This is a new thread of North America warnings. It is to be used for North America specific warnings only. Warnings include instances of robbery in a certain part of a city, bad hostel experiences, etc. As a content-rich thread, we do not want any back-and-forth or questions. Please direct all questions via Private Messages (Click on "Go" in the left hand corner, select "My Space" and then "Private Messages") to the poster. You can also issue a PM by clicker on the poster's name and selecting "Private Message". Any post that does not contribute relevant information will be deleted. Examples include: responses to previous posts in the thread and questions. The information can be on any city, region or country in North America. When reading these experiences, please remember that there are two sides to every story and warnings should be issued sparingly.

Hitchiking is illegal on highways and freeways. Not to mention incredibly dangerous.

[Edited by Slip]
For a breakdown of the rules from the uniform vehicle code check this link out. The rules about hitching on the different roadways vary.
[/end edit by Slip]

Also, if you plan on going to any of the towns along the "Jersey shore"(New Jersey). Make sure you buy their beach tags. Fines for not having one has gone up from $25, to between $50-$75!!!!

If you are going to bicycle tour, I'd suggest wearing a "Blaze Orange" vest to increase your visibility as many US drivers apparently have a congenital vision defect that doesn't allow them to see a bicyclist! Other than that, it's a great place to cycle tour!

quote:

Originally posted by Court:
This is a new thread of North America warnings. It is to be used for North America specific warnings only. Warnings include instances of robbery in a certain part of a city, bad hostel experiences, etc. As a content-rich thread, we do not want any back-and-forth or questions. Please direct all questions via Private Messages (Click on "Go" in the left hand corner, select "My Space" and then "Private Messages") to the poster. You can also issue a PM by clicker on the poster's name and selecting "Private Message". Any post that does not contribute relevant information will be deleted. Examples include: responses to previous posts in the thread and questions. The information can be on any city, region or country in North America. When reading these experiences, please remember that there are two sides to every story and warnings should be issued sparingly.

If you are driving around the U.S. in particular, in big cities, and you need some directions be careful who you stop and ask for information!

Avoid approaching groups of people that are just lurking on street corners, late at night, maybe even wearing hoods and sunglasses! Most likely these are not the people to ask help from!

It seems like a common sense thing to say, however we often read stories of tourists, who got lost, and got robbed asking for directions.

Late at night if you need help go to a police station or go to a fire station, even an all night super market! Definitely avoid gangs of people just lurking on street corners!

Common sense...it applies in all countries, even the most economically prosperous. That said, even in NY the average person is quite willing to help a traveler. Chicago is quite safe, NY is relatively safe, with DC, LA, and Detriot hovering near the bottom of the list.

I would say that small towns are generally quite safe (and worth visiting...many wonderful towns in the NE and West coast) but use caution in the south, where I've heard that racism is still quite common.

I didn't encounter racism in N. Carolina, but it is still prevalent in S. Carolina. I lived in Charleston for a while- I was coming home from school one day, and I had to detour around a race riot. (Will Moredock is an interesting newspaper columnist with an insider's take on some of the problems Charleston faces.) It is a beautiful town to visit, but I think they do a poor job of addressing some of the past and present issues of slavery and racism, especially in the local history that's presented to tourists.

I'm not sure how exactly this applies to NA Warnings, but I think it's a good idea to do some research and be aware of the current events and history of the places you're visiting.

Make sure you know your French and Metric for anywhere in Quebec. The Quebecois put EVERYTHING in it (street signs are the worst) and often won't even speak to you in English (even though they overwhelmingly know it fluently). It can really put a damper on your getaway when you get lost for hours driving around, cursing, looking for your hotel.

You should also be aware that in Montreal, the street system is not particularly intuitive and alternates between a grid and seemingly random tangents (with many, many one way streets) and it is easy to become very lost. The underground system is decent, however.

The hours for many of the cities main attractions are also very affected by the season, with maybe a quarter of the things you might want to see closed at any point of the year.

Make sure you have your international driving license if your country's driving license is not accepted - coz with the exception of few cities like NY, DC, Boston where there is good transit, if you can't drive, you are literally stranded. Unless you are willing to spend big bucks on cabs.

Woah, woah, woah. Hitchhiking is only illegal in America (and I believe not every State). I have no clue about Canada, but it is legal to the best of my knowledge in Mexico. I hitchhiked 400 miles south of the border and back. My only warning in doing that, Mexico isn't the safest place in the world, especially for those with no knowledge of Spanish.

When hiking anywhere in North America, make sure you register with the local authorities or park rangers and let them know your exact route and time frame of hike so if there should be any problems they can easily find you.

quote:

Originally posted by emmaonline:
When hiking anywhere in North America, make sure you register with the local authorities or park rangers and let them know your exact route and time frame of hike so if there should be any problems they can easily find you.

This is a good idea. Some people can be traced by their cell phone if they have one and attempt to make a call, but other than that they're in big trouble if they get lost while hiking.

Those travelers hiking, backpacking, etc. in wooded areas of the U.S.A. should make certain they use adequate insect repellent for ticks, chiggers, and of course mosquitos. Many visitors are unaware of the diseases carried by ticks the allergic reactions to chiggers, and other diseases carried by mosquitos. If you do not know what a tick or chigger is...do a 'google'. Some people are highly allergic to chiggers and don't know it till they've been exposed to them (particularly people who are taking medication for acne). These insects are a nuisance, but they can make you very sick, and longterm effects of some of the diseases are lifelong (Lyme's arthritis and heart problems). Ticks must be removed carefully, so as not to leave the head embedded in the skin. Carefully check everywhere (yes, there too) for ticks; they can be smaller than the tip of a pencil (seed ticks). Enjoy the great outdoors.

I thought I would add a note of medical sense to the hiking recommendations:

the United States is big, and the diseases that are endemic to certain areas are unheard of in others, so if you are hiking in many places across the country, and fall ill, tell the doctors all the regions youve been to(woods, caves, etc).

(Example: Doctors may never think to test for Lyme Disease if they are not in a region where it is endemic).

quote:

Originally posted by JFool1:
Make sure you know your French and Metric for anywhere in Quebec. The Quebecois put EVERYTHING in it (street signs are the worst) and often won't even speak to you in English (even though they overwhelmingly know it fluently). It can really put a damper on your getaway when you get lost for hours driving around, cursing, looking for your hotel.

You should also be aware that in Montreal, the street system is not particularly intuitive and alternates between a grid and seemingly random tangents (with many, many one way streets) and it is easy to become very lost. The underground system is decent, however.

The hours for many of the cities main attractions are also very affected by the season, with maybe a quarter of the things you might want to see closed at any point of the year.

all of canada is on the metric system, not just quebec.

no one has problems speaking to you in english in montreal. it's a de facto bilingual city. if you encounter difficulities finding english speakers outside of the city, however, it's very likely they really do don't speak much english. there's a huge difference in culture between montreal and rest of the province.

besides that, well, you are in a foreign country, in which a foreign langauge (to Americans) is spoken. Is that really worthy of a travel warning? Brush up on some basic French and enjoy this "petit coin" of francophone north america. it's well worth the effort.