May 16, 2026

Finally reunited with family and a bit jet lagged. I thought I had enough sleep but travelling for 13 hours straight takes a ridiculous toll on your sleeping pattern. I woke up at 3 in the morning and still needed more sleep. We had breakfast at home, thanks to the leftover In-N-Out Burger from yesterday. Today was a rest day, but we had a buffet dinner planned and would be sleeping in Anaheim tonight ahead of tomorrow’s big activity: Disneyland!

But before I get into all that, here are the key things you need to know when traveling to the USA.

📌 Just joining me? Start from the very beginning → Finally, America — Day 1: Manila to Los Angeles

🛂 Visa
Yes, you need a visa. I wrote about the process in detail here.
🌤️ Climate
The US has 4 seasons: Winter (December–February), Spring (March–May), Summer (June–August), and Autumn (September–November). I visited during spring and the weather was so pleasant — around 22°C during the day and dropping to about 16°C at night. Really lovely.
🔌 Voltage
The US runs on 110–120 Volts and uses 2-pin flat plugs. Make sure to bring an adapter if your devices use a different plug type!
🛍️ Shopping
Amazing shopping experience! Next time I go to the US, I’m only bringing just enough clothes because I’ll be shopping everything there. Brands like Michael Kors (MK), Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein (CK), Kate Spade, Nautica, Coach, and Guess drop significantly in price — and still with amazing quality. I purchased a lot! 😄

The grocery stores are massive too — Walmart and Target are incredible. I didn’t get to visit Costco or Trader Joe’s this trip because time ran out, but those are on the list for next time. One fun tip: the Trader Joe’s tote bag is limited to 2 per person, so if you’re going with family, that works in your favor!

🚗 Automobile

America drives on the right side of the road, with the steering wheel on the left side of the car –  the opposite of countries like the SG and Japan. America is truly car country, and having a car makes the experience so much better.

I don’t know how to drive, so thankfully my brother does! We rented a car from Hertz for the entire duration of our stay. Total cost: approximately $4,000 USD (around ₱247,000 PHP) for 19 days, inclusive of approximate toll and gas. Totally worth it for the freedom it gave us.

Train stations do exist, mainly in city centres, but even if you’re in the city, having a car gives you the full American experience. I highly recommend it.

⛽ Gasoline Stations
The gasoline stations are outstanding all throughout the road trip. Flying J convenience stores and Chevron were among my favorites — clean, well-stocked, and reliable.

🚻 Toilets
During the road trip, restrooms are typically inside convenience stores. You don’t need to purchase anything, they’re free to use. The toilets have no bidet (bring your own travel bidet or wet wipes!), but they always have tissue paper. There are also flushable wet wipes available in convenience stores, which is a nice touch.

At National Parks, the toilets work differently — no flush system (I believe they’re composting or vault toilets). But what I loved is that they always have tissue, hand sanitizer, and trash cans everywhere. Very well-maintained!

🛣️ Toll
The US has a massive freeway system and generally doesn’t have many toll gates — unless you opt into express lanes during rush hour. Roads are well-built and the drives are stunning, especially on road trips.

💵 Tipping
The US operates on a tipping culture, and the customer service is outstanding,  honestly one of the best I’ve experienced. I’ve never seen people take such good care of customers!
For sit-down restaurants, tipping is expected (typically 15–20%). Dining in a big group of 7+? Some restaurants will already include it in your bill so watch out for that. For fast food where no table service is provided, you can skip it and it’s totally normal. When you pay, you’re prompted on the payment terminal to add a tip, so it’s always your choice.

One important thing to note: the prices you see in the US whether on a menu or a price tag never include tax. This applies to almost everything, from sit-down restaurants to fast food to shopping. For sit-down meals specifically, you also need to factor in the tip. A good rule of thumb is to mentally add around 25–30% on top of a sit-down menu price to cover both local tax and a standard tip. For fast food, just factor in the tax, usually around 8–10% depending on the state. It sounds like a lot but once you get used to it, it becomes second nature! 😊

🍲 Dining

American restaurant servings are enormous — one plate can easily be shared between 2 to 3 people, so pace your orders accordingly.

Don’t expect rice on the menu. Potatoes are the staple carb here, served in every form — mashed, hashed, roasted, or fried.

Good news: most drinks are refillable, so you’ll always get your money’s worth on beverages.

🏨 Motels & Hotels
For most of our road trip, we stayed at motels. I’ll be featuring each one in separate blog posts. One thing I love: hotels and motels in the US almost always have an ice maker in the hallway. As someone who loves ice in their drinks, this made me very happy. 😄

💳 Currency & Payment
$1 USD = approximately ₱61.62 PHP at the time of our trip. I used my credit card throughout the trip, but also carried some cash USD. If you don’t have a credit card, a debit card works too or apps like Maribank or GCash. I prefer Maribank now because they offer cashback and no international transaction fees.

🍔 Fast Food
The fast food selection in the US is amazing! They offer unlimited drink refills (unli drinks) and are very generous with ice. I love it, because back in the Philippines, sometimes there’s no ice at all!

McDonald’s in the US is a must-try, the burger selection is great and the patties are juicy. As for Jollibee in the US, I found it a bit bland and expensive compared to back home. The original Filipino version is definitely better!

Did you know drive-thrus were invented in the US? The first true drive-thru restaurant is credited to Red’s Giant Hamburg in Missouri in 1947. A year later, In-N-Out Burger (yes, the same one we ate at!) opened their own drive-thru with a two-way speaker system. Fittingly, you can also pre-order your meal via app before you arrive, making it even more convenient. UberEats is also widely available throughout the US.

🌤Daylight Hours

In America during May, expect daylight until around 8:00 PM. Daylight Saving Time combined with the Northern Hemisphere’s tilt toward the sun in summer means longer days. For Filipinos used to 6:00 PM sunsets, this will catch you off guard!

Morning: Auntie Baby’s Place & Old Town Temecula

In the morning, we stopped by Auntie Baby’s place and met her adorable white dog, Tisoy – aptly named for being the whitiest little cutie.  She spoiled me with gift cards for shopping — I am so loved!

Right after, Yves drove us to Old Town Temecula for a relaxing morning. There was a weekend farmers market, a small street show, and charming shops lining the street. It was a lovely, low-key experience –  exactly what a rest day should feel like.

Yves also treated us to morning coffee at Starbucks. I tried their Iced Horchata Shaken Espresso — it was strong and had an interesting flavour. Definitely a coffee-forward drink!

Lunch: Hibachi Buffet

We were treated to a buffet lunch about 10 minutes from Old Town Temecula. I’m not usually a fan of buffets since they don’t cater to specialization, but I’m always open to trying!

Pricing:
Monday–Friday Lunch: $16.99
Monday–Thursday Dinner: $21.99
Friday Dinner & All Day Saturday/Sunday: $25.99 (~₱1,602 PHP)

The buffet had an Asian selection. Some of the meat was a little rough but still okay. The seafood was fine but not the freshest. Overall, a nice meal with family, can’t complain!

Did you know the buffet concept has Swedish roots? The modern all-you-can-eat buffet was popularized in the US in the 1940s at the El Rancho Vegas casino in Las Vegas, but it was actually inspired by the Swedish smörgåsbord, which made its way to America at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. America truly made it its own though and now buffets are a staple dining experience across the country!

Evening: Time to go to Anaheim
After lunch, Yves and I went to meet my cousin Chris’s wife, Angela, at a KBBQ restaurant. I also got to see my titos and tita there, so much family time on this trip!

After that, we headed home to pack our things and get ready for the drive to Anaheim. Because tomorrow? It’s officially Disneyland day. 🏰

Up next: The Most Magical Place on Earth — Disneyland!

Want to see this trip come to life? Watch out for my YouTube videos soon — search @wheresniskie to find me and And for up-to-date travel updates, follow me on Instagram @niskieroams. See you there! 🙂

Love,

Maria