another state, our room was $99 a night, but since we were getting two rooms I called the hotel and negotiated down to $69 a night. The rooms were very nice, had a large hot tub inside the room, swimming pool, workout facilities and free breakfast. You save a lot of money on that free breakfast when you’re feeding six people.

We took a 3 week road trip out west this summer we started in Central Florida and made a big winding loop up to Montana then all the way down to southern New Mexico, we visited 17 states, 8 national parks and put over 7,000 miles on the car. This was my sixth road trip where we put more than 6500 miles on my car and I have made too many short road trips in the 2000 mile range over the year to count. When you’re pressed for time you definitely have to fly but if you have time I recommend driving so you can see some of the US’s breathtaking scenery ,especially out West.

Yes we do drive manuals, they are not the majority of cars, though. I used to love driving manuals, but, now that I’m older, I drive automatics, it’s just easier. ✌🏼❤️

The “fish and chips” was a crab cake- best had in Baltimore MD , just outside DC. The old world thing is Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. It’s a full time living history settlement where volunteers- even children live like the late 1700s 24 hours a day.

The gaps in public toilet stalls are because it's cheaper to make them that way. It's more expensive to have stalls with floor to ceiling walls and doors.

We drive from Michigan to Arizona and California to see my Mom and our daughter every year! Love the drive, there is so much to see! You really miss out when you fly!

When I went to New York. We had to get on the subway and it was a little confusing. So I started asking people around me. They were wonderful! Also ask the locals where do they eat at where is the best food. I didn’t want to go to the tourist Restaurants.

The reason for the bathroom is 3 fold. Yes safety is one of those but it's also makes it so much easier to clean the floors. But more than any of that is that public bathrooms are designed and built by modular. You order premade components based on standard sizes then put them together. It makes it easier to construct and replace.

I believe the Springfield in the Simpson is the one in Oregon. The creater grew up in Portland Oregon and then went to college in Washington state a few hours north (he went to the same College that I ended up going to many years later!!). He has actually confirmed that it’s based off the one in Oregon, but that there are elements from other Springfields as well. The landscape of the show changes based in on the plot in each episode.

I wish he would have explained how we have different accents in each city and how much more we take pride in our city than our country

People do buy and drive manual cars in the USA. They are just not as common. Don't go to a really cheap hotel, please.

Kabir said "5 pounds." Oh that made my night.

the wife and i enjoy watching your videos about the british view of america. i have not traveled much out of country myself and the perception of other cultures of america is really fascinating.

If you stay at Caesar’s Palace in Vegas they provide a coffee pot in the room but the coffee is locked up with the mini bar stuff- if I remember correctly the coffee is double the price of going to the Starbucks downstairs. You pay for a more expensive hotel but you can’t use the hot tub unless you pay an extra fee to enter the spa area. We were there in the winter to see an Elton John concert. So having one pool open & no free access to a hot tub was not a perk.

Everybody is going to tell you NOT to see the whole country in 2 months. I just have this counterpoint to offer. I was a long haul trucker for a couple years. The first few weeks were some of the most amazing of my life. I started in New Jersey, looking at the NYC skyline. Drove to Denver in the Rocky mountains. Then down to LA. Going across Utah was some of the most breathtaking scenery. From LA, it was on to Las Vegas and then Miami. Needless to say, I lingered in these last two places longer than the others lol. All along the way, I got to stop and meet people, talk to people and hear the funny accents. I tried food from little diners all across the country, and discovered some REALLY tasty things. I've traveled to other countries and been places. But driving the USA was one of the most memorable experiences of my life!!

Most of the time you can make a right turn on red, however, some intersections may be posted with a sign that says...No Right On Red. So pay attention for traffic signs.

The food that you were thinking is fish and chips - it's actually crab cakes ( a specialty in Maryland). The weird old timey looking place is Williamsburg, VA. They make sure that everyone there is dressed in period costume for the original settlement (think 1700's).

I love this guy! Very honest , especially about lack of public transport. So very true.

If you're planning on driving, contact your embassy to ask if they can get you an international license. Most law enforcement officers won't recognize a foreign license as valid. Another thing foreigners are often surprised about American toilets: our lack of bidets. They don't exist unless the property owner personally has one installed post-construction. The hotel industry is really weird. Air bnb is probably your best bet for value if you're staying somewhere multiple nights.

3:45 I did an Amtrack Train Ride around the US in ten days. From LAX to Miami Florida, to Boston Masachusets, to Chicago and then Emeriville California and back to LAX. In the train you get to see the country side you are traveling by (unlike a plane) and you also get to meet and talk with the people in the different places you are passing and you are not tired out by driving all the time.

I love the leg lamp in the thumbnail! "A Christmas story" is the best.

You can take a left on red, too. You have to be turning from the left lane of a one way street onto another one way street.

Yes, everyone drives so traffic can be terrible. You'll hear the expression "Rush hour" which refers to the period of time in the morning and evening when most people are going to or coming home from work. The two rush hours are actually longer than 1 hour since different jobs can start anywhere from 7:30 am to 9:00 am and end 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm.

East Tennessee is beautiful in October. The mountains are gorgeous when the leaves change colors. Gatlinburg, TN is a nice spot to visit. Lots for tourists to do and see. Just FYI.

Regarding hotels, yes, you’ll get more freebies at mid level hotels. But as for your overall experience, you get what you pay for: luxury. Luxurious surroundings, high quality bedding, linens & towels, lovely furnishings in the room, marble in the bath & quality fixtures. A large staff caters to guest’s wants & needs. There’ll be concierge services as well. The experience between a 3-4 star & 5 star place is as different as night & day. But most of us don’t have either the means or can justify the high cost when the hotel room is only for a clean place to sleep & wash up.

The US has a term, it’s called “car culture” to sum it up, everyone has a car. You will have to have one to get around, and yes traffic is horrible but much better than mass transit. So be prepared to rent a car and they are not cheap to rent. Also, if you’re going to be going all over the US it helps to think of the US like Europe where each “state” in the US is like each “country” in Europe. Expect for the most part we all speak the same language but there are definitely different cultural things in each state

When you’re driving around the United States the best bathrooms in America are truly in McDonald’s. I’ve traveled the world internationally and McDonald’s is always the most consistent food on the planet.... the same can be said for their bathrooms.

Biggest difference imo is that our beer is served cold. him: Thats a huge sandwich me: Wondering where the sides are Also not waking at 6am for their so called breakfast so i admit Holiday inn expresses do have a nice array of options

We took a month off, 10,000 miles round trip from Indiana to Alaska and back. Slept in van. Best time ever, especially getting to see our beautiful country

the old world looking thing is Williamsburg, VA, which is a sort of living museum of the 18th century.