PRACTICAL INFORMATIONS
CURRENCY
The current currency is the US dollar ($). $ 1 equals approximately 0.85€. So we have $ 1.20 for 1 €. There are also $ 2, $ 5, $ 10, $ 20, $ 50 and $ 100 bills. Be careful, they are all the same color! As for coins, they exist in 1 cent (Penny), 5 cents (Nickel), 10 cents (Dime) and 25 cents (Quarter).
TAXES AND TIPS
Pay attention ! The prices in America are mentioned excluding taxes in shops, hotels or restaurants. There is no fixed rate because taxes vary from state to state.
As for tips, they are major part of the salary. Unlike France, the service is not included in the paid price. It is customary to leave about 18% of the amount in the restaurant. For hotels, taxis and supermarkets, tips range from $ 1 to $ 5.
LANGUAGE
In the United States, of course, English is spoken. French is never used except for some hotel’s front desk.
NATIONAL PARK
National parks are the biggest pride of Americans. Therefore the security rules are very strict and severely punished if you do not respect them.
The main rule in all the parks is not to feed the wildlife and not to collect anything on the ground. The entrance fee for a park is around $ 20 per vehicle and not per person
PHONE
To call France dial 011 then country code (33) followed by the phone number without the 0.
TEMPERATURE
The temperature is in Fahrenheit. To obtain Celsius you have to: divide by 32, multiply by 5 and divide by 9. In this way 100 ° F equals 37.7 ° C.
POST OFFICE
Post offices are open from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday. Stamps for Europe are $ 1.15 for an airmail shipment that arrives within the week.
JET LAG
Jet lag depends on where you are on the territory. Generally it is -9h. When it is 18h in Paris it is 9am in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
FLIGHT DURATION
ELECTRICITY
If you want to connect a charger or an electrical device, do not forget to bring an adapter! US plugs have flat plugs; it is therefore necessary to bring an adapter
SMOKING
California was the first state to strictly ban smoking in public places. Smoking areas are limited, strictly reported and duly supervised.