In 2014, the Chinese market pushed the "U.S. Highway Tour"

The United States is hailed as a country on wheels. Due to too many private cars, many city buses and taxis are quite deserted. For tourists, car hire is the best choice. In recent years, as more mature Chinese tourists have chosen to drive to the United States, this market is booming.

Nowadays, some Chinese people in their 60s and older are able to travel through the United States and Canada by taking a Chinese-language version of their navigation and travel guides. The inclusiveness and diversity of American culture, as well as the characteristics of many Chinese communities and Chinese students, all give confidence to friends from the United States.

“In the United States, the best scenery is on the road, the Atlantic Ocean in Florida, the mountain landscape in Tennessee, Georgia, the scenery in the Lake District in Chicago, and the more important thing is to feel the friendly and pristine atmosphere of the local people.” College Friend Zhang Bo introduced. On the roads of the United States, you can feel free, free and easy, honest, and novelty. This kind of travel method allows you to truly integrate.

U.S. highway food and accommodation on both sides are very convenient

In the summer of 2011, Zhang Bo headed north from Miami and traveled all the way through Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and finally to the northern city of Chicago for 2,500 kilometers. In this itinerary, he chose to ride on the local section of the local road, similar to China's national roads and provincial highways. "In Florida, I've been driving on Highway No. 1. This is a coastal road that starts from Key West, the southernmost city in the United States, and extends along the Atlantic Ocean to the north and reaches New York." The road environment is stable and there are no rolling roads. “The longest stay is in St. Augustine, a small town in northern Florida.” This town is the oldest city in the United States and still retains its 16th-century Spanish colonial style.

After entering Georgia, Zhang Bo switched to Highway 23 and Highway 41 and crossed the high mountains of Georgia to Kentucky. Accommodations on both sides of the U.S. highway are very convenient and the distance between the hotels is not very far. “In addition to the Motel, I sometimes sleep on the lawn next to the road and sometimes in the residents' backyard. In the city of Nashville, Tennessee, which is known as the capital of the cosmopolitan village, I was staying by the locals: after the owner handed over the keys to me, I went out on a date with my husband and returned home the next morning."

â–  Tips for driving the United States

International credit card and driver's license

Renting a car in the United States requires two things: a credit card and a driver's license. The main focus of the car rental company is not to prevent fraud and arrears of rent. Instead, it is placed on the scheduling and management of vehicles. Customers only have credit cards and there is room for credit. Even if you are penniless, you still rent cars.

In states with less strict regulations, you can rent a car as long as you hold your national driving license. General car rental companies have a memorandum that lists driving licenses and related materials for countries around the world. However, for Chinese tourists who do not have an international driver’s license, it is best to prepare an English driver’s license “notarized” in advance in a notary office. The Chinese version is compared with the English version.

E-ZPass

In the United States, some expressway toll stations use the uncharted model. Americans all know to put coins into these "unpaid" big iron drums, but this is often overlooked by Chinese self-driving guests and they are eventually fined. In addition to the road tolls, in some places each penalty also requires an additional management fee of approximately $25 (something $15). In order to avoid trouble, it is recommended that if the travel is fixed, you can purchase the E-ZPass (including the toll crossing fee) at the car rental company, and the car rental company will pay the road toll to the US traffic control department.

Take a shuttle bus to the pick up point

Each car rental company has a special shuttle bus at the US airport to pick up the car rental guests. So out of the terminal building, we must pay special attention to the parking station of the car rental company's ferry service. Some car rental companies have special car rental counters at the airport, but most car rental companies do not have car rental counters within the airport. Take a ferry bus for about 15 minutes.

Car vouchers

After you book a car in advance in China, you must have a “car rental voucher” to pick up the car in the United States. You need to report the booking number to the staff in order to be able to enter the car rental program. There will be some electronic agreement options at the site ( Option) requires you to choose, if you do not need these additional services, answer NO.

Off-site fare

This year, through Saddle Road Da Look Car Rental, the United States in California, Arizona, Nevada, and the three states within the three states to "return the car off-site", you can return fare away from different places, within the state of Florida can be free to return fare.

At the time of booking, it is important to ask the car rental company. According to the regulations of each car rental company, some of the fare reimbursement of the fare is a “US$ 750 capping” plan, while others are charged a one-dollar fee per mile.

Don't forget to look for zero money

Refueling at a gas station in the U.S. will normally directly use a credit card for $60. After the oil is added, the oil pump will be hung back to its original position. There will be an accurate number indicating that the instrument displays your fuel. In most cases, the amount of oil you add will not exceed. 60 US dollars, so don't forget to ask the staff for change.

24-hour roadside emergency rescue call with simultaneous interpretation

When renting a car, you will receive a "Notes" card with 24-hour roadside assistance. This rescue service has the function of "simultaneous interpretation". You only need to tell the other person that "Chinese translator" is needed. After you are connected, you can speak in Chinese about your situation, car number, license number, driver's name, etc. Information, there will be "simultaneous interpretation" to help you translate into English.

Portable GPS Navigation

It is not recommended to rent a GPS navigation in a car rental company. Buy a portable GPS navigation with a US map in China and install it on the car.

Can also be loaded on the car's domestic GPS navigator, in the mobile phone to download an English version of the United States local navigation, two navigation control look, more error-prone.

Reservations on Price Line

Experienced self-driving tourists will book a nightly accommodation on the Price Line website and compare the price on Price Line with Ctrip.com in China. If the price on Ctrip.com is cheaper, book it with Ctrip. Frequently, there are very good hotel promotions on the Price Line. Some tourists spend less than the motel and live in four-star hotels.