USA & Canada
13h 50m from Sydney to Los Angeles. Half our voltage, flat pins. Hair dryers and straighteners that are not dual-voltage will run weakly or fail outright.
- Flight from Sydney
- 13h 50m
- Plug
- Type A / B
- Voltage
- 120V
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Currency
- US dollar (USD) · Canadian dollar (CAD)
- Time vs Sydney
- -19 hours
- Region
- AM
- Your kit
- USA & Canada
USA & Canada, month by month
Temperatures in Celsius, because you live in Australia. Remember that a northern hemisphere summer is our winter — the reason most packing advice online is upside down for you.
| Month | Season | High / low | What it is like |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Deep winter | 10° / 1° | Severe in the north and east; mild in California and the southwest. |
| February | Winter | 12° / 2° | Cold in the north, peak ski season in the Rockies. |
| March | Early spring | 16° / 6° | Unsettled everywhere. Spring break crowds. |
| April | Spring | 20° / 10° | Pleasant. Desert southwest at its best — Coachella season. |
| May | Late spring | 24° / 14° | Warm and green. Good value before the summer peak. |
| June | Northern summer | 28° / 18° | Warm and busy. School holidays begin. |
| July | Peak summer | 31° / 21° | Hot. The southwest is dangerously so — Death Valley and Phoenix regularly exceed 45°C. |
| August | Peak summer | 31° / 21° | Hot and humid in the east, dry heat in the west. |
| September | Autumn | 26° / 17° | Warm, quieter, excellent. Hurricane season on the Atlantic coast. |
| October | Autumn | 20° / 10° | Fall colour in the northeast. Crisp and clear. |
| November | Late autumn | 14° / 5° | Cold in the north. Thanksgiving is the busiest travel week of the US year. |
| December | Winter | 11° / 2° | Snow in the north, mild in the south. Expensive around Christmas. |
What Australians get wrong about USA & Canada
- Luggage locks must be TSA-approved. Any other lock will simply be cut off.
- Tipping is not optional and is not included. Budget 18–20% on restaurant bills.
- Prices on shelves and menus exclude sales tax, which varies by state. The number you see is not the number you pay.
- ESTA (US) or eTA (Canada) must be approved before you board, not on arrival.