Practical Information for visiting Illinois

Coverage is continuous in Chicagoland, along the interstates and in every downstate city, and thins only in the Shawnee forest, the river bottoms and the canyons at Starved Rock, where a paper map still helps. The L and Metra take contactless cards and phones, and the CTA's fare chart is written around a Ventra account in an app, so a working phone with data is the transit ticket; O'Hare and Midway, Union Station and the museums have free WiFi. In a winter storm or a summer derecho, power and coverage can fail together for hours and O'Hare cancels by the hundred, which is why the advisories want the airline checked before travelling and local media monitored during tornado warnings.

Both advisories rate the United States as needing normal precautions. Violent and gun crime rarely touch tourists but Chicago, like every large American city, has neighbourhoods to avoid, especially from dusk to dawn, and the Canadian advisory notes that violent crime concentrates in poor neighbourhoods and is mostly gang-related; petty theft is common in urban centres and tourist spots, on the L and the Magnificent Mile; rental cars are the target, so never leave bags, passports or valuables in a parked car, even in the boot. Firearms are widely and legally carried in the country, mass shootings occur, and the advisories ask visitors to know how to respond to an active shooter. Protests are common downtown and can turn violent; move away early.

Weather is the other hazard. Tornadoes pose a risk across the central states and may come with little warning; Illinois averages 54 a year and produced 136 in 2023, more than any other state, mostly in spring; monitor local news and follow local authorities' instructions. Flash floods and the big rivers' floods disrupt travel; snowstorms shut roads, cut power and cancel flights at O'Hare, so contact the airline before travelling in winter; heat and humidity from June to September have killed in Chicago before, and dehydration and heatstroke can be fatal. Lake Michigan's rip currents take swimmers off the city beaches every summer.

Dial 911 for an ambulance. Health care is excellent and very expensive: insurance covering treatment and evacuation is essential for non-residents, foreign prescriptions are not valid, and some medicines cannot be brought in, so check the FDA's rules and expect to see a US provider for a refill. The advisories list Zika and West Nile virus as risks, rabies possibly present in wildlife including bats, and heat and humidity from June to September as the season's danger, with dehydration and heatstroke fatal -- the 1995 heat wave killed 739 Chicagoans in five days. Tap water is safe; ticks in the southern forests in summer; the winter cold and wind off the lake are serious in January and February, when frostbite is a real risk on a long wait for a bus.

Two sets of laws apply, the state's and the federal, and breaking either can cost a visa. ID: carry a passport showing permission to be in the country; authorities may ask for proof of status at any time. Alcohol is 21 nationwide and checked. Cannabis is legal to buy in Illinois and illegal under federal law: carrying it across a border, onto federal land or through an airport is a federal offence, previous use can bar entry, and drug paraphernalia is prohibited at the border. Firearms are carried legally by citizens in many states. Transit: pay before boarding; fare inspection is routine. Driving: right turn on red after stopping unless signed; tolls are electronic and unpaid ones follow the hire car; proof of insurance required. Historic sites: the Lincoln Home is entered only on a ranger-led tour; Cahokia's mounds are walked on the marked paths.

Manners are Midwestern, friendly and tipped: tipping is expected in restaurants, bars and taxis and to hotel staff, and is how service workers are paid; strangers say hello; sports loyalties are taken seriously and asked about. The UK notes that LGBT+ attitudes vary hugely by state; Chicago's are among the most open in the country. Do not ask for ketchup on a hot dog, and do not call the city the Windy City to a Chicagoan expecting agreement about the weather.

Emergency numbers: 911 for police, fire and ambulance anywhere in the state.

Consular: Canadian Citizen Services on 1-844-880-6519 or the emergency line 1-888-949-9993, with a consulate general in Chicago; the UK's help and services for the US are listed on its advisory. Natural hazards: tornadoes with little warning in spring, flash and river floods, snowstorms that close roads and airports, and summer heat; monitor local media and the National Weather Service, and follow local authorities' instructions including shelter and evacuation orders. In Chicago the beaches fly flags for Lake Michigan's swimming conditions; obey a red flag.