About me
Here are the requirements to travel to the United States as a French national ​
Present a return plane ticket to prove your exit from American territory.
Have a valid biometric or electronic passport or an individual optically-readable passport issued no later than October 25, 2005. Failing this, obtaining a visa is compulsory.
Stay a maximum of 90 days in the United States.
Finally, apply for an ESTA authorization. This authorization must be completed 72 hours before departure on the official ESTA website . Since September 8, 2010, this authorization is chargeable (tax of 14 dollars).
Note that if you have been in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen since March 1, 2011, you cannot apply for ESTA. You must apply for a Visa from the US authorities. Go to the official website of the United States Embassy in France.
The weather in New York
New York's climate is continental , with cold winters and hot summers .
The city is located in the eastern United States on the edge of a continent that gets very cold in winter and warms up in summer, and where different air masses collide: the cold ones coming down from Canada and the the hot ones that come from the Gulf of Mexico. The result is an unstable climate, with waves of bad weather, but also clear and sunny days. The wind blows frequently too.
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When I went there in February, a down jacket and good socks were a must.
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My advice
- a pair of Dr Martens, very New Yorker and perfect for walking miles without hurting your feet
- warm socks
- Damart underwear to cut the cold
- tights under the jeans
The currency
As soon as you plan to travel outside the euro zone, it becomes essential to convert your current currency against that used in the country where you are going. This is the case if you are traveling with an ESTA authorization or with a VISA.
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Currency exchange can be done both when you leave, at the airport in your home country, and when you arrive, at an airport in the United States. In both cases, you will have to take these two parameters into account:
the exchange rate of your country and that of the USA
the fees you will be charged for the exchange you are about to make.
How to help you convert your currency
Where to exchange currency?
If you have an international credit card, Visa or Mastercard , you will have no problem getting cash on American soil. Because ATMs are particularly numerous in the United States and your card can, in fact, be used in all countries of the world.
To exchange currencies ,
all you have to do is insert your card, define the amount you wish to have and validate.
Even if, at the base, your account is supplied in Euro, your money will be automatically delivered to you in
local currency, or dollars.
The advantages of such an initiative? You won't have to walk around with a large sum in your bag, you can withdraw your money as you need it.
