US trip - general tips

A

agantuk

Skilled
Plenty of threads already here on some of the basic stuff, though I felt a few things might have got missed. So I have those questions here. Considering lot of folk do end up going to US at some point, it would be nice if we can make this some sort of generic thread with all the vital information at one place.

My questions are regarding:
  • driving - I am a fairly good driver in Indian conditions, but have never ever driven an automatic or left side. How long does it usually take to get accustomed to their mode of driving?
  • tipping - what is the general practice? I don't mind tipping, but I need to know what is acceptable and what is not. I have heard that it is a good practice to tip even the taxi driver if you do use one. Is that the case?
 
agantuk said:
Plenty of threads already here on some of the basic stuff, though I felt a few things might have got missed. So I have those questions here. Considering lot of folk do end up going to US at some point, it would be nice if we can make this some sort of generic thread with all the vital information at one place.

My questions are regarding:
  • driving - I am a fairly good driver in Indian conditions, but have never ever driven an automatic or left side. How long does it usually take to get accustomed to their mode of driving?
  • tipping - what is the general practice? I don't mind tipping, but I need to know what is acceptable and what is not. I have heard that it is a good practice to tip even the taxi driver if you do use one. Is that the case?
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Driving should be straightforward. Take lessons from someone (or pay driving instructor about $75-$100 for a one hour lesson) just to get used to traffic rules and etiquette.

Tipping - Restaurants, Barber, Taxi, Food Delivery (on top of delivery charge is included in your bill), etc - anywhere between 10% to 25% depending on how unhappy/happy you are with the service. (Don't go below 10%, most servers in restaurants don't get paid the minimum wage). Coffee shops/take away - up to you. (tipping in these cases is the exception)
 
Driving - I had taken training in India but never owned a car there so i was not really someone who drove. I took 4 hours of driving lessons here and paid 70 $ per 2 hours, to get acquinted with the driving conditions, rules and signs. Once you are aware about signs, lanes and basic rules and etiquette then driving is a breeze. Automatic transmission makes driving even more easy and the average speed at which you drive is substantially more than what we do in India. Like i have a stretch of highway everyday (to and from office) and i drive at 65-70 mph there.

Tipping - As #[member='whatsinaname'] suggested, 10% to 25% is the norm. The people here expect tip for some reason (and sometimes for no reason).
 
+ bazillion to city-data. Great resource.

Driving - is super easy. You can drive in the US with an Indian license (for 2-3 months, depending on state. you'll need to get a license after that). Also, as long as your license is in English, you wont even need an International driving permit.

Tipping - Like the others have said 10-25%, up to you. I generally tip only when there is some form of 'service' involved (waiter/server/delivery, etc.,). I don't generally tip at take-aways/coffee shops/food court style places where you get your own food.

And yes, taxi-drivers are generally tipped.
 
agantuk said:
In such cases, is it mentioned explicitly, and do we still need to give a tip on top of that?
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This generally happens when you go to a nicish restaurant in a group of 5-6+. The bill will explicitly mention the tip (generally 18-20%) and no you don't have to go above and beyond this.
 
Driving: won't be a problem for you (provided that you 'know' how to drive and understand the direction while driving.
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tipping: min 15%, max 25% (personal experience) Don't go bellow 15, seriously.
 
Another related question - hiring a cab / taxi for a 30 mile trip vs hiring a car for a day and paying for the fuel. What is a better option for a day or two of outing?

Are there any preferred vendors for either option, or can pick just the nearest one available?
 
agantuk said:
Another related question - hiring a cab / taxi for a 30 mile trip vs hiring a car for a day and paying for the fuel. What is a better option for a day or two of outing?

Are there any preferred vendors for either option, or can pick just the nearest one available?
Click to expand...

Not really certain which would be less expensive. If it is 2 singe rides, a cab might be less hassle. If it is a sum of multiple short trips, renting might be a better option. When you rent a car, you have to consider the cost of parking as well, which can add up depending on where you are going.

In places like Chicago/NY and some smaller college towns, public transport is a very viable option.

Also, for renting, you should look at www.ZipCar.com. You pay an annual fees ($50, if I remember correctly) and then you can hire the car by day or per hour. The cars are located at various spots in the cities and you reserve online, get into the car and drive for your allotted time. Also, fuel is included. No paperwork every time you need to rent and you can reserve the car in any city that the ZipCar service is available.
 
ZipCar is only available in a few cities. For occasional car hire, your best bet would be agencies like Avis, Hertz, Enterprise etc. Also, its cheaper to rent a car then take a taxi for a 30 mile trip. Remember, in the US, service is considered an expensive luxury so its better to not rely on anyone but yourself.
 
#[member='aproxymate'], I realised that after going through various sites. A day based car rental is working out to be much cheaper.

Folks, I need pointers on SIM cards now. Is it easy to get a pay as you go card for a visitor? How long does it usually take to activate, and who are the vendors? I believe Walmart uses the AT&T network but sells the cards for cheaper? I am looking for a card with cheap local calling, and I plan to add it with another for calling back home. Is there one card which provides this, or do I have to mix and match?
 
agantuk said:
#[member='aproxymate'], I realised that after going through various sites. A day based car rental is working out to be much cheaper.

Folks, I need pointers on SIM cards now. Is it easy to get a pay as you go card for a visitor? How long does it usually take to activate, and who are the vendors? I believe Walmart uses the AT&T network but sells the cards for cheaper? I am looking for a card with cheap local calling, and I plan to add it with another for calling back home. Is there one card which provides this, or do I have to mix and match?
Click to expand...

I believe prepaid cards are easy to acquire for anyone as there is no credit check like in a contract. But as charges for call/text are higher, you might want to look in other not-so-big carriers like Metro PCS, Virgin, US Cellular, Cricket etc. for their plans. For international calling, use prepaid cards (like reliance global call, raza etc). AFAIK, no US carrier has any good plans for calling India. Also, services like Vonage and Skype provide monthly calling plans but I think cards are more affordable.
 
prepaid cards work out well in US...i have a prepaid card with Tmobile and that cost me 50usd -- unlimited calls/texts and data.. the best part was that no proofs are required like VISA/passport/anything...and instant activation..not sure about the coverage in California though...

and to call India, the best options are calling cards---you buy a calling card and dial their number and then when prompted dial the Indian number -- i have one with indiald and the charges are 5.(something) USD for 500 minutes...which i felt was the cheapest of the lot..
 
I too use the tmobile 50$ plan with unlimited calls/sms/Edge Internet.

For India calling I recommend dial91.

Sent from my iPhone 4 using Tapatalk
 
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