Travelling to the USA
Every year holidaymakers flock to the USA for shopping in New York, theme parks in Florida and gambling in Las Vegas. In recent years, security has increased so a bit more advanced planning is needed. Under the Visa Waiver Programme, UK citizens do not need a visa to travel to the States if they are staying less than 90 days.
When you book your flight you will need to provide Advance Passenger Information (API) through your airline’s website. Nowadays you need to register your details online at least two days before you travel. This is the same information that used to be put onto a form given to you on the airplane.
On arrival in the States you have to go through immigration control where you will have your fingerprints collected digitally and a photograph taken if you are aged between 14 and 79. This is so that your details can be compared against watch lists.
No doubt you will arrive in the States by air. The cost of flights and their frequency vary widely. You can either buy a ticket direct to your destination or it may be cheaper to fly to a hub airport such as New York and then purchase a ticket for a domestic US flight there. New York, Boston and Washington DC are the major hub airports for the East Coast. Chicago is the hub for the Upper Midwest, Denver for the Rocky Mountains and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle are the biggest hubs for the West Coast. Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Miami are the main hubs for the South.