United States on your own

ESTA: US Entry Requirements for a Road Trip Across the American West

No classic visa needed for a road trip across the American West if you're French, Belgian or Swiss: the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) exempts most European travellers. In exchange, it requires a mandatory online step, the ESTA, whose fee nearly doubled in late 2025 — and which has since been widely confused with an entirely different charge, the $250 "Visa Integrity Fee". Here's what to check before booking flights for the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley or Highway 1.

How many days for an American West road trip?

The American West is the archetypal road trip — the one the format was invented for. But between the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Bryce, Zion, Death Valley and the California coast, the list of “must-sees” far exceeds what a single reasonable trip can hold: the Grand Circle of Utah and Arizona parks alone represents a 1,500-1,700 km loop, and California adds as much again. Short answer: 7 days for a tight Grand Circle out of Las Vegas, 10 to 12 days for the same without rushing — the reference format —, 15 to 18 days to add Death Valley and California, 3 weeks for the full grand loop from San Francisco back to San Francisco. Here's the detail, distances and park reservations included.

Money in the USA: dollars, bank cards and tipping on a road trip

At a gas pump in Nevada or the counter of a diner on Route 66, a European bank card works almost everywhere in the United States, Visa and Mastercard leading the way. Two traps still await a traveller fresh off the plane: foreign transaction fees and dynamic conversion that nibble away at every payment, and tipping, a practice so deeply rooted it now sparks debate among Americans themselves. Here's how to handle your money without surprises, from the dollar to the tip on your last night.

Police checks and fines in the USA: speed, alcohol and the reckless-driving trap in a rental car

On the roads of the American West, flashing lights in the mirror aren't a disaster — most traffic stops are over in a few minutes. What tends to surprise European travellers more is that there's no national traffic code at all: every state sets its own speed limits, its own fine schedule and, for drink-driving, its own legal limit. The same speeding violation can cost 25 dollars in New Mexico, over 250 dollars in Arizona, and a court appearance in Virginia. Here's how American traffic stops actually work, what a violation costs depending on the state you're crossing, and how to react in front of an officer with a rental car.

SIM card and internet in the USA: staying connected across the American West

Booking a Zion campsite from the Bryce Canyon parking lot, checking whether a dirt road is still open after a Nevada desert storm, or simply reassuring family back home from a straight stretch of Utah highway: on a road trip through the American West, mobile connectivity isn't a comfort detail, it's a genuine navigation tool. The country combines two realities that often surprise foreign travellers: some of the densest urban networks in the world, and real coverage gaps the moment you head into a national park or a desert track. Here's how to get set up before you drive, and where to expect radio silence instead of GPS.

• Check exactly what your home plan covers in the US (data included, cap, duration) before relying on it for the whole trip.
• Activate an eSIM before departure (Airalo, Holafly) to arrive already connected at the airport and the rental counter.
• For a multi-week circuit, switch to a Mint Mobile or Visible prepaid SIM — noticeably cheaper per gigabyte than roaming.
• Download offline maps before entering Yellowstone, Death Valley or any remote park — coverage there is partial at best.
• Carry a satellite communicator (Garmin inReach, Zoleo) for the most isolated tracks through the Utah, Arizona or Nevada desert.
• Mount the phone on the dashboard: most states ban holding it, with real fines attached.
• Treat the parks' dead zones as part of the trip rather than a problem to solve nonstop.

Tolls in the United States with a rental car: E-ZPass, PlatePass and the fees that land weeks later

On travel forums planning a road trip through the American West, the same question keeps coming up: "I got a toll invoice a month after returning the car — is that normal?" The answer is yes, and it's actually the norm. Unlike Europe, almost every toll road in the United States has done away with booths and barriers in favor of a fully electronic system: a camera photographs the plate, and the rental company — the vehicle's legal owner — receives the bill before passing it on to the customer weeks later, with extra fees that can easily outweigh the toll itself. Here's how the system works, what it really costs, and how to keep the bill down.

Travel Insurance for the United States: What a Health Scare Really Costs on a Road Trip

A Western US road trip is planned like a budgeting exercise: an SUV or RV booked months ahead, an America the Beautiful pass in hand, an itinerary threading Grand Canyon, Zion and Yellowstone — yet the "travel insurance" line is often the one ticked fastest, without a close look. It deserves better: the United States has the most expensive healthcare system in the world, a single ER visit can top $20,000 for a serious case, and a helicopter evacuation from a remote national park runs into the tens of thousands of dollars. What US law actually guarantees in an emergency, what a health scare really costs without coverage, what the research shows about medical debt and surprise ambulance bills: here's what to check before flying out to the American West.

• Check the policy's medical expense cap: aim for at least $100,000, double the usual European standard.
• Check the evacuation cap: at least $100,000-250,000 in actual costs, with no deductible on this item.
• Don't count on a carte vitale or an EHIC: neither has any validity in the United States, even in a life-threatening emergency.
• Remember ground ambulances often stay out-of-network even after the 2022 law — check that they're explicitly covered.
• Keep the 24/7 assistance number (on paper and as a phone photo) in the vehicle, next to the international driving permit.
• Compare at least two policies rather than trusting the "a premium bank card will do" reflex.