United States
Washington, D.C. is the capital city of United States.
Official language is English. United States uses United States customary system (very similar to imperial - pounds, feet, °F). Time zone is from UTC-10:00 to UTC-05:00 with daylight saving time.
Sockets & plugs
United States uses 120V, 60Hz with sockets and plugs Type A and Type B.
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Weather
Washington, D.C. has an average temperature of 59.5°F. Warmest month is July with 81°F and coldest January with 34°F.
Money
Currency
United States uses the United States dollar (symbol: $), code USD.
Banknotes come in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 dollars. Dollar is subdivided into 100 cents. Coins come in denominations of 1, ½ and ¼ dollars and 10, 5 and 1 cents.
Credit & debit cards
Credit cards are widely accepted within United States (at hotels, shops, and restaurants, travel agencies, car-rental agencies etc.). Discover, Maestro, MasterCard and Visa are the most widely accepted. American Express and JCB are less common. Diners Club is pretty rare. RuPay and UnionPay are unknown.
Tipping
Tipping is expected in United States since staff depend on tips to supplement their often minimum wages.
ATMs
Automatic teller machines (local name: ATM) are everywhere in United States. Pretty much anywhere you look there will be an ATM. United States has one of the highest ATM densities in the world.
You do not need a chip & PIN card to use an ATM — your standard magnetic card will work fine.
Communications
Internet
Internet speed in United States is on average 14.2 Mbps.
WiFi coverage in United States is very high. Most hotels, hostels, cafes, restaurants and bars have it.
Mobile phone
You can buy a SIM card for about $12.37, which includes 1 GB of data plan. You can choose from 4 telecoms: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon Wireless.
United States uses GSM mobile networks GSM 1900.
If you don't want to buy SIM card in United States upon arrival, make sure to check the roaming charges with your telecom provider before your departure so there are no surprises when you return home.
Dial code
To call United States, dial +, then 1 (the country code for United States), then the area code (without the initial 1) and the local number.
For local calls within United States, start with the area code (with the initial 1). In the case above area code is 201 .
Health & safety
LGBTIQ+
Homosexuality is legal and United States has one of the highest LGBT acceptance rates in the world.
Same-sex couples can be married like everyone else.
There are more options regarding gay venues compared to other countries and can be found in both larger and smaller cities.
Vaccinations
No vaccinations are required to enter the country, but it is recommended to perform routine immunizations for your protection and to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
These apply only to select travelers or persons on work assignments.
Driving
Public transportation
There are bus & train lines available in Washington, D.C. which are provided by WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) & D.C. Circulator.
Single ticket costs $2.54 while 30-day pass costs $145.00.
Transit routes are available via Transit, Citymapper & Moovit.
Road rules
In United States you drive on the right side. Most cars have automatic transmission.
Unless otherwise posted, the speed limits for cars and motorcycles are as follows: 24-74 mph (40-120 km/h) in all built-up areas, 44-74 mph (72-120 km/h) on undivided highways, 60-80 mph (97-129 km/h) on motorways and 60-80 mph (97-129 km/h) on expressways.
Right turn on red lights is allowed unless a sign explicitly forbids it.
It is illegal to drive with blood alcohol content higher than 0.08%.