Unlock the Magic: 10 Essential Tips for Your Florida Adventure!

Are you going to travel to Florida and don’t know where to start organizing the trip? Do you have doubts about what is the best time, what route to take or what the entry requirements are? Then don’t stop reading this article as we are going to answer all these questions as well as many others to make organizing your trip as easy as possible.

We know that first feeling of uncertainty that usually goes through us travelers when we start preparing for a trip. Those doubts for which it is not easy to find an answer and yet we need to answer before starting to organize the trip so that it goes smoothly. That is why we wanted to answer all the questions that arose before making the trip to Florida to facilitate you and save you, as far as possible, the investment of time that we made looking for all the answers.

Based on our trip to Florida , during which we toured much of the state, we share with you many tips for traveling to Florida that will surely help you organize this incredible trip. Let’s start!

1. What is the best time to travel to Florida?

We could say that any time is good to travel to Florida but without a doubt, if we take into account the weather factor, there are some times that are better than others and, taking them into account, can mean enjoying the trip in a much more pleasant way.

The Florida Peninsula is known for having more than 300 days of sunshine and a temperate climate throughout the year, although it also has two quite different seasons if we take into account the rainfall rate:

• Rainy season (May to September): during these months, although it is still sunny, the rains are much more frequent and the humidity is also much higher. Furthermore, between August and October, hurricanes and tropical storms usually appear, so this would be a time to rule out, whenever possible.
• Dry season (September to April): these months would be the best to travel to Florida since the weather is more stable, the temperatures are lower (although normally the maximums remain at 25 degrees and the minimums at 15) and the rains. much less frequent.

We made the trip to the Florida Peninsula on our own in December and it was a success since the weather was very stable, the temperatures were pleasant, without being overwhelmed by the heat that usually occurs in summer, and in addition, we were able to enjoy days magical in amusement parks.

2. Entry requirements

If there is something important before traveling to the United States, it is to review and find out what documentation you need to enter the country. Currently, these are the requirements for Spanish citizens :

• Passport
• Spanish citizens who travel to the US for tourism are exempt from VISA, but it is nevertheless mandatory to properly complete and have the subsequent admission of the ESTA (authorization that will allow you to legally enter US soil).
• No vaccine is necessary to enter the US except for the complete covid vaccination schedule that you must show to the airline before boarding. Even if you have had Covid and only received one dose of the 2-dose vaccines, it is not considered a complete regimen in the US. In addition, since June 12, 2022, US authorities do not require a negative covid test to enter the country.
• If you want to rent a car, you need to have an international driving license. Although in some states like Florida, this is not required at the time of car rental, if you have a problem, depending on the police officer, it can be a more annoying procedure. That is why, despite not being strictly mandatory, we believe that it is highly recommended.

Remember that it is very important to check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website to check that this data is updated and there have been no changes. Likewise, if you are of another nationality, it is very important to check the entry requirements to the country before traveling to Florida on the Embassy website.

ESTA for USA

The ESTA is an authorization with which you can enter the United States . This procedure is mandatory for all travelers entering the United States for tourism and you must complete the form through this official website . The form is very easy to fill out and normally, within 24-48 hours you receive the resolution by email. Once you have it and it is favorable, you can travel to the United States. Although it is not necessary to have it printed, we do recommend that you carry a copy on your mobile phone to show it if necessary.
The current ESTA price is $21 and payment can be made by card.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: currently there are several websites, in many cases recommended by blogs, that carry out this procedure for an extra fee that can be up to $80. We tell you this because even if you Google “ESTA official” , these pages appear something that causes, on more than one occasion, misunderstandings and you end up paying more for a procedure that can be carried out in person, online and also, very easily (it will not take you more than 10 minutes and it is only answering personal questions).

3. Safety when traveling to the Florida Peninsula

Traveling to the Florida Peninsula is safe . We believe it is important to start by saying this, although logically, clarifying that it is always important to travel with common sense and be careful with details such as leaving valuable things in the car or left unattended. That said, it is also important to highlight that in large cities, such as Miami, it is highly recommended to ask the hotel if you are going to move through non-touristy areas or go out at night in areas that you do not know so that they can help you by giving you information. about these places. For example, in Miami it is preferable to avoid the northern area (Overtown) and at night, do not walk through Downtown, Liberty City or Little Havanna, since they are less safe areas after sunset.

Likewise, if you are going to travel to Florida by rental car, it is best not to leave valuables in sight and, as far as possible, if you are driving through areas you are not familiar with, do so with the latches down.

Do I need to get vaccinated to travel to Florida? Is it necessary to take out travel insurance?

As we said in the previous point, no vaccine is mandatory to travel to Florida beyond the complete guideline for Covid. Despite this, it is always advisable to speak with your doctor as he or she will be able to advise you or give you some recommendations depending on your medical history and the route you are going to take. In health matters it is very important to always talk to professionals so that they can advise and help you.

Likewise, we can also tell you that taking out insurance to travel to the United States is the most advisable since this is a country in which healthcare is not public and has a very high cost so you risk something happening to you and Not having good travel insurance can mean having to take out a mortgage for life. An ambulance service can cost up to 3000 euros, we won’t tell you more!

We always travel insured with Mondo , with whom we carry insurance completely adequate to the needs we will have during the trip. By contracting your insurance with Mondo here , just for being a Viajeros Callejeros reader, you have a 5% discount .

Due to the current health situation, all Mondo insurance policies include medical assistance in case of coronavirus infection. In addition, the extra stay you need in case of contagion due to quarantine is also included, and of course, the test if necessary.
We recommend you read this post about the best travel insurance for the United States for more information.

4. How to pay in Florida? Is card or cash better?

The currency of the United States is the dollar and today the conversion is €1 = $1. This, as you can imagine, is synonymous with an increase in the cost of the trip since the conversion is less favorable than a few years ago for tourists who travel with euros.
Despite this, by booking in advance, you can find reasonable prices on hotels and car rentals, which are usually the most expensive items when traveling to Florida.

Furthermore, our recommendation is to pay with a card whenever you can . Of course, without forgetting to check the commissions that your bank charges you since they normally apply a 3% commission on the value of the purchase to be paid outside the euro zone.

Taking this into account, our recommendation to save commissions and have the best exchange rate is that you use the Revolut card and the N26 card . They are the ones we use, they are free and will mean great savings since they do not charge commissions.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards for travel without commissions .

In addition to this, it is important to keep in mind that:

• You’ll find ATMs all over the country , including smaller towns, perfect if you need to withdraw some cash.
• Some banks charge a fee for withdrawing from their ATMs. This is something that neither N26 nor Revolut can control, so we advise you to review these charges before withdrawing cash to see if they fall within the limits you want to pay. Normally they do not exceed 2-4 euros.
• Nowadays it is practically possible to pay everywhere with a card. Despite that, it is always advisable to carry some cash just in case.

5. Internet in Florida (United States)

Another of the most frequent questions before traveling to Florida is how to have internet once you arrive in the United States . It is important to know that if your contract is with Vodafone, you have roaming included in the United States, although the data will not be unlimited even if you have that type of contract in Spain. Despite that, don’t worry since the data is about 30GB so you will surely not have any problem connecting as many times as you need. In any case, and as we always recommend, it is best to call the company to verify this information and find out what type of contract you have.

If you don’t have Vodafone, another option to have internet in the United States is to buy a SIM at the airport. We recommend that you review the options and prices to be able to buy the one that best suits your needs.

Wifi in Florida

If you don’t want to buy a card, don’t worry since in all hotels and most restaurants you can connect to free Wi-Fi. Even Disney and Universal Parks have a free Wi-Fi network that also works great so you will be covered for most of the route. Of course, we recommend downloading an offline application such as Maps.me, which you can use as GPS or Google Translator if you do not master the language well so that you can use it even without coverage.

eSim card

Another highly recommended option is to buy an  eSIM card . These cards are digital, they are valid for the United States and have different plans available with different durations but always with unlimited data.

6. How to start organizing the trip?

We know that it is not always easy to organize a trip, much less when you do not know the destination and hundreds of doubts attack you. That is why in this section of the tips for traveling to Florida we want to share with you what steps we follow in planning our trip so that you can follow them and make everything much easier and faster.
Please remember that these are based on our experience and while we believe these are the steps that all travelers are likely to follow, they can be modified depending on your needs.

• When to travel to Florida?: The first and most important thing is to decide when you can travel to the Florida Peninsula as well as how many days you have to do the route. This is the first of the steps you must do since this information is essential to be able to continue with the rest of the planning.
• Flights: the next step is to buy flights . We recommend doing it as soon as possible and considering possible alternatives if you see that the prices do not fit your budget. In this case, if you want to take a route through Florida, the ideal would be to enter and leave through Miami, but it could also be an option to enter through Orlando and leave through Miami or the other way around.
  
• Rental car: another very important aspect is to book a rental car if you want to do the route with complete freedom of schedule. After our experience, it is undoubtedly what we recommend the most since with a car you can go to all the points of interest in the most comfortable way. In addition, the roads in the US are in very good condition and driving is very comfortable.
  
• Hotels: once you have the flights and the rental car, the next step is to book the hotels . Although in Florida there is a lot of offer, it is best to book in advance since this way you will have more options and, above all, more reasonable prices. This is especially important in the most tourist destinations such as Miami, The Keys or the Disney and Universal Parks where, by booking several months in advance, you can get better prices.
  
• Activities/tickets: it may not seem necessary to you, but we assure you that there are certain activities or tickets that tend to sell out, so there is nothing more advisable than taking a look at the ones you want to do to be able to reserve them in advance and thus ensure that you have a place. Some of these activities and tickets would be the entrance to the Kennedy Space Center and the airboat excursion in Everglades National Park.
  
• Amusement park tickets: this is another of the most important steps to take before traveling to Florida. If you want to go to the Disney and Universal Parks, it is practically essential to buy tickets in advance since depending on the season, it is not uncommon for availability to sell out.
• Restaurants:  although initially it would not be something that you should reserve in advance, if you want to go to a special restaurant it may be advisable to reserve in advance to ensure a table.
• Travel insurance:  without a doubt, this is one of the most important points to keep in mind before traveling to Florida and we cannot forget that hiring good travel insurance can make a big difference if you have any mishap. 

In addition to all this, remember to check the documentation necessary to travel: passport, ID, insurance… etc. to check that everything is correct. This simple and quick gesture can save you some trouble.

7. Proposed routes to travel to Florida

We reach another of the most important points before traveling to Florida: the travel route . We know that this step is not easy either, much less in a destination like this where there are many tourist attractions and there are not always enough days to include them all.
That is why in this section we want to share with you several route proposals that we believe can help you get an idea of ​​everything you can do and in how many days.
It is important, before continuing, to be clear that these proposals are designed for travelers who want to see as much as possible. If your travel idea is to do something more relaxed, we recommend that you carefully review the routes and discard the points that least suit you so that you can take the route that you like.

In our case we did a 21-day route through the Florida Peninsula including a full week visiting the Disney Parks and the Universal Parks and we have to say that it was an impressive experience in every way. Despite this, we understand that not all travelers have so much time for this trip, so, based on our experience, we wanted to share several proposals that are also spectacular.
We recommend that you carefully read this post about the best route through Florida in 7, 10, 15 and 21 days in which you will be able to find all the expanded information on the following proposals.

Florida in 7 days:

• Day 0: Flight to Miami
• Day 1:  Miami – Palm Beach – Juno Beach – Vero Beach and Jupiter – Cocoa Beach – Kennedy Space Center
• Day 2: Kennedy Space Center – Disney Parks
• Day 3: Magic Kingdom
• Day 4: Disney or Universal Park of your choice
• Day 5:  Disney Parks – Everglades – Miami
• Day 6:  Miami
• Day 7:  Miami and return flight

Florida in 10 days:

• Day 0: Flight to Miami
• Day 1:  Miami – Palm Beach – Juno Beach – Vero Beach and Jupiter – Cocoa Beach – Kennedy Space Center
• Day 2: Kennedy Space Center – Disney Parks
• Day 3: Magic Kingdom, another of the places you cannot miss when traveling to Florida
• Day 4:  Disney or Universal Park of your choice
• Day 5: Disney or Universal Park of your choice
• Day 6: Disney Parks – Everglades – Miami
• Day 7: Miami
• Day 8: Miami – The Keys
• Day 9: The Keys
• Day 10: Los Cayos – return flight

Florida in 15 days:

• Day 0: Flight to Miami
• Day 1:  Miami – Palm Beach – Juno Beach – Vero Beach and Jupiter – Cocoa Beach – Kennedy Space Center
• Day 2: Kennedy Space Center – St. Augustine
• Day 3:  St. Augustine – Disney Parks
• Day 4: Magic Kingdom
• Day 5:  Epcot
• Day 6:  Animal Kingdom
• Day 7:  Hollywood Studios
• Day 8: Universal Studios Florida
• Day 9: Islands of Adventure
• Day 10: Disney Parks – Everglades – Miami
• Day 11: Miami
• Day 12: Miami
• Day 13: Miami – The Keys
• Day 14: The Keys
• Day 15: Los Cayos – return flight

Florida Peninsula in 21 days:

• Day 1: Flight Barcelona – Miami
• Day 2: Miami – Palm Beach – Juno Beach – Vero Beach and Jupiter – Cocoa Beach
• Day 3: Cocoa Beach – Kennedy Space Center – St. Augustine
• Day 4: St. Augustine – Drive to Walt Disney World Orlando
• Day 5: Walt Disney World Orlando: Magic Kingdom
• Day 6: Walt Disney World Orlando: Epcot
• Day 7: Walt Disney World Orlando: Animal Kingdom
• Day 8: Walt Disney World Orlando: Hollywood Studios
• Day 9: Disney Springs
• Day 10: Universal Orlando: Universal Studios Florida, one of the places that we could not fail to include when traveling through the Florida Peninsula.
• Day 11: Universal Orlando: Island of Adventure
• Day 12: Universal Orlando – Tarpon Springs – Tampa
• Day 13: Tampa – St. Petersburg – Siesta Key Beach
• Day 14: Siesta Key Beach – Everglades National Park – Homestead
• Day 15: Homestead – The Keys
• Day 16: The Keys
• Day 17: The Keys – Miami
• Day 18: Miami
• Day 19: Miami
• Day 20: Miami
• Day 21: Miami – return flight. In this case we linked with the Dominican

Remember that these are only proposals and that the ideal is that you review all the tourist attractions that we include so that you can see if they fit your tastes since this should always be YOUR trip. Furthermore, as we said before, these are very complete routes and, although we have also left time for relaxation, they may be too demanding for travelers looking for more relaxation time on the trip.

Dive into Paradise: 12 Unforgettable Experiences in Florida

8. I want to travel to Florida, do I include the Amusement Parks? How many?

Without a doubt, including a visit to the Orlando amusement parks should be a must when traveling to Florida. Maybe you are not a die-hard fan of them but we assure you that visiting and enjoying them is one of the most incredible experiences you can live in this area of ​​the world. Not convinced? We will tell you that we are not lovers of amusement parks, in fact, in our entire traveling life, before Orlando, we had probably been to 2 or 3 at most and they had never particularly caught our attention. However, after spending a week in Orlando, we can say loudly that it was one of the most brutal experiences and one of the most incredible trips we have been lucky enough to take.

That said, we understand that not all travelers have a week to dedicate to the amusement parks, so we recommend that you read about each one of them and above all, in case you cannot visit them all, make a selection of the ones you can visit. more fit you.

Here we leave you several proposals to visit the Orlando Parks that we believe can help you organize the days you have:

Orlando (Florida) parks in one day:

• Day 1: Magic Kingdom

Orlando parks in 2 days:

• Day 1: Magic Kingdom
• Day 2: Epcot (morning) – Hollywood Studios (afternoon)

Orlando amusement parks in 3 days:

• Day 1: Magic Kingdom
• Day 2: Epcot (morning) – Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios (afternoon)
• Day 3: Universal Studios Florida (morning) – Islands of Adventure (afternoon)

Theme parks in Orlando in 4 days:

• Day 1: Magic Kingdom
• Day 2: Epcot (morning) – Animal Kingdom (afternoon)
• Day 3: Hollywood Studios
• Day 4: Universal Studios Florida (morning) – Islands of Adventure (afternoon)

Orlando Parks in 5 days:

• Day 1: Magic Kingdom
• Day 2: Epcot (morning) – Animal Kingdom (afternoon)
• Day 3: Hollywood Studios
• Day 4: Universal Studios Florida
• Day 5: Islands of Adventure

Theme parks in Orlando in 6 days:

• Day 1: Magic Kingdom
• Day 2: Epcot
• Day 3: Animal Kingdom
• Day 4: Hollywood Studios
• Day 5: Universal Studios Florida
• Day 6: Islands of Adventure

Please note that on days that include two parks you must purchase Park-to-Park (Universal) or Park Hopper (Disney) tickets as this is the only way you will be able to go from one park to another on the same day.

9. Rental car to travel to Florida

Another important aspect to take into account before traveling to the Florida Peninsula is car rental . Although this is not strictly necessary, since you could move around the main points of interest (cities) by public transport, it is highly recommended taking into account that public transport does not reach all points nor is it very frequent. It is for this reason that, after our experience, we recommend renting a car to travel to Florida.

We leave you some recommendations:

• Although an international license is not essential to rent a car in Florida, it is highly recommended to have it because if something happens to you, depending on the police officer, the process may be more streamlined if you have an international license.
• Remember that it is essential to have a credit card to rent a car.
• Try to book as far in advance as possible to find better prices. 
• The ideal, if you are going to do any of the routes that we have proposed, is to rent the car at the Miami airport and return it there or even in the city if in the end you are going to spend several days traveling there and you prefer to do it by transportation public. This way you will save a few dollars.
  Another option, in case you want to take a linear route, would be to rent at the Miami or Orlando airport, depending on where you enter, and return it at the other. In this case, we recommend that you carefully review the extra that they will charge you for returning the car to another office, to see that it compensates you.
• Although driving in Florida is completely safe, it is advisable to lock the doors if you are driving through areas of cities that you are not familiar with or are not touristy. Furthermore, it is advisable not to leave valuable objects in sight.
• At most points of interest you will find parking. In some cases it will be paid but in many others, you will see that it is free.
• Although you can rent a GPS from all rental companies, our recommendation is that you bring it from Spain or even bring a Maps.me-type application that also works as an offline GPS. This will allow you to save a lot of money.

Highways in Florida. Take the SunPass or pay cash?

Another important point to keep in mind when traveling through the Florida Peninsula by car is that it will not be unusual for you to come across toll roads to get from one point to another. Although you will always have free secondary roads, without a doubt, if you want to make the most of your time, the ideal is that you opt for the first ones since, in addition to being faster, they are more comfortable.
We leave you some tips that we believe will help you in this regard.

You can pay for highways in Florida in cash, although some do not currently have this option, or through SunPass , a Florida prepaid toll program . If you choose this last option, which is the most recommended, when you pick up the rental car you will have to request it and pay a daily rental (it is usually around 6-10 dollars since this amount depends on the company). Once you have it, you will be able to go through the toll highways without having to stop to pay and also use the express lanes (all of them are duly marked with the indication SunPass).

Taking this into account, the ideal is to ask the rental company, before hiring it, what the conditions are to see if they compensate you or not since there are some companies that charge excessive amounts for the SunPass rental and in the end, what It was a cheap car rental, it ends up becoming a much higher amount when you add the SunPass and pay the tolls you have passed through.

10. Gastronomy

We come to the tastiest point on this list of tips for traveling to Florida: the typical Florida cuisine that we assure you will not leave you indifferent and will allow you to return home with the best taste in your mouth. Although as you can imagine, the list of recipes is infinite and could not be summarized in a few lines, we do want to leave you a small selection of dishes that we tried during the 3 weeks that we were touring Florida so that you can enjoy the best gastronomy. Many of the dishes that we include in this list can be found in all tourist spots, although they tend to be traditional dishes from some specific areas.

• Key lime pie
• Cuban sandwich (Cuban sandwich)
• Key Fritters (Conch Fritters)
• Apachicola style oysters (Apachicola Oysters)
• Rock crabs
• Conch salad
• Shrimp and grits
• Gator Bites

Recommendations on restaurants in the Florida Peninsula

Although this is not a point to pay special attention to since eating in a restaurant in Florida is practically the same as doing it anywhere else in the world, there are certain aspects that we believe you should take into account so that the experience is as good as possible. complete possible:

• The tip is usually not included in the bill . Currently, although tipping is not mandatory, in the US it is highly recommended to leave it because if you don’t, the waiter will most likely ask you if he or she hasn’t served you correctly or if you had a problem. In general terms the percentage is usually 15-20% although in some restaurants even 25% is recommended.
• You can leave the tip in cash or directly add it to the final ticket and pay with a card. You can choose the modality you want.
• In most restaurants, prior reservation is not necessary, but if you are going to a well-known restaurant or are traveling during high season, it can be very interesting to reserve the day before to ensure a table.
• Keep in mind that the dishes are usually very large portions so in most cases, with a main dish, you will have enough. If you cannot eat it all, it is very common for them to offer you a small box to take it with you.
• Most restaurants have vegetarian and some vegan options as well as dishes that include meat or fish.
• In many restaurants, if you can drink soft drinks or water, they will refill your glasses as you run out, without having to pay any extra. This also happens in some places with coffee.

Frequent questions

Although we hope to have answered all your questions, we leave you the answers to the most frequently asked questions before traveling to Florida.

What is the best time to travel to Florida?
The ideal is to travel between September and April, which is the dry season. During these months the rains are less frequent, the temperatures are usually lower and the climate is also more stable.

How many days do you recommend to travel to the Florida Peninsula?
The minimum would be a week but if you have 15 days it would be ideal to be able to see most of the points of interest. If you have 3 weeks you can go to practically all the essential attractions in the state in addition to spending a week at the Orlando amusement parks.

Is ESTA mandatory to enter the United States?
Yes. This document is essential to enter the United States. You must request it through the official website and it has a price of $21.

How can I have internet when traveling to Florida?
If you have a contract with Vodafone you will have roaming included. If not, you can buy a card at the airport or buy an eSim with Holafly.

In Florida, is it better to pay with cash or card?
Whenever you can, the ideal is to pay by card to save commissions. We always use N26 and Revolut and it works great for us.

Is it essential to rent a car to travel to Florida?
Although it is not essential, it is highly recommended since public transport does not cover all destinations and, furthermore, it is not very frequent.

Do I need to get vaccinated to enter the United States?
Yes. Currently it is necessary to have the complete covid vaccine schedule to enter the US.