Advice on staying in america?

Question

I'm 18
and ive always wanted to just get out of my little town and discover other countries
i'm really interested in goin to america for an extended holiday
for about the minimum of 1 month
maybe stay on longer if i like it.
Even though i know its going to cost alot of money
i wanted advice on the cheaper options available
To be honest i dont really want it to be a holiday
i just want to experience the lifestyle.
If i do stay for only a month im guessing it wud be easier and cheaper to find somewhere to stay.
but if i decide to stay for slightly longer what are my options?

I would love to go somewhere like LA but from reading some things on here it doesnt really seem like the right place for me to go on my own. is there anywhere quieter than LA but still have the qualities.
I dont want to go somewhere that isnt going to give me the expericance i want.
How can i get started with my plans?
How much do you think i'll need in total in £'s.

any advice would be great thanks

Im from wales.
if i was to stay for longer than a month
i would probably look for work there.
I dont think that an exchange program would be suited to me because
i am currently working and i need the money from that to go to america

if you need any more information just ask =)

Answer 1

If you are staying in the US for less than 90 days you will not need a visa, but if you think you might want to stay longer you need to apply for a B-2 visa through the US embassy in London. If for less than 90 days the you just fill out the visa waiver form on the plane. However, if you have any convictions, including traffic convictions, you may need to see counselor at the embassy prior to travelling. If you wanted to stay longer than the time allowed by a B-2 visa you would have to apply for an extension through the US Department of Homeland security.

You can find all the visa info in destination usa just websearch it in the UK and you will get the info for the UK.

Where is best to go, well everyone in the US will give you a different opinion but here is mine. New York City, too big, too busy, and the best place to see all that is the USA.

I prefer the laid back atmosphere and culture of the southern US.

Virginia is by far the most beautiful state in the US, also provides the opportunity to see Washington, D.C. the US capitol and the Smithsonian complex of museums.

Florida has some nice areas and a lot to do, but is a little expensive.

My choice would be Texas, and specifically the San Antonio/Austin entertainment corridor. (you can check out this area online). This area is a major tourism area in the US with the 7th largest US city and Austin the 5th largest in Texas. There is a rich cultural mix with Mexican/German/Chech being the predominate cultures building the area. Though there is a rich diversity and there is an annual folklife festival in San Antonio every year celebrating all the cultures which make up the area. San ANtonio has Sea World and a large amusement park Six Flags-Fiesta Texas. Also a lot of water sports in the area including the best water park in the US Schlitterbahn nearby. In San Antonio you are about 150 mi from the coast (that may seem far in the UK but about 3 hours by car in Texas).

To save money you may want to look into youth hostels. There are hostels in most US urban areas.
www.hiayh.org

I would give you a lot more web sites but my search engine is down at the moment.

Cost can vary but in the North east US plan on spending about 75 pounds a day in the southern US maybe 40-55 pounds. Thre will be extras for things you want to see so add 15-30 pounds for a theme park for one day. Transportation could be an issue. A rental car in a smaller major city could be available for about 12 pounds a day but they would charge extra for under 25 and for insurance.

I would plan on at least 4000 pounds plus air fare for 30 days, remember if you wanted to work while here you would need a B-1 visa. I was planning a trip for my family to the UK and didn't think I could get by for less than 8000 pounds and we we planning on staying a week. So I guess it depends on what you are going to spend.

Another tip about the southern US is the weather is quite temperate 90s on the hottest days normally, most days between 70s and 80s. An 18y/o could stay here a year and never need any thing but t-shirts jeans, and a jacket for winter.

Answer 2

A little bit more information would be helpful in answering your questions. For starters, where are you from and do you want to work while you are in America or do you plan to bring enough money to last for your entire trip?

I have a few suggestions and will try to offer some more advice later if you add more information to your questions.

I would recommend that you consider staying in towns like Chicago or Boston. These are large cities with a lot to offer but they are much easier to navigate than New York or LA. You might also think about slightly smaller cities like Atlanta, Nashville or Houston. Again, they are big enough to keep you interested but they are not intimidating. All of these cities have youth hostels which are generally safe and cheap places to stay although they are not fancy at all. Staying in hostels might be a good way to save money and meet people in your age group to see the city with. You can find info on hostels at these websites:

http://www.hostels.com
http://www.hostelworld.com/

Another suggestion would be to look into student exchange programs with a local university. If you're in school, check with your university adviser about exchange programs to the U.S.A. If your not in school...no problem. Find a college or university near you and check into their exchange programs. If you have to sign up for a few classes it shouldn't be a big deal. The cool thing about exchange programs is that the school will usually handle all the arrangements for you and you can get some university credits while you're on exchange. The down side is that it can be expensive and you'll have to spend some of your time in class.

As for cost, the flight will obviously vary depending on where you're traveling from so I can't guess about that. Once you get here, you can expect to spend about $30 a day on a hostel. Depending on what you choose to do while you're here, including shopping, eating, cab or bus rides, clubs, etc. you should be able to get by with a total of $100 a day. For a one month stay that would come to $3000 plus the cost of your flight which is roughly 1500 pounds plus the flight.

I hope this helps, and I will try to add more as I am able.

Answer 3

America is not the place to go for an 18 year old who has no experience of travel and the perils it can bring for a young girl on her own.My advice would be get a friend and go on a 2 week holiday and see if you like it first.

try this site if will give you an idea on holidays treking america

http://www.trekamerica.com/?CMP=KNC-PPC&HBX_PK=travelling%20america&HBX_OU=50

good luck

Answer 4

it is not comparable to you have a decision, that is next to impossible for a Brit to visit usa until you're married to an American or have a phd in some technology. you're even banned from applying for the fairway card lottery