Road Tripping in the USA!

mjt said:
What do you guys do for data roaming when travelling to the USA? Buy a local SIM card with data roaming only like this? https://www.ultramobile.com/tourist/?icid=WMM_TMNG_PPEULTRA_AU4DD3J38PK7L3C8617764
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We just got back from a trip last month... since we only really needed our phone's data for the odd thing we just added a travel thing which cost $4.99 per day that we actually used any data, and then we just made liberal use of wifi wherever we could get it (which was every hotel and quite a lot of cafes and things)

I'm sure a prepaid SIM from the US would be much better and cheaper overall but this was just no-hassle and the cost was negligible overall once factored into the price of the holiday
 
InvaderGIR said:
You're in Europe right? So not sure anyone can really comment about using your plan there which is what a lot of UK people do.
I wanted to roam in both USA and Canada so when I landed and got my hire car I headed to a local AT&T and got a prepaid sim ( https://www.att.com/buy/wireless/prepaid/select-plans ) on a $50 plan, gave me 8GB of data for a month and gave me mobile tethering too. I put the sim in a spare phone and used that for tethering my actual phone to for data when out and about (including for Waze) and then used wifi spots when visiting places.

E: I embrace the flaming from others...
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Could you buy that $50/mo plan even though you don't live in the USA? I presume you just cancelled it before you left?
uncle_rufus said:
We just got back from a trip last month... since we only really needed our phone's data for the odd thing we just added a travel thing which cost $4.99 per day that we actually used any data, and then we just made liberal use of wifi wherever we could get it (which was every hotel and quite a lot of cafes and things)

I'm sure a prepaid SIM from the US would be much better and cheaper overall but this was just no-hassle and the cost was negligible overall once factored into the price of the holiday
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TBH I forgot to contact my provider this week, but I'll check with them next week. As far as I could see on their site, they don't offer anything like that. However, I'm on a business package so I can't imagine all small businesses pay through the nose if they leave the EU for roaming...
 
mjt said:
Could you buy that $50/mo plan even though you don't live in the USA? I presume you just cancelled it before you left?
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No need to live in the USA and no need to cancel, only get the one initial charge (listed price plus taxes). I chatted with the guy in store to make sure it was all fine for my trip, as I was there for a few weeks and do many miles between stops it made sense to have data. I think I used about 7GB in the end.
 
O2 with travel add-on has worked for me in US and Canada this time round, no additional fees. 120 mins and texts per day and unlimited data.
 
I deal with border patrol every couple of weeks and have always found them very fair and reasonable. Most seem to be ex military and I’ve had very interesting conversations with quite a few of them. I only know two people who’ve had issues and in both of those cases it’s been their fault, and they’ve tried the whole “I know my rights” thing which unsurprisingly doesn’t go well for them.
 
I find the US guys at the land borders are usually a lot more friendly than the ones you meet at the airport. Even get the occasional joke from them!
 
I have a question which I can ask using American Truck Simulator. :p

QNv2Jxh.jpg

I'm not sure what the rules of these double-lined central reservations are. Are they no-go areas or waiting areas?

For example, if you wanted to turn left into the driveway marked by the red arrow and traffic was coming towards you in the left lanes, do you sit in the middle of the road, i.e. in the reservation and wait until you can cross (indicated by the blue cross) or do you stay in your lane and wait (purple cross)?

To me, it would seem better to wait in the blue cross position so you don't block the right lanes for other traffic.

Which is the correct answer?
 
Neither. You can’t legally turn left there at all. It’s a central reservation and should be considered a physical barrier (I.e. a dual carriageway). You could turn left where the road narrows (where there’s just a single set of solid yellows, but not where you want to.

https://driversed.com/driving-information/signs-signals-and-markings/road-markings2.aspx


Most dual direction turning lanes I’ve seen have two arrows in them to indicate they’re turning lanes. They also have one solid and one dashed line on each side.

Like this:

C3-DDB1-F7-5-C3-F-43-E4-B5-DF-49868-EFBF993.jpg


https://m.wikihow.com/Use-the-Center-Turning-Lane
 
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Thanks both. I have just been reading the Washington state driver's guide and it's still a bit vague to my eyes but I did conclude that you have to imagine there is a solid barrier in the middle of the road and can't turn across it. So that's something new learned. I would have sat in the middle and waited!

The other question I have is joining interstates. In the UK, when you enter the motorway slip road, you're supposed to speed up to match the speed of the traffic and merge seamlessly. But am I right in saying, you're supposed to give way on interstate on-ramps and even stop if there is too much traffic?
 
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