Welcome to the latest edition of the regular Travel News from Visit USA. Christmas is most definitely on the horizon so why not factor in a shopping trip to America where price are always cheaper than at home. It;s also time to star thinking about your 2010 USA holiday plans - and Visit USA can help.

This month: America's Premier Shopping Places · Visit USA Travelplanner 2010 · Ask the Experts Brochure help · A State for all seasons · Need a Travel Specialist? · ESTA the easy way

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America's Premier Shopping Places

The holidays will be merry and bright across America this season as shopping centres and retailers prepare to welcome visitors from around the world beginning at Thanksgiving and continuing throughout the New Year. Travellers both young and old will enjoy the festive lights, sounds and merriment found in popular US vacation destinations while shopping for holiday gifts to bring to friends and family back home.

The following centres will have great holiday events:

Please click here for detailed event information at America's Premier Shopping Places.

To download your Premier Passport valid for special visitor offers at all of America's Premier Shopping Places, click here here

Available now! The Visit USA Travelplanner 2010

The brand new 2010 edition is now available. Fully updated, this comprehensive guide to holidaying in America gives you EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PLAN YOUR TRIP. Every state has at least half a page of valuable information to help you make your choice plus there's a full listing of around 200 Visit USA Association members with masses of all the holiday destination information you will need.

Whether your preference is to book a complete inclusive package with one of Visit USA's tour operator members or organize your own thing with airline + hotel + hire car + attractions + sightseeing etc. the Visit USA Travelplanner will help you.

Time zones? Passport and visa information? ESTA application (see also below)? Public holidays in the USA? Which airlines fly where in the US? It's all there in the new Visit USA Travelplanner.

Get your copy now by visiting www.visitusa.org.uk, click on Visitors and then Travel Brochures, fill in your details and copy will be on its way to you. Alternatively, just email vusa@bhpdirect-mail.com or call 01737 648 466.

Ask the experts

The Visit USA Association has close to 200 members and every one of them specialises in holidays to America. Whether you need an airline, a tour operator, a tourist office, shopping mall, attraction or an hotel, there's a Visit USA member to help.

The full membership is listed on the Visit USA website - www.visitusa.org.uk - under category headings from Accommodation and Airlines to Sightseeing and Tour Operators.

You can be safe in the knowledge that all of these companies and organizations are fully committed to the US tourism product and to helping you get the very best out of your holiday whether it be a visit to a Florida theme park, skiing in Colorado, taking in a Big Apple shopping trip or lazing on a Gulf Coast beach.

Want some brochures to help you choose?

Websites are great but it can be nice to curl up on the sofa or have the family sit round the table and look at some brochures. If you'd like to get some brochures and leaflets on the destination(s) or holiday type(s) of your choice, just check out the Visit USA Association website at www.visitusa.org.uk

Once there, go the Visitors section and click on Travel Brochures. You can then select which type of holiday interests you - everything from attractions to winter sports - and which state or area in the USA takes your fancy and you'll be presented with a list of all the relevant literature.

And if your geography is not all that it might be, you can even find out which city is in which state!

Click on what you'd like and leave the rest to the Visit USA Association.

A State for all seasons

If you want a quick overview of a US state, the Visit USA Travelplanner information is also available on the Association's website.

Visit www.visitusa.org.uk and click on Visitors. Top right is Destination Information which offers a thumbnail sketch of every one of the USA's 50 federated states.

There's also a handy map of the USA to pinpoint which state is where. Might even be useful when genning up for that next quiz night!

Need a Travel Specialist?

Then the Visit USA Association can help. There are around 7000 travel agencies in the UK but how do you know which ones have the expertise to help you plan and book your US holiday with confidence? And, just as importantly are close to where you live or work?

It's easy. Simply go to the Visit USA Association website at www.visitusa.org.uk click on Visitors and then, on the left-hand menu, click the top item - Need a UK-USA Travel Specialist? This will give you a drop-down menu of key towns and cities throughout the UK. Click on the one you want and, hey presto, there's your list of USA travel experts.

These are the people who can help you get the most out of your US holiday whether booking just a flight or an entire package holiday.

ESTA the easy way

ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) is now a requirement for all visitors traveling by air or sea to the US. It's easy to do and the most important thing to remember is that it's completely FREE OF CHARGE.

The simplest way to get to the ESTA website is via the Visit USA website - www.visitusa.org.uk - go to the Visitors section and then click on ESTA: Electronic System for Travel Authorisation on the left-hand menu.

Applications can be submitted any time prior to travel although it's recommended to do it no less than 72 hours before travel. Within seconds, in most cases, the traveller will receive a response and the overwhelming majority of these will say Authorisation Approved: Travel authorized.

The authorization is valid for up to two years or until the traveller's passport expires, whichever comes first.