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US Travel Tips
Border Crossings
Electricity
Language
Measures
Telephone
Post Office
Tipping
Holidays
Money
Travel Planning
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Driving Tours
Free Brochures
Time & Time Zones
Transportation
--Airlines
--Automobile
--Bus/Coach
--Ferries
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Travel In Canada
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About the Northwest
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A Provocative Description of the Pacific Northwest
More Visitor Information
British Columbia
Idaho
Montana
Oregon
Washington
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The Go Northwest! definition of the Pacific Northwest includes the
states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Crossing the border
Click here.
Electricity
Like Canada, residential USA uses
115 volt electrical systems at 60 hertz. You will need a voltage transformer/ converter
for your electrical appliances if they operate on a different voltage. There are
different types of converters for different types of appliances. Small electronics,
razors and non-heating appliances can operate with a 50-watt converter. Heating
appliances such as hair dryers, irons, coffee makers and other high-power electrical
appliances need a 1600-watt converter. You can also purchase combination converters for
both types. Mains wall sockets and plugs for 115 volts are two parallel flat blades.
If those sockets are different from the ones used in your country then you will need a
socket converter. You can buy a kit
online at the Go Northwest! Travel Store.
Language
English is the official
language in the USA.
Measures
The USA uses the imperial system, however the metric system is creeping in. You will
see both systems displayed in places such as some road signs, digital temperature
displays, and tourist brochures.
Phone
Calls
Dialing into the USA :
1 + area code + local number
Idaho area codes: 208
Montana area codes: 406
Oregon area codes:
(except Portland): 541
Portland and area: 503
Washington area codes:
Seattle: 206
Greater Seattle: 425
Olympia: 253
western WA: 360
eastern WA: 509
Dialing out of the USA
011 + country code + area code + local number
Toll free: known as "800" numbers, dial
1 + 800 + rest of number
Emergencies: dial 911 (police, ambulance, fire)
Post
Offices
If you wish to receive post
while in the US, have it sent to a city's main post office marked with your name, c/o
General Delivery. The post office will hold it for four weeks and you will need ID
to collect.
United
States Postal Service (USPS)
International visitors, find how much it currently costs send a postcard. US visitors,
scroll down to find the current cost for sending postcard home. US
citizens can also download a passport
application from here.
Tipping
Like Canada, in the USA it is customary to tip for services such as restaurants, bars and
pubs, taxis and hairdressers. Usually 15%, although the amount can range from 10% to 20%
at the discretion of the person paying the bill. Always
check whether a service charge was included in a restaurant bill, especially if paying by
credit card, as this is the tip.
National
Holidays
January 1 - New Year's Day
January, third Monday - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February, third Monday - Presidents' Day (combined observance of George Washington's and
Abraham Lincoln's birthdays)
[May, second Sunday - Mothers' Day. Not a holiday as such, but be warned,
restaurants will be crowded.]
May, last Monday - Memorial Day
July 4 - Independence Day
September, first Monday - Labor Day
October, second Monday - Columbus Day
November 11 - Veteran's Day
November, fourth Thursday - Thanksgiving Day
December 25 - Christmas Day
Technically the USA observes no national
holidays. Each state has jurisdiction over its holidays, and the U.S. Congress can
only designate holidays for the District of Columbia and federal employees. However
in practice most states observe the federal legal holidays. It varies across
employers as to how holidays are observed. Often the supermarkets are open, while
retail centers, banks, post offices and schools may close. Note: unlike British
English "holiday" refers only to these public days. "Vacation"
refers to the weeks of leave granted by employers.
Money
1 US Dollar (US$) = 100 cents.
Note denominations:
US$1000
US$500
US$100
US$50
US$20
US$10
US$5
US$2
US$1
Coin denominations:
US$1 = "Susan B. Anthony "
50 cents = "half-dollar"
25 cents = "quarter"
10 cents = "dime"
5 cents = "nickel"
1 cents = "penny"
The United States Mint
The United States Mint is responsible for the annual production of 18-20 billion circulating coins; managing $400 million a year in commemorative and bullion coin programs; oversight of field facilities in Denver, Philadelphia, San Francisco and West Point, N.Y., and the U.S. Bullion Depository at Ft. Knox, Kentucky; and protection of the Nation's $100 billion in gold and silver reserves.
United
States Treasury
Provides historical
information about the Treasury building,
Secretaries, and Treasurers,
significant dates,
Treasury tours,
FAQS, Treasury duties
and functions and more. |
Go Northwest! Bookstore
Best selection of books on the Northwest.
Click here!
Choose
The Pacific Northwest
by John Howells, Richard Harris
July 1999, 2nd edition, Paperback, 250
pages, (guidebook)
Written for those seeking a place for
retirement. Covers communities in Oregon, Washington and British
Columbia.
Order now...
The
Great American Wilderness:
Touring America's National Parks
by Larry H. Ludmer
February Covers 50 parks, as well as 13 suggested
driving trips.
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Northwest Budget
Traveler: Cheap Eats, Cheap Sleeps, Affordable Adventure
by Nancy Leson (Editor), Nancy Loson (Editor),
May 1998, Paperback, 3rd edition, 320 pages, (non-fiction)
This guide to inexpensive places to eat and stay in Washington, Oregon, and British
Columbia includes deals and discounts on major attractions, shopping, concerts, theater
tickets, tours, festivals, and more.
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