Visiting the USA for the FIFA World Cup? 5 Things Tourists Need to Know!

Visiting the USA for the FIFA World Cup? 5 Things Tourists Need to Know!

Visiting the USA for the FIFA World Cup? Here's What You Need to Know! 🇺🇸⚽

Are you traveling to the United States for the FIFA World Cup 2026? In this episode of the TravelEssary Podcast, we're sharing our best travel tips for international visitors coming to America, including some things that may surprise you!

From what Americans really eat to common cultural misunderstandings, we're covering practical advice to help make your trip smoother, safer, and more memorable. We talk about why you shouldn't spend your entire vacation at chain restaurants, where to find incredible local food, and why food trucks and Southern brunch deserve a spot on your itinerary.

We're also diving into American grocery stores (yes, they're as big as you've heard!), iconic stops like Buc-ee's, and why a visit to a Super H-E-B can be an experience all on its own.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Tips for visiting the USA during the FIFA World Cup 2026
• Common misconceptions about Americans
• The best local foods to try beyond fast food
• Food trucks, Southern brunch, and mom-and-pop restaurants
• Why tourists love American grocery stores
• Buc-ee's and Super H-E-B explained
• Safety tips for cities and nightlife
• Important cultural rules visitors should know
• Renting a car and exploring scenic American backroads
• Celebrating July 4th during America's 250th birthday
• Top places to experience Independence Day, including Philadelphia and Houston

Whether this is your first trip to the United States or you're returning for the World Cup, we hope this episode helps you experience the real America: welcoming people, amazing food, beautiful landscapes, and unforgettable memories.

Thanks for traveling with us!

#FIFAWorldCup2026 #WorldCupUSA #VisitUSA #TravelUSA #AmericaTravel #USATravelTips #InternationalTravel #TravelPodcast #WorldCupTravel #USA2026 #FamilyTravel #TravelEssary

Transcript

We're the Essary family, and we're exploring America one destination at a time. On this episode of TravelEssary, we want to give a big shout-out to every non-American right now that's visiting America, and we want to address some of the questions and excitement that we have seen throughout all of the internet. Let's chat Welcome, and thank you for joining us on this episode as we talk about everything you need to know if you are a non-American coming to this great country, and there is a lot going on. We're specifically talking about the FIFA World Cup. FIFA. And I love soccer I've known about FIFA coming in ever since they even started the bidding process- You just- for FIFA to come in. You just called it soccer, which is a very American thing. Oh my goodness, it is an American thing. It's a very American thing. It is soccer around here. That's because it's instilled into us that football is what you play- American football ... on a Friday night. Yeah. And then soccer is what you play on the weekends. So yes, the world, it is football or American soccer. - We've seen so much on TikTok and Facebook and everywhere else of non-Americans coming over for the very first time and experiencing this- America ... this massive nation that we have here. Oh, I am absolutely loving the videos- This is so awesome ... and the articles that I am reading of people coming over. And it's not all positive, you know? There are some negatives, which I feel like anybody traveling to a new country, there's pros and cons to it. But I, I think I'm just blown away by the amount of things people didn't realize about America, whether they perceive it as good or bad. They're just in complete shock over some things. And I find it absolutely fascinating. And I just wanna give a big welcome to everyone that has come over. We thank you for coming over and, you know, seeing America with your own eyes and judging for yourself of what America is and what it has to offer. But we have seen so many people, um, post videos of things they're not understanding or that they have questions about. And then there are a few of them just drew up some concerns with us that we were, like, yelling at the TV screen like, "No, don't do that." So, so we just wanna get into that today. A quick little bonus episode that we have going on. If you're new to Travelestry, we ask that you stick around and maybe check out a few of our other episodes. But first, let's kick off into the number one, the biggest is- I wouldn't say issue that we have, but the biggest, um- It's definitely the most content right now. Yes, the most content. And that's with people trying American food. And don't get me wrong. American food is really good. W- but because we're American, we love other culture food. So we like, you know- We just like food ... we like food. So much different kind of food. But people come over, and they automatically go to a few staples in America that we have that is like- I wanna say almost bottom tier Yeah, so a lot of the videos we have seen, we have looked at each other, and , the people in the videos that are trying them, like, "Oh, this is so good. It's so great." And we're like, "You're literally trying the worst that we have to offer." Yes. , In almost any of our fast food joints, like, that's our junk food. Yeah. That's our junk food. Even we as Americans, we consider that convenient food. It's things that we have whenever we are rushing from school to a soccer game or, you know, from work to, um, a break, a lunch break or something like that. It's usually something that we do when we just need the convenience and not necessarily want quality or taste. And so I'm gonna, we're gonna name a few, and this is just, this isn't all of them, but it is a few. You know, like In-N-Out. Whataburger. Whataburger, which is a Texas staple, which I'm not gonna argue about, but I mean- It's just Whataburger it, yeah It's not even the best burgers out there. Um, White Castle, um- Taco Bell ... Taco Bell Which is, like, the grossest chain we have. I mean, I like Taco Bell, not gonna lie. Don't get me wrong, it has its time and its place. We enjoy cheap food, but man, it's, it's Taco Bell. Yeah. It is literally the bottom of what we have to offer. We've seen a lot of people go to Chili's, which- Chili's is all right ... we love Chili's. It's okay. Chili's is good. Um, the one thing that, that people do get right is Chick-fil-A. I'll tell you that. Yeah, Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A's amazing. .. If there's a fast food tier- It's God's food. ... that, that's like, that's like S tier, or G tier if you wanna go God tier. One thing that we have seen is People that go and order a chicken sandwich, they call it a chicken burger. A chicken burger. We don't- It's adorable. It's not chicken burgers here, it's, it's chicken sandwiches. So cute. Yeah, no, we do not call them chicken burgers, they're chicken sandwiches. You won't even find them on the burger menu, they're in the sandwich menu. They're in the sandwich menu. Exactly. But one thing we will say about the food is try to get away from some of the fast food stuff. Not just fast food. Don't be afraid to get out of the chains. Yes. So, um, one thing I do wanna say is, yeah, we have some chains and there are a few that we really like. But if you want really good quality, go to what we call a mom and pop. An individually owned, there's probably only one to, like, five of them scattered throughout , a central area, and you're gonna get so much better quality. And not just that, you're not just putting money into the pocket of a corporation, you are supporting those businesses and the everyday American businessman. You know, those of us that are not millionaires and billionaires, and we're just living from day to day. And so when you get outside of those corporations, it helps so much, and it is way better quality food and way healthier for you. And some of y'all are in some great places to try food trucks. Yes. Uh-huh. Like Austin, And we've seen so many people that are going through Austin. If you're in Dallas, if you're in- Houston, Miami, ATL. Yes. Uh, uh, LA. All those places are just, they're, they're saturated with food trucks. Try a food truck. Now, food trucks aren't necessarily healthy. No, but- Some of them will have healthy versions you're gonna get, you're gonna get some really good food. It's- You're gonna be supporting local people- Mm-hmm ... 'cause they're not gonna be a chain somewhere, and , it will fill all your needs. I promise you. It's gonna be good. Don't be afraid to try the restaurants that look really sketchy, that are almost you're afraid to go in because they look so scary, because that's gonna be the best food. Like, the best food. Yeah. Nine times out of 10, the best food we've ever had are in the scariest looking buildings and they've just been, blown our, our minds away. And stop at the brunch spots. Brunch. Get brunch. Brunch in America, especially in a Southern brunch diner, is the best food we have. Yeah. And we've seen a lot of y'all get the, uh, the biscuits and gravies. Biscuits and gravy. Oh my gosh. You can't go wrong. You can't go wrong with it. You can't go wrong. Um, but there's so many other good, great brunch food that is out there that we highly suggest. Anything with bacon in the South, I highly suggest anything with bacon. It's not gonna be healthy for you, but it's gonna be really good. Another thing that we wanna address is we've seen so many people that are eating, like, super heavy foods breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between, snacks in between. Like, they're hitting up, um, you know, Waffle House for breakfast, and then they're eating Jack- in the Box for lunch, and then they're eating LongHorn Steakhouse for dinner. Oh, yeah. I would like to point this out. Most Americans do not eat that way. We've seen so many people say, now I know why Americans are obese." First of all, we're not all obese, okay? Um, but second of all, most of us do not eat that way. That is, a luxury. That's a luxury. That's, that's a rarity. That is so rare for someone. Maybe on vacations people eat like that, when they're traveling or something. But nine times out of 10, we do not eat that way. That is overloading your system. It sounds like it's gonna make me sick if I was to eat a whole day that much food- ... and that heavy of food. So I do suggest you take it easy. There is that joke going around about the FIFA 15. Yes. FIFA 15 is probably gonna be real. The longer you stay here, the more likely that's going to happen. Mm-hmm. - We do have healthier options, and a lot of that is going to be outside of your corporate chains that everyone's- Yes ... going to. Uh, one thing that we have seen that we absolutely enjoy is how much y'all love our grocery stores. Yes. Uh- Our basic grocery stores ... and people are, like, blown away by, you know, Walmart or Costco. And some of the ones that they go to are not even the biggest ones. They're not even the big ones. And so that's kind of mind-blowing doing more research into y'all's grocery stores and convenience stores, especially if you stop at a Buc-ee's. Mm-hmm. And just to see the total difference. I can understand why , your minds are blown the way that they are. And if you are visiting one of the games in Dallas or Houston, I highly suggest that you find a Super H-E-B. Because if you love Walmart- Oh ... a Super H-E-B or an H-E-B Plus, it's just going to, it's going to be the- It's a whole different level it's the icing on the cake. Even me, as a native Texan, it is one of my favorite places to visit. It's like Disney World for adults. Yes. I mean, anything you want, gluten-free, I mean, it was the whole nine yards is at H-E-B Plus. We love that place. So just ah, you know, enjoy the food, but kinda don't overindulge in the food. Okay. So let's get away from food for a little bit. Yes. There's so much more. And let's talk about something else. We have seen so many videos of people walking around at night in the middle of these large cities saying that America's so safe and they've never once felt unsafe. While we love that sentiment, as an American, there are places in those cities that you are walking around in at night that I would never walk around in at night. So the, what we're really talking about is if you're staying in, like, more of the, the tourist-type areas and it's well-lit, um, and you see people just kinda walking around and everyone's minding their own business, you're cool. You're safe. 90% of the time, nothing's gonna happen. You're gonna be okay. But there are some places in every city- In Ame- I can speak about America only because I'm not sure about the Mexico or the Canada side. But in America, every city, there's places that no one goes into. Mm-mm. There's some places that cops- Cops ... really don't want to go into those places. Yeah, even the police avoid. I saw this one video of this gentleman, and he was like, "I could just go down any dark alley in this city," and I don't know if he was in Dallas or ATL or what, ", and I'd be perfectly safe." And I'm like, "No, sir. Absolutely not. No, sir, you would not." As someone who grew up in Dallas, I promise you there are some very, very unsafe places. I have experienced them myself, and so I just wanna give some caution. You know, if you're in the daytime, you're probably good to go. If you're in the well-lit tourist, um, high-traffic areas, you're probably fine. But please, please, please do not assume that you can just go anywhere and be safe because I would love to say America is safe everywhere, but it is absolutely not. It's most of America is not what you see on the news. Most of America is safe. Most of it is a place that you can go enjoy, and no one's gonna mess with you, and you're gonna have a great and wonderful time. But there's those places that you do see on the news with, you know- And they do exist ... with, , the violent crimes and such. And the shootings and- Y- th- they're there, okay? But don't tempt anyone by going there. Yes. Don't go seek them out, just s- Especially at night ... stay in the area, enjoy yourselves, and enjoy the safe America that we get to enjoy on a everyday basis. Speaking of crime, there is another thing that I'd like to address, and I have not seen anyone else address this yet, not even in a lot of the comments, but I think it's so important. Please, for the love of all things, do not mess with an American mailbox. So we have seen so many videos of especially, like, the European tourists coming over and being fascinated with the yellow school buses, which is cool, um, and, and mailboxes in suburban areas and how they're out by the road. I guess that is not something that y'all have in Europe. But, um, they've been opening the mailboxes and messing with them. That is a federal offense- That is a federal offense ... in America. - That is a federal crime. It is a big deal. You do not mess with mailboxes. If you take something out of a mailbox, if you put something in a mailbox and you are not a postal worker, if you destroy or vandalize a mailbox, that is immediately a federal offense. So I implore you all to look from a distance and do not touch people's mailboxes. Yeah, don't mess with them. Don't open them. Don't put the little flags up. Just enjoy, you know, the- I would hate- ... the craziness ... I would hate for someone to get arrested- Right, and then- ... because they, of something they enjoy stuck here because they can't go home because- Yeah ... they mess with someone's mailbox. You know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of this video I saw a few years ago of an American tourist who went to Europe somewhere, and she was swinging on one of those light pole things, and then the light pole fell over- Yeah, and broke and she busted it, and it was a really big deal. That's kind of how our mailboxes are here- Yeah ... in America. Like, make sure you're, you're careful about certain things like that. But please, please do not get arrested for messing with someone's mailbox. Same thing with the yellow school buses Enjoy them from the distance Oh, gosh, yes We saw one, and he- This man ran onto a bus full of children ... he got blasted in the comments because number one, you don't mess with American kids. Do not mess- Period ... with our schoolchildren. And yes, school is out, but summer school is still going on, so those buses that are running more than likely will have kids on them. And just because of all , the things that happen in our school systems that we're very protective of our children. Yeah, I mean, you, you do see school shootings and stuff on the news. You see stuff that involve our children, and we do not take situations like that lightly. There are places in Texas and in the South, I would just want to warn you, where our school bus drivers are armed- Some of them are with guns. Yes. They are licensed to, even our school teachers, because of situations that have happened throughout America. And I was afraid for this gentleman's life. He was just so excited and so enthusiastic. He jumped on the school bus as children were trying to exit it just so he could get a video of the inside of it, and I'm very thankful that he did not get shot- Yeah by a parent or a school bus driver because you do not run up onto our school buses and our children like that. There's just too many things that happen in the world, and you're in America. We're gonna shoot first, gonna ask questions later. But it's also to the point that if you would just talk to the bus driver, let the kids get off, let them do their thing, and then just talk to them. Be like, "Hey, I'm from, you know, out of the country. Y- can I just see the inside of the bus? I've never seen one before." Yeah. More than likely they're gonna be like... , they're gonna make sure that it's safe- Yeah ... and that it's clear. Yeah. And then they'll let you on and, you know, spend a couple minutes talking to you and then go about their day. We love the enthusiasm. We love the excitement and the interest in things that are over here. Just make sure that you are doing them with proper precautions and respect, you know. We hear a lot of things of people going to Japan and not having respect and it, and it causes an issue. You know, when you're in another country, just make sure that you are showing your enthusiasm with respect. Yeah, we just wanna make sure everyone is safe. Yeah, we j- really just don't want you to get shot. Enjoy, be safe. , That's the main purpose. Yeah, and I guarantee you if you're here and you see school buses and you ask the proper people, um, they're gonna let you go on a school bus. Yeah. They may even drive around with you on it because we're just as excited- Yep, that is true. that you guys are enthusiastic as you are. Speaking of driving around- if you are someone who has come over and rented a car during this time- Oh, yes ... then, which we highly suggest because, one, we don't have good public transportation in America. A few of our larger cities do, but that's it. Um, we highly suggest that you take the scenic routes when possible So specifically talking about if you're going from Atlanta to Miami or you're going from Dallas to Houston or Seattle to LA, you know, those are kind of the, the group plays that are happening and you have the opportunity to rent a car, whatever your preference is. I know a lot of you like trucks, whatever it is. Um Don't just take the interstate. Yeah. Now, the interstate is gonna get you from point A to point B as fast as possible with probably little to no traffic, um, but you're not going to see anything. Right. So America's huge. Massive. As I'm sure many of you have learned, America is huge, and our terrain and our landscaping varies vastly across the lower 48 as we call it. So if you are driving and you really want to see America, not just our interstates and our highways, then I highly suggest that you take the scenic routes when possible. You're gonna get the teeny, tiny, little rural towns. You're gonna get the most beautiful scenery. We have come upon so many things that we would have never seen. Like in North Carolina right now, where we currently are, if you take the rural routes, there are waterfalls everywhere. And so just, just take the scenic routes. It's absolutely worth the few extra hours, I promise. America has beautiful, beautiful landscaping that you're not going to find on the interstate. You're gonna see some absolutely gorgeous places. But on the flip side, you're also going to see some ugly places. Hey, that's part of America too. But that's, that's part of the country that we live in. Yeah. Not everything is gonna be beautiful and, you know, newly painted. I mean, you're gonna see some shops that are closed, some- You're gonna get the ruggedness buildings that are boarded up. Mm-hmm. You know, it's, it happens. Every country has those cities where, you know, it was highly populated and then it just kinda went down. So just be mindful of that. But it is absolutely beautiful scenery. You're gonna see more mom and pop places that you can stop and get that extra food or that- Mm-hmm those extra snacks. And , it's worth it. It really is. The last thing that we wanna talk about that we have seen come up consistently throughout a lot of the videos and the comments is that a lot of the non-Americans that are coming over, they think that America is putting on, like, this big show for them. Yeah, like- For FIFA and the World Cup ... there's a huge, yeah. They think we're putting on, like this is not the real America. Everyone's just putting on a show everywhere they go. Yeah, everyone's being nice because they know that we're in town. Everyone, , in these bigger cities, it's all about putting on a facade. Yeah. Um, I would like to point out as an American that probably, well, , we're a couple weeks into it at this point, but probably there's still a good 40, maybe even 50% of Americans that doesn't even know the World Cup is happening. Yeah. Or that the World Cup is even here. Or in America. Yeah. No, if- They don't even know now, all of our sports people do because ESPN's been covering it. Mm-hmm. So all of our sports stations have been talking about the World Cup. So everyone- That watches sports I think, and I think more people are learning about it now that it's popping up on social media everywhere , the bigger cities are seeing people walk in their streets with Celts or, you know, the Swedish flag or, you know, the Brazilian- Or the Japanese wear the headband flags- The, the headbands around their- I mean, so , they're seeing all this stuff, and so they're putting two and two together. Um, but whenever y'all first got here, I guarantee you 70% of America had no idea what was going on. Yeah, there is only a small population of Americans that are actually very, very interested in soccer. I do believe soccer or football is moving up in the ranks in America. In America, yes. It is, it is becoming slowly more popular, but there are still so many people who they do American football, they do baseball, basketball. Even hockey in a lot of places is far more popular than soccer. Absolutely. So, um, the people you're meeting on the street and in the stores, they're not putting a show on for you. They don't even know why you're here. All of our large cities have tourists in them all the time. All the time. Um, America is a very large melting pot. Melting pot. And- If you're in Boston or- Yeah ... Houston or DFW- Miami ... Miami, there- LA ... you're gonna have 10 people around you speaking different languages. So it's, it's not uncommon for Americans- Right ... and especially in larger cities, to be surrounded by people that are not Americans. And so no one's really thinking about it or putting on a show. And our events, you know, we've seen people get so amazed by like the flyovers or the eagles in the stadiums or the live music or the cheerleaders. Um, I'd like to point out, that is just everyday life for Americans. That's... Yeah. If you were to go to an American football game- Even a- ... that's what you get ... high school football game- Some high schools- ... you can see crazy stuff ... um, especially the championships- Yes ... like that'll happen. Um, I know that a lot of people are, and I know that the Dallas, Arlington AT&T, Jerry World Stadium is having the most games, and he's not putting on a show. He does that all the time. All the time, yeah. So where the World Cup is being hosted right now in Arlington at AT&T Stadium in Texas, our high schooler championships are also- Are played there ... played there. Like- With everything you're getting. Yes. That's what they get. That is an average American celebration. Now, if you want- If you want- ... a big celebration- And it's coming ... and if you're going to be here- Be prepared ... on July 4th- Find somewhere to celebrate because from the smallest towns to the largest cities, it's going to be big. If you are not already aware, it is America's 250th birthday this year on July 4th, and I highly suggest you make plans for that because it's going to be a big celebration. And if you do wanna see America go out and go big, it's going to be this Fourth of July. Now, understand that it's gonna be, you know, the top 16 teams. That's whenever that round kinda starts. But if you have an opportunity to stick around and you wanna see some spectacular things- And eat some of the best food and I'm talking about four days worth of celebration. Yeah, we personally have three full days packed of just celebrating this year. That normally don't happen. Mm-hmm. But because of the 250th, July 4th, FIFA is here, baseball is going on, I mean, everything America is happening, and there is gonna be such a celebration yes. Bigger than we've ever seen before because we never reached 250 before. So, I mean- ... it's a big milestone for us, and , the craziness that's gonna happen. Now, I will be very specific. Philadelphia has a July 4th game, so does Houston. Those two cities, if you're playing in those, number one, be safe. Yes, be safe. Number two, get ready to have a great time. Yeah. We're actually gonna be in Philadelphia around that time. Oh, my goodness. And we cannot wait for the celebrations. We're so excited, and we're ready to celebrate with you guys and show, like, the true patriotism. Because here's the great thing. Not only is our patriotism gonna be on another scale, you know, a level above anything we've ever done before, but y'all's enthusiasm and just the things that we've seen online with- It's been heartwarming. with y'all chanting and singing, you know, songs. Oh, the Scots. I love the Scots. And, you know, all the, the energy that y'all bring on top of the July 4th celebrations is going to be wild, and I cannot wait to get there. So while you're here, ask a local, "Where do I go? Where do I eat? What route should I see?" Ask a local. Don't just stick to what you see on media, . And please, please, if you're able to, stick around for July 4th celebration. We would love to celebrate that with you, and welcome to America.