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These are the key factors to consider before a trip to America
Simon CalderTravel Correspondent Thursday 11 December 2025 21:39 GMTComments
open image in galleryCash call: visiting America can prove expensive with new fees being introduced (Charlotte Hindle)
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Tourism to the US has slumped since President Trump’s second term began in January 2025. In the prime month of August 2025, the number of international arrivals fell by 8.3 per cent compared with the previous 2024 – representing around 20,000 people a day staying away from America’s cities, beaches and great outdoors.
Even the classiest airlines seem to be struggling to fill their economy seats profitably. For a January trip between London Heathrow and Los Angeles, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are selling return flights for under £500; between Manchester and New York JFK, the going rate is under £400.
While domestic demand is keeping many accommodation rates high, in areas where overseas visitors are noticeable by their absence, you can find some excellent package deals – such as under £1,000 per person for a week for two at the Balmoral Resort in Orlando in January, including Heathrow flights through Virgin Atlantic Holidays.
open image in galleryDonald Trump has demanded that foreigners be ‘vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible’ upon arrival (AP)Football fans heading across the pond to support England and Scotland in the World Cup have caused a surge in demand next summer. But in a new twist to the increasingly tricky path to America, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that applicants for Esta travel permits may soon need to provide details of their social media activity over the past five years.
The organisation made the move in response to an executive order from Donald Trump demanding that foreigners should be “vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible” on arrival.
But a CBP spokesperson told me: “Nothing has changed on this front for those coming to the United States. This is not a final rule, it is simply the first step in starting a discussion to have new policy options to keep the American people safe.
“The Department is constantly looking at how we vet those coming into the country, especially after the terrorist attack in Washington DC against our National Guard right before Thanksgiving.”
CBP officers may ask to examine your phone and assess your social media activity. Some high-profile deportations of travellers deemed not suitable for admission have taken place. LGBT+ travellers, as well as those who are politically active, may have particular concerns.
These are the key questions and answers.
Will I be able to get an Esta without too much trouble?
Probably – and even if you have no immediate plans to visit the US, you should consider enrolling as soon as possible for the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta), to avoid the forthcoming demand to access your social media accounts.
The Esta scheme came into effect in 2009. These essential online permits are usually granted within a few hours. The fee is $40 (£30). An Esta gives permission to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. If you are refused an Esta, you will not be told why; CBP says it “cannot tell you the reason” authorisation was denied “due to security/privacy laws”.
If you are granted an Esta it does not guarantee entry; as the Australian government advises its citizens: “You can be refused entry if you provide false information or can’t satisfy the officials you’re visiting for a valid reason.”
What if I have been to Cuba – or another ‘no-go’ nation?
For Cuba, it depends on when you were on the island. At the end of his first term, on 12 January 2021, President Trump designated Cuba a “state sponsor of terrorism”. Anyone who is found to have visited Cuba on or after this date is not eligible for Esta and must apply for a visa.
If you have been to Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen, any visit since March 2011 disqualifies you from obtaining an Esta.
Getting a US visa is a long, cumbersome and expensive process.
Some travellers have not revealed visits to Cuba, but instead have applied using fresh passports with no evidence of a trip to the island, and have successfully obtained Esta.
Why all the interest in social media?
US CBP says: “Social media may be used to support or corroborate a traveler’s application information, which will help facilitate legitimate travel by providing an additional means to adjudicate issues related to relevant questions about identity, occupation, previous travel, and other factors. It may also be used to identify potential deception or fraud.”
In addition, “social media may help distinguish individuals of additional concern” – such as those whose political views are at odds with those of the administration in Washington DC.
open image in galleryThe CBP states that social media can be used to ‘corroborate’ a traveller’s information and ‘distinguish individuals of additional concern’ (PA)What if I am a transgender person?
In an executive order, President Trump instructed: “It is the policy of the United States to recognise two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality. ‘Gender ideology’ replaces the biological category of sex with an ever-shifting concept of self-assessed gender identity, permitting the false claim that males can identify as and thus become women and vice versa.”
It is widely believed that arrivals must have travel documents corresponding to their birth gender. But the CBP agency says: “A foreign traveler’s gender as indicated on their passport and their personal beliefs about sexuality do not render a person inadmissible.”
How onerous is the arrival process?
Many people find it slower (I waited 90 minutes at New York JFK in May 2025) and more thorough than before. The authorities may ask to see your return ticket or one onward to a country that is not Canada, Mexico or a Caribbean nation, and demand proof you have enough money to support yourself during your stay.
Will I have my phone examined?
“Officials may ask to inspect your electronic devices, emails, text messages, and social media activity,” the Foreign Office warns. “If you refuse, they can delay or deny your entry.”
Last year, there was a one in 10,000 chance of having your social media history examined. That means from every 30 wide-bodied jets arriving from abroad to the US, one passenger will have their social media scrutinised. The proportion has probably increased. CBP says: “Officers may search a traveler’s mobile phone, computer, camera, or other electronic devices during the inspection process.
“All travelers are obligated to present their electronic devices and the information resident on the device in a condition that allows for the examination of the device and its contents. If the electronic device cannot be inspected because it is protected by a passcode or encryption or other security mechanism, that device may be subject to exclusion, detention, or other appropriate action or disposition.
“Additionally, the traveler may face longer processing times to allow for CBP to access the contents of the device.”
There are two levels of search, according to the CBP: “A basic search generally entails an officer reviewing the contents of the device manually without the assistance of any external equipment.
“An advanced search is any search in which an officer connects external equipment to an electronic device not merely to gain access to the device, but to review, copy, and/or analyse its contents.”
The CBP says only 10 per cent of device searches are “advanced”.
Any hacks to make the experience easier?
Travel to the US via Ireland. At Dublin and Shannon airports, passengers bound for the US are “pre-cleared” by CBP officials. You check in as usual, go through one universal security check and a separate enhanced inspection, and then are examined at what is effectively the US frontier.
open image in galleryLuck of the Irish: boarding at Dublin airport means you are pre-cleared before the flight and can skip the lengthy checks on the US border (Simon Calder)Any problems can be addressed while you are still on Irish soil, rather than at a US airport where you are at risk of deportation. If you are going to be rejected, better for this to happen before you have flown to the other side of the Atlantic.
The vast majority of travellers will be passed for boarding, and at the end of the transatlantic flight, are treated as domestic arrivals – with no wait, unlike the tired masses queuing for CBP checks.
How expensive will America be?
With soft demand, transatlantic airfares are likely to be comfortably low away from the World Cup (see below). Wait for seat sales to secure a bargain, such as the £600 return on British Airways from London to Denver I paid for a trip in July.
Accommodation, though, is likely expensive. For example, at the midrange Paris Las Vegas, a three-night stay over a quiet weekend in early February with “room type assigned on arrival”, the price (even after a “$300 online discount”) is almost £700. Part of this is the $55 (£41) per night “resort fee”, covering wifi, access to the gym and local phone calls.
While buying a package – flights and accommodation in a single transaction – could well be cheaper, check if an additional resort fee is payable locally.
You may also encounter “two-tier pricing”. Credit card handling charges are now so onerous that some shops and restaurants have lower prices if you pay with cash rather than plastic – with a surcharge of typically 3 per cent, sometimes 10 per cent, if you insist on using a card.
Tipping is likely to be another big expense, with 18 per cent now the bare minimum and 20 per cent more usual.
What about the World Cup?
Whether or not you are attending the festival of men’s football being staged jointly in the US, Canada and Mexico, there will be an impact on airfares in June and July. With millions of fans flooding in from across the globe to support their teams, airfares will be inflated and accommodation in the host cities will be at a premium. If you are not planning to follow the football, the spell from 11 June to 19 July is probably best avoided.
Anything else new for 2026?
Yes: a $100 (£75) per person surcharge will be applied for foreign visitors to the 11 most popular US National Parks from 1 January 2026. This “foreigner fee” is charged on top of the normal admission fee of typically $35 per car.
The workaround is to pay $80 (£60) before the end of this year for an annual America the Beautiful National Park pass.
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