Getting to the U.S.

By Plane

Airlines -- Many international carriers serve LAX and other U.S. gateways. These include, among others: Aer Lingus (tel. 01/886-8888 in Dublin; www.aerlingus.ie), Air Canada (tel. 800/776-3000; www.aircanada.ca), British Airways (tel. 0845/7733-377 in the U.K.; www.british-airways.com), Canadian Airlines (tel. 800/426-7000), Japan Airlines (tel. 0354/89-1111 in Tokyo; www.jal.co.jp), Qantas (tel. 13-13-13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au), and Virgin Atlantic (tel. 01293/747-747 in the U.K.; www.fly.virgin.com). British Airways and Virgin Atlantic offer direct flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles from London. Air New Zealand (tel. 73-7000 in New Zealand; www.airnewzealand.co.nz) also flies direct to California.

Airline Discounts -- Smart travelers can reduce the price of a plane ticket by shopping around. Overseas visitors, for example, can take advantage of the APEX (Advance Purchase Excursion) reductions offered by all major U.S. and European carriers. For the best rates, compare fares and be flexible with the dates and times of travel.

By Train

Although Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) offers service from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Portland, a trip that should take only 8 or 9 hours, you have to overnight in Seattle unless you want to take the Amtrak bus between Vancouver and Seattle. One-way fares from Vancouver are usually between $44 and $54 if you book in advance.

Immigration & Customs Clearance

Visitors arriving by air, no matter what the port of entry, should cultivate patience and resignation before setting foot on U.S. soil. Clearing immigration control can take as long as 2 hours, especially on summer weekends, so carry this guidebook or other reading material. This is especially true in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when U.S. airports have considerably beefed up security clearances. People traveling by air from Canada, Bermuda, and certain Caribbean countries can sometimes clear Customs and Immigration at the point of departure, which is much faster.

In contrast, travelers arriving by car, by ferry, or by rail from Canada will find border-crossing formalities somewhat more streamlined, though not nearly as easy as they were before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Prepare to Be Fingerprinted--As of January 2004, many international visitors traveling on visas to the United States will be photographed and fingerprinted at Customs in a new program created by the Department of Homeland Security called US-VISIT. Non-U.S. citizens arriving at airports and on cruise ships must undergo an instant background check as part of the government's efforts to deter terrorism by verifying the identity of incoming and outgoing visitors. Exempt from the extra scrutiny are visitors entering by land or those who don't require a visa for short-term visits (mostly from Europe). For more information, go to the Homeland Security website at www.dhs.gov/dhspublic.