American tour, choose free travel, or with group tour?
After deciding to go to the United States, it is necessary to choose whether to be free or to travel with the group. At the beginning, seven or eight friends wanted to go and meet freely, because two of them had an international driver's license. Later, I thought about it again and again. In the end, I and the other two friends still felt that it was more suitable for group tour because everyone was very busy, no one. Have time to do detailed homework.
I have summed up the basic conditions that must be met when traveling to the United States and wanting to travel freely:
1. Long holidays and plenty of time. For those who have not had more than three weeks of vacation, don't play freely, unless you only plan to take a route, such as going to the east or west, or planning to go to the US multiple times.
2. I am willing to spend money, because free travel can not enjoy the team price, unless there is time to shop around online to find the best airfare and hotel.
3. The English level is at least understandable by others, rich in body language, and must have strong coping skills.
4. Have an international driver's license, or a domestic driver's license to do a notary, rent a car to open their own, if you go to the local to participate in the group, it is not much different from the group directly in the country, unless the United States is received, you can accompany the tour.
5. I will work hard to do my homework, including my own air ticket, hotel, direction and identification map.
6. Have a hard work and a comfortable attitude, because the US tour route is very long, it is more time and effort to travel freely in some places than to travel with the group tour.
Of course, the senior wilderness is not limited to this. If you can go with the situation, you can wait for the ticket after a few months on the Internet. You can use the map to go to the world. Even if you don't understand English, you can use body language to communicate with people. It is recommended to go free to experience the fun of a US trip.
With the group tour has the following benefits:
1. Don't worry if you pay for anything, airfare, fill in the entry and exit form, accommodation, car, meal, itinerary, everything will help you get it, worry and worry.
2. To save money, the cost of the tour group is often higher than that of the free travel province. Because there are many people in the team, the travel agency can get the cheapest air tickets, accommodation, attraction tickets, and renting a car, so the cost to everyone is natural. It's cheap.
3. The travel time is short, the trip is compact, and it can be controlled for about two weeks. It is more suitable for those who are not too long on vacation.
4. Have free guides to explain at any time and place, and do more research than to do your own homework, and the tour guide can tell a lot of local characteristics, such as how much the local house price is square, and many local customs, etc. These things are more difficult to do. homework.
5. Save your mind and worry, where to go when the tour guide takes you, eat dinner, get on the train and get on the bus. It's easy to travel, you can watch the sights and listen more carefully, instead of having to worry too much about the next one. stroke.
I used to like to travel freely. Every time I travel, I have to spend time and energy to do my homework. I booked a hotel ticket, designed the line, and it took time and effort. Later I did my homework and was afraid. I am lazy now, I feel that it is easy and comfortable to travel with the group. I don’t have to worry about anything. I am busy with my usual work. Isn’t it just to relax when I go out for a trip? Why spend so much energy on my homework!
Of course, there are also many shortcomings with group tours. For example, the time spent at each attraction is very limited. Many places will not be very enjoyable, but both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. You can only choose a more suitable way.
For those who only want to go to the United States and want to see as many places as possible on a trip, it is the best choice for group tours.
The United States has a vast territory and can basically be divided into three lines, Hawaii, the West Line and the East Line. After a blogger saw my "Feeling America" series, I left a message saying that the United States is suitable to go three times, so that we can better appreciate the United States. I raised my hands to agree with him. The problem is that ordinary people are very difficult to go to the United States three times. Even if there is enough time and money, it is very painful to have a jet lag, so the best is to finish it once. But even with the very tight schedule of the group tour, I also spent a full 14 days (originally 15 days, later the flight changed, forced to cancel the free time of New York day), if you want to go so much freely The place, I want to enjoy a little look, I guess it will be nearly a month, so people who want to travel to the United States can refer to their actual situation and make a suitable trip for them. Don't be fooled, lest you regret it.
Visa issue for US tour
This year, the US visa to China has been relaxed a lot. If it is not the first time to go abroad, it can basically be signed. Visas are usually round trips a year, but you must go to the consulate to sign in person and keep your handprints. Once you have a visa, you can choose freely if you want to travel freely or with a group tour. This is very different from other places (like going to Europe and Australia and group tours are signed by travel agencies). Therefore, American travel agencies do not care whether the members of the group return home on time or whether they are free to move. This is a lot of freedom. For example, when we were in the United States, we had a trip to San Diego and a border town in Mexico. I gave up that day to visit my good friends. For example, New York is our last stop. Some of our group members have relatives or friends there. You don't have to come back with us and stay in New York for a few more days. First, take most of the routes with the tour group, and then go to some places of interest after the end, this is also a good choice.
For visa issues, you can contact the consulate yourself or you can contact a travel agency. I chose the latter and spent some money to save some effort. If the visa is passed, the deposit of 1,800 yuan will be directly deducted from the group. If it is not passed, the travel agency will deduct 1,500 yuan (including the US visa fee of about 900 yuan, even if the visa is refused, the 900 yuan visa fee consulate is also to be collected). Basically, the visa cannot be passed, so I am very confident to hand it over to the travel agency. I prepared the materials myself. The travel agency helped me make an appointment for the interview date and I flew the Guangzhou visa.
For the process of the face-to-face check, please refer to my blog post "Three-eighth Section Guangzhou Visa", not to mention more.
When our country unwittingly becomes the world's second largest economy, what we most want to know is what is the world's dominant US. What are the gaps between us and others? Therefore, there are such a group of people who have been in constant contact, conversation and negotiation. Finally, six people have finally decided to be able to start at the same time and have the same goal. Go to the United States to travel by car, feel the country on the road, and experience us. How big is the gap with others?
This trip, I got the most valuable support from Ctrip.com: We provided a mobile data terminal that can be accessed all the time. It is the mobile wifi, which is commonly used to find routes, book hotels, and access information at any time. The data provides great convenience, and everyone is excited that the whole car can release news on the Internet at any time, and maintain the fastest connection with the country. This time, our WeChat is called a lively! Shopping at Outlets, then send a photo back and ask: Is this good? There is a letter to the other side: Oh, I am so satisfied! You said, how happy is it? The distance between the earth and the east and the halves is really close to you because of the wifi! It seems that this baby will be indispensable no matter where he travels. There are also many friends who have sent inquiries all the way. Here again, Ctrip.com has a special rental, which is very convenient to collect and return at the airport.
The United States is a country with a very developed network. With the mobile app, you can do a lot of things very conveniently, such as booking a hotel. This is the most valuable experience you have experienced. During the US self-driving period, there were several times because there was no prior reservation. As a result, I drove a hotel and a hotel to look for it. Some of them were full, some were too high, and it was already halfway in the middle of the night, and once even in the middle of the night. Check in at 12 o'clock (the Columbus Festival in the United States that night, all hotels are full, if you book in advance to avoid such embarrassment).
Using online booking is not only very convenient, but also easy to stay. Just follow the navigation guide and find the hotel directly.
