I. AIR TRAVEL Airport Layovers Domestic Airlines TSA. II. OTHER TRAVEL Rental Cars Bus Hopstop. III. LODGING Hotel Recommendations Trip Advisor

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1 TIPS FOR TRAVELING IN THE UNITED STATES I have compiled these tips after years of traveling for work and fun that I hope you will find to be useful while visiting the United States. The tips are broken down into the following areas: I. AIR TRAVEL Airport Layovers Domestic Airlines TSA II. OTHER TRAVEL Rental Cars Bus Hopstop III. LODGING Hotel Recommendations Trip Advisor IV. TRAVEL WEBSITES/REWARD/DISCOUNT PROGRAMS Travel Booking Websites Airline Programs Hotel Programs Other Discount Programs V. DINING Restaurant Reviews Food Delivery VI. MEDICAL NEEDS Pharmacies Where To Seek Medical Attention VII. MISCELLANEOUS TRAVEL TIPS SIM cards/cell phones

2 l. AIR TRAVEL Airport Layovers Since a lot of flights now have layovers, these are the airports that you should consider if you have to have a layover when flying into or around the United States. Of course, if you can get a direct flight into your final destination, this is always the best way to go. 1. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson. Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world, is the headquarters for Delta Airlines, and is a major hub for Air Tran/Southwest. It can seem like an intimidating airport due to its size, but it s really easy to navigate, and there are tons of people around to assist you. If you do ever happen to have a layover here and have some extra time, I highly recommend venturing over to the B Concourse. Inside Buckhead Books located in the middle of the B Concourse, there is a restaurant called Café Intermezzo that I highly recommend. Their breakfast is particularly good! I actually book longer layovers in Atlanta just so I can eat there! 2. NYC-JFK. JFK has fewer delays than NYC-Newark, and is more convenient for getting in and out of the city if you plan on staying for a sightseeing visit. 3. Chicago-O Hare. I strongly recommend that you AVOID this airport if at all possible. Chicago is the #1 city for delays in the United States. Chicago Midway is not quite as bad, but it is primarily a domestic airport that is used by Southwest. Domestic Airlines If you plan on traveling by plane to somewhere other than your final destination, the following are domestic airlines that I recommend, in no particular order. I ve also included airlines that I highly recommend avoiding. 1. Southwest ( Southwest has a great reputation for not only providing excellent customer service, but they also have an impeccable safety record and are one of the last airlines to allow free checked bags with 2 per passenger. They also have wi-fi for a flat $8, as well as free t.v. and movies once you ve accessed the internet. Southwest does not assign seats for their flights. Passengers get to pick their own seat once they are on the aircraft. Your number in line is determined by when you check-in for your flight, so if you fly Southwest you should either pay the $10 for automatic check-in to ensure a good place in line, or be prepared to check-in online as soon as you are 24 hours away from your departure time. 2. Jet Blue ( Jet Blue mainly flies along the eastern part of the United States, but they do have several other destinations. They allow one free checked bag per passenger, as well as outstanding customer service and free DirectTV channels during the flight. 3. Virgin America ( Virgin America has very limited service compared to the other airlines, but like the rest of the Virgin family, they have excellent service and unique amenities. 4. Delta ( This is my preferred airline, aside from Southwest. The flight attendants are usually pleasant and I have never had any issues while flying with them. 5. American Airlines- AVOID! If at all possible, I highly recommend avoiding American Airlines. They are consistently ranked as one of the worst airlines to

3 fly. Not only do people have issues with customer service, but they are also known for lost/damaged baggage. 6. Spirit Airlines- AVOID! While they appear to have lower fares, they have horrible service and charge hefty baggage fees. If your carry-on bag does not fit under the seat in front of you, you will be charged $35 if you pay while you are booking your ticket, $45 if you pay when you check-in online, $50 if you pay at the airport, and $100 if you try to board the plane and haven t already paid. TSA The TSA, or Transportation Security Administration, is the airport security at all domestic airports as well as international airports where there are flights departing to the United States. Security rules tend to change on the whim of the TSA, so I highly recommend visiting Here you can find out what you can/cannot travel with, what to do if you have a medical condition or special medications, and information about security screening. You are not required to go through any AIT (Advanced Imaging Technology) machine. The TSA is currently using millimeter wave scanners that only give them a generic outline of a person. If you do not want to go through an AIT machine, you need to tell the TSA officer, I opt out. You will then be given an enhance pat down, which can be conducted in private if you choose. Just be aware that if you choose to have a pat down by opting out, you could end up missing your flight, as the TSA has been known to make people wait for up to an hour for a pat down. The TSA has really been working on improving customer service and there aren t nearly the issues today that there were a couple of years ago. ll. OTHER TRAVEL Rental Cars Most states require auto insurance while driving, so be sure to check your insurance policy to see what is covered while driving a rental car- especially in another country. Some credit card companies also provide coverage, so it s best to check what they may provide as well. Bus If you do not plan on renting a car while you are traveling, there are other options for getting from one city to another. Greyhound ( has service from or near major airports to various cities. Megabus (us.megabus.com) doesn t have as many stops as Greyhound does, but can definitely be cheaper than flying, if cost is a concern. Hopstop Hopstop ( is a service offered in a lot of major cities that will provide you with specific directions on how to get from Point A to Point B using public transportation.

4 lll. LODGING Hotel Recommendations The following are hotel recommendations that are readily available in most cities. 1. La Quinta Inn/Inn & Suites ( This is actually my favorite hotel chain. I have stayed in La Quinta hotels in 8 different cities and have had a wonderful experience every time. Their hotels are clean, comfortable, and provide a free breakfast in the morning. 2. Candlewood Suites ( This is geared more towards long-term stays, but is an excellent hotel. Each room has a fridge, microwave, stove, and cooking utensils. They also have free 24/7 laundry facilities and 24-hour access to their Candlewood Cupboard which is a minimart of sorts that operates on an honor system. 3. Wyndham Hotel Group ( Motels of the Wyndham group offer a mostly good price point and value. They are basic, no-frills motels. Motels in this group include Super 8, Travelodge, and Days Inn. 4. America s Best Value Inn ( This chain has all new properties, are clean, safe, and cost-effective. Trip Advisor If you ever have any doubts about the safety or cleanliness of the hotel, it s really helpful to consult lv. TRAVEL WEBSITES/REWARD/DISCOUNT PROGRAMS Travel Websites Kayak ( Kayak is the best website to search for flights, cars, hotels, etc. It searches all of the travel sites and gives you the lowest price for what you are looking for. The only thing that Kayak cannot search is flights on Southwest. The only way you can find out what a ticket will cost is to go directly to the Southwest website. Hotwire ( Hotwire is similar to Priceline, except you don t name your own price. It s great for hotels and car rentals, but I don t use it for flights, since you don t know when the flight will depart or arrive until you ve already paid for it. It s particularly useful for last minute hotel stays. Reward Programs It is highly recommended that you sign up for the various airline and hotel discount programs, as some of them (such as America s Best Value Inn) offer discounts for signing up. Signing up for these programs is free and points add up quickly towards free flights and hotel stays. Discount Programs ABN Business Discount Network ( Membership is free and gives you discounts to a number of different motel groups. The discount code for the Wyndham Group is Enter this code in the Corporate Code space while making your reservation and you will receive the discount. Miscellaneous Discount Cards. Most grocery stores and pharmacies have discount cards that you must have in order to get the sale price. Signing up for these is free as well. You can ask for them at customer service. If they require your zip code and

5 V. DINING yours is only 4 digits, add a 0 in front of your zip code. If a telephone number is required, digit a sequence of numbers in the format of US telephone numbers, e.g Phone numbers in the US never begin with a 0 or 1. Restaurant Reviews Yelp ( If you are looking for food options other than fast food, check out Yelp. You can search restaurants by zip code to see what is near you and read reviews from actual customers. Food Delivery Grub Hub ( This website will show you which restaurants are still open and deliver to where you are located. You can browse menus and place your order right through the website. Vl. MEDICAL NEEDS Pharmacies Many stores like Target and Wal-Mart now have pharmacies, but the main pharmacies are Walgreens and CVS. There are a lot of locations that are open 24 hours as well. Where To Seek Medical Attention Depending on how severe your illness or injury is, you have a few options for seeking medical care in the United States. 1. Emergency Room. The emergency room at a hospital should only be used for life-threatening emergencies, or as a last resort for urgent medical treatment. Unless your injury or illness is life threatening, you can expect to wait anywhere up to 12 hours to see a doctor. It is also extremely expensive to visit the emergency room. It is not unheard of for a visit to treat a sprained ankle to cost $3,000-$5,000 if you do not have health insurance here in the United States. 2. Urgent Care. If you need urgent medical attention that is not life threatening, try to visit an urgent care center. You can do an internet search for one in the area where you are staying. A number of them are open late and/or on the weekends. They are staffed by doctors and nurses who can treat pretty much anything that is not too severe or life threatening. If they feel that you should really be in the emergency room, they will refer you to the closest facility. Most of the fees associated with visiting urgent care centers are a lot more reasonable than visiting the emergency room of a hospital- even if you do not have insurance. 3. Walk-In Clinics. Both CVS and Walgreens have walk-in clinics that are staffed by Nurse Practitioners. These nurses are able to assist with minor injuries/illnesses and can write prescriptions. Walgreens Take Care Clinicwww.walgreens.com/topic/healthcare-clinic/our-services CVS Minute Clinic-

6 Vll. MISCELLANEOUS TIPS Most phones are now equipped with sim cards. Here in the United States, T-Mobile and AT&T are the only two providers that use sim cards. To make calling/sms home cheaper, you can purchase a sim card at either of these stores to use in your cell phone and purchase prepaid minutes. That way you have a local number and phone to use in the event of an emergency without having to pay for international roaming on your international phone. Contact Info For Questions: Danielle Bissell Address: W125S9690 North Cape Road Muskego, Wisconsin USA daniellejbissell@gmail.com Phone: (248) September 18,