Hawaii Big Island Travel Guide - Big Island Visitor Info -2

Canadian citizens do not require passport to enter the United States. All other international visitors require valid passports, and, in some cases, visas.

Currency, Credit Cards, Taxes

Currency: 1 U.S. dollar (US$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: US$1 = Canadian$ 1.40 (February 2000)

Credit cards: Major credit cards accepted.

Traveler checks: Most traveler checks cashed.

Taxes: Sales Tax: 4.5%

Tipping

Tips are generally given to restaurant waiters for their good services at a rate of 10-15% may be expected at more expensive establishments. Tips are also given to taxi drivers, bartenders, hairdressers and other services.

Measurements

The original British and U.S. system is still the U.S. standard measurement system.

Metric Conversions
Distance Kilometers(km)/Miles(mi)		Meters(m) /Feet(ft)
km to mi	mi to km	m to ft	ft to m
1 = 0.62	1 = 1.6	1 = 3.3	1 = .30
50 = 31	50 = 80
80 = 49.6	80 = 128
90 = 55.8	90 = 144


Weight Kilograms(kg)/Pounds(lb)		Grams(g) /Ounces(oz)
kg to lb	lb to kg	g to oz	oz to g
1 = 2.2	1 = 0.45	1 = 0.04	1 = 28


Liquid Volume Liters(L)/U.S. Gallons(gal)
L to gal	gal to L
1 = 0.26	1 = 3.8


Temperature
Celsius(°C) to Fahrenheit(°F) °C = (°F - 32) x 0.555		Fahrenheit(°F) to Celsius(°C) °F = (°C x 1.8) + 32
°C	°F	°F	°C
-15	5	0	-17.8
-10	14	10	-12.2
-5	23	20	-6.7
0	32	30	-1.1
5	41	40	4.4
10	50	50	10
15	59	60	15.5
20	68	70	21.1
25	77	80	26.7
30	86	90	32.2
40	104	100	37.8

Electricity

Electrical appliances in the United States use 110-volt, 60-cycle current. Overseas visitors will need to bring adapters to convert their electrical appliances to the U.S. standard, otherwise these appliances cannot be used in the U.S.

Driving

U.S. Highway
Today there are more than 3,759,516 km (including 88,500 km of expressways) of surfaced roads and 2,501,638 km (1995 est.) of unpaved roads across the United States.

Drive on Right
In U.S. traffic drives on the right-hand side.

Driver's License
You must have a valid driver's license to drive a car in the United States. Your foreign driver's license may be valid for a short time. Check with a Motor Vehicle Branch or local police station before you drive a car.

Speed Limits in Miles
Speed limits vary and are sign-posted along roads and highways. In Hawaii State, the maximum speed limit is 55 miles (88 km) per hour unless otherwise stated.

Most U.S. states require front-seat passengers to wear seat belts, and in all states children under 4 years old must ride in approved child-safety seats.

Telephone

Emergency Number:
Police, Fire, or Ambulance: 911

Operator Assistance: 0

International Calls:
To place a call to countries outside of North America or to Mexico, Dial:
011 + Country Code + Local Number

Telephones: 182.558 million (U.S. total, 1987 estimate)

Telephone system: Excellent service provided by advanced technology in all U.S. States, including Hawaii.

Domestic : Large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites.

International: 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean) (1990 est.), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions).

U.S. Diplomatic representation in Canada

U.S. Embassy, 100 Wellington Street, Ottawa K1P 5T1

Mailing address: P. O. Box 866, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0430

Phone : 1-613-238-5335, 4470

Fax: 1-613-238-5720

Consulates general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Canadian Diplomatic representation in the U.S.

The Canadian Embassy, 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 1-202-682-1740

Fax: 1-202-682-7726

Consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle

Consulates: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.