USA Travel Tips for Australians: 10 Things to Know Before You Go
Travelling to the USA from Australia is relatively easy, but there are a few practical differences that are worth understanding before you go.
These USA travel tips for Australians cover the things that can have the biggest impact on your trip, from getting your ESTA sorted and understanding travel insurance, to tipping, sales tax, card payments and US voltage.
After several trips to the United States, these are the practical things I think Australians actually need to know.
USA Travel Tips for Australians: Quick Checklist Before You Go
What to check | What Australians should know |
ESTA | Apply through the official US government site and don’t leave it until the last minute. |
Travel insurance | Medical care in the US can be extremely expensive, so check medical limits, pre-existing conditions and any activities you plan to do. |
Driver’s licence | Take your physical Australian licence. Check whether your rental company or destination state also requires or recommends an IDP. |
Domestic flights | US basic economy fares can exclude seat selection and checked baggage, so compare the final price rather than the headline fare. |
Prices | The price displayed is often not the final price. Sales tax is commonly added at checkout, and hotels may also charge resort or destination fees. |
Tipping | For full-service restaurants, budget roughly 18–20%. Tipping expectations vary for bars, taxis, rideshares and other services. |
Mobile data | Compare your Australian roaming rate with a US SIM or eSIM before you leave. |
Payments | Carry at least one physical card as backup. If a terminal offers AUD or USD, choose USD and let your own bank handle the conversion. |
Voltage | The US uses 120V, not Australia’s 230V. Phone/laptop chargers are usually dual voltage, but many hair tools are not. |
Alcohol ID | Australians can be asked for ID regardless of age. A passport is the most widely accepted foreign ID, although requirements vary by venue and state. |
1. Apply for your ESTA as soon as you book your flights
Most Australians travelling to the USA for a holiday will use the Visa Waiver Program and need an approved ESTA: Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
Apply for it as soon as you book your flights.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recommends applying early rather than leaving it until just before departure. If your ESTA isn't approved and you still want to travel, you may need to apply for a US visitor visa instead, which is a very different process and may involve a consular interview.
Make sure you're using the official ESTA website
There are third-party agencies online that will submit an ESTA application on your behalf. Some of their websites can look very similar to an official government website, and they may charge considerably more.
The official ESTA application is through U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the current fee is US$40.27 per person.
Your ESTA is linked to your passport, so a new passport means a new ESTA.
2. Read your travel insurance properly
Travel insurance matters everywhere, but particularly in the United States because medical treatment can be extremely expensive.
Australia has no reciprocal healthcare agreement with the United States, so Medicare won't cover you if you need treatment there. Smartraveller recommends comprehensive travel insurance that covers overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation.
Pre-existing medical conditions
Check exactly how your insurer defines a pre-existing condition.
Some conditions may be automatically covered, others need to be declared and assessed, and some may require an additional premium.
Snow sports and other higher-risk activities
If you're skiing, snowboarding or doing anything that may be considered an adventure or extreme activity, check the policy carefully.
Car and campervan hire
If you're hiring a car or campervan, check both:
what the rental company includes
what your travel insurance covers.
Car-rental insurance in the US can be confusing, particularly when you're tired and standing at the counter trying to work out what you're already covered for.
Having that sorted before you leave Australia makes things much easier.
3. Take your physical Australian driver's licence
If you’re hiring a car in the US, take your physical Australian driver’s licence rather than relying on the digital version.
International Driving Permit requirements can vary, so once you’ve booked your hire car, ask the rental company exactly what they require from an Australian driver and get the answer in writing.
4. Check baggage costs before booking US domestic flights
If your US domestic sector is part of the same international ticket, your international baggage allowance will generally apply through to your final destination.
The bigger issue is separately booked domestic flights.
US domestic fares can have lower checked-bag weight limits and may charge separately for baggage, so a suitcase that was fine flying from Australia may be overweight later in the trip.
That means you may need to pack lighter, redistribute weight between bags or add an extra bag for the domestic sectors.
Row Of Three Tip: Don’t compare domestic flights on airfare alone. Compare the total cost once you’ve added baggage, seats and any other extras you’ll actually need.
5. The advertised price isn't always the final price
Australians are used to seeing a price and knowing roughly what they'll pay.
The US works differently.
Sales tax
In the US, sales tax is usually added at checkout on retail purchases and restaurant meals, rather than included in the advertised price. As a rough guide, California starts at 7.25%, Florida at 6%, and New York State at 4%, before any local additions.
So the price you see on the shelf or menu often isn’t the final amount you’ll pay.
Hotel and resort fees
+Hotels may also charge things like resort fees, destination fees or amenity fees.
US rules now require mandatory hotel fees to be included in the upfront total price displayed, rather than being hidden until the end of the booking process.
Taxes can still be shown separately, so it's worth checking the full breakdown before you book.
6. Understand tipping before you arrive
Tipping in the US goes well beyond restaurants.
A useful rule of thumb is: if someone is personally providing you with a service, there’s a good chance a tip is customary.
In many service roles, tips are treated as part of the worker’s overall income rather than simply a bonus for exceptional service. That’s why tipping is much more embedded in everyday transactions than Australians are used to.
Here’s a practical guide:
Service | Useful tipping guide |
Full-service restaurant | 18–20% of the pre-tax bill, with 20% a common benchmark |
Bar | US$1–2 per drink or around 15–20% of the tab |
Taxi | Around 15–20% |
Uber or Lyft | Around 10–20% |
Bell staff | About US$2 per bag |
Hotel housekeeping | Around US$2–5 per day — leave it daily, as different staff may clean your room |
Valet | Around US$2–5 when the car is returned |
Food delivery | Around US$3–5 or 15–20%, depending on the order |
Hairdresser or barber | Around 15–20% |
Tour guide | Around 10–15% of the tour price if gratuity isn’t included |
For free walking tours, the tip is effectively what the guide is being paid, so budget for it rather than thinking of the tour as completely free.
Also check your restaurant bill before adding a tip. Some restaurants add an automatic gratuity, particularly for larger groups, so make sure you’re not tipping twice.
You’ll also see tip screens at cafés, takeaway counters and other places where very little personal service has been provided. For counter service, tipping is optional, you don’t need to treat every payment-screen prompt the same way as a full-service restaurant or personal service.
7. Work out your mobile-data option before you leave
Having reliable mobile data makes travelling in the US much easier.
You essentially have three options: international roaming, an eSIM or a physical SIM.
An eSIM is simply a digital SIM that you install on your phone, allowing you to buy a travel data plan without swapping out your physical SIM card.
We’re with Vodafone, and eligible plans currently offer $5 roaming, which lets you use your included calls, texts and data overseas for an additional daily fee. For us, that can be worth it because everything works as normal and we keep our Australian numbers without having to set up another SIM.
For longer trips, though, an eSIM can work out considerably cheaper.
King SIM is one I regularly see recommended in Australian US travel groups, and it’s an option plenty of travellers seem to have used successfully. They also run sales fairly regularly.
If you’re buying an eSIM well before your trip, check when it needs to be activated and when the validity period actually starts, whether that’s at purchase, installation or when it first connects to a network.
8. Don’t travel with only Apple Pay
In Australia, it’s increasingly easy to leave home with nothing but your phone. I wouldn’t do that in the US.
For everyday purchases, Apple Pay and contactless payments are widely available. But for some of the bigger travel logistics, a physical debit or credit card is still important.
Hotels and rental cars
Even where a hotel or rental company accepts Apple Pay for payment, they may require a physical card at check-in or collection to place a security or pre-authorisation hold.
This matters particularly with car hire. Don’t assume that having the card saved in your phone will be enough, check the rental company’s requirements before you travel and take the physical card with you.
Paying for petrol
US petrol stations can also catch Australians out.
Some pumps accept contactless payment, while others still require you to insert a physical card. You may also encounter pumps that ask for a five-digit US ZIP code when using a card.
An Australian card may not work at those pumps, in which case the simplest option is usually to go inside and pay the cashier before filling up.
ATMs
I also wouldn’t rely on cardless ATM withdrawals.
Some US ATMs offer contactless withdrawal, but a physical card is still the safer option, particularly when you’re using an Australian bank card.
And if a terminal asks whether you want to pay in Australian dollars or US dollars, choose US dollars. Paying in AUD uses dynamic currency conversion, where the merchant or payment provider sets the exchange rate.
The easiest way to think about it: use your digital wallet for everyday spending, but keep a physical card in your wallet for hotels, rental cars, petrol and ATMs.
9. Check the voltage before packing your hairdryer
This is one I learnt through experience.
The US uses approximately 120V electricity, compared with Australia's 230V.
That matters because a plug adaptor only changes the shape of the plug.
It doesn't convert the voltage.
Look at the small print on your appliance. If your hairdryer or straightener says:
100–240V, it is designed to work across both systems and you'll generally just need the correct US plug adaptor.
If it doesn't, I wouldn't bother taking it. I've had Australian hairdryers and straighteners perform terribly in the US, and this was the reason.
Phones, tablets and many laptop chargers are already designed for 100–240V, but check the actual charger rather than assuming.
10. Have a plan for ID if you want to order alcohol
The legal drinking age in the United States is 21, but that doesn't mean you'll only be asked for ID if you look anywhere near 21.
We've been asked for identification plenty of times.
An Australian driver's licence also isn't guaranteed to be accepted everywhere.
One thing I do is keep a clear photo of the identification page of my passport on my phone. It's useful when carrying the actual passport around doesn't feel particularly sensible.
But there is an important caveat: A photo of your passport isn't universally accepted.
Walt Disney World, for example, accepts a copy of your passport on paper or mobile together with qualifying government-issued photo identification.
We've also encountered Restaurants in Washington that wanted to see the actual passport.
So a passport photo is a useful backup, but don't assume it replaces the original everywhere.
Travelling in the US isn’t difficult, but a few things work differently enough from Australia that they’re worth knowing before you go.
Sorting the important things early — especially your ESTA, insurance, driving documents and payment options — makes the rest of the trip much easier to navigate once you arrive.
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