First time US Travelers

2008-12-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

Are you preparing for your first US trip? If you are an Indian then you are bound to face a few problems. These problems are very familiar to those who travel occasionally. I have listed some of the common and some unnoticed problems which actually cause a lot of trouble after you land in the US.

The most common problem is Jetlag. It is classified as a rhythm sleeping disorder. You tend to sleep according to the regular Indian night time, while it will be day time in the US. The symptoms include – Loss of appetite, headache, mild depression, digestive problems and irritability. For first timers this problem can last up to a maximum of 10 days or so, in many cases 3 or 4 days. The remedy for this is to avoid afternoon naps, I had tried that initially, but it did not work. So later on I started doing some sort of exercise during noon and I got over it. If you are traveling to the Eastern part of the US and in the month of winter, make sure you carry heavy clothing like sweaters, head caps, gloves, woolen socks and thick woolen jackets.

You may also get a cell phone to keep in contact with your people from India but a cell phone which you get needs to have a quad band so that there can be more than one frequency in one device and enable roaming between countries. So if your phone supports quad band then you need not buy a new cell phone after coming to the US. Otherwise you need to register for a new phone and you will get one, only if you have some sort of photo identification (like SSN). If you are planning to buy a new one and you have family along with you, try the family plans they are much cheaper and you also get another cell phone free. Also ask for special offers, during holiday seasons they give free air tickets to travel within the country as a promotion. Calling within the country after nightfall and during weekends is free here. In case the cell phone you bought from India doesn’t work, for immediate purpose you can use an international calling card worth 5 dollars with a talk time of over 100 minutes, you can use this card to call from your lodge or hotel phone. You can check details about this card and others at http://www.simple2call.com/.

SSN is a must for everyone here. Without it you cannot get a driving license or a hotel room. So you need to apply for it as soon as you get here. It might take upto 25 days to get SSN, till then make sure you get one of your friends to help you with the hotel room rent.

There are many lodges here that accommodate your weekly stay. Until you find an apartment or a house you can stay in the studio which includes a bedroom, bathroom and a modular kitchen along with all the appliances. These lodges are much cheaper and there are family suites as well. You can book them online in advance, they cost just 190$ for a week stay with free maintenance. These lodges do not provide food but you can get free internet connection for 24/7 till your stay.

You may also get several electronic items as well, say, a laptop; you will need to charge these devices to keep them working. So the main plug which is used in India cannot be used in the US.

This is the picture of the plug in the US. So you will need an adapter for charging the devices. Most of the time Indian companies will provide these adapters along with the company laptops they give. But in case they do not provide them then for charging purposes you need to get an adapter.

I found this all-in-one adapter that goes for almost all the places around the globe and it’s just for 10 dollars.

In most cases younger generation tend to easily adjust to the new surroundings and eating habits. The problem occurs when you get your parents or babies to adjust to the new eating habits. Since most of the food items include cheese and bread, some people may find it difficult to adjust. So the first thing you have to do is search for the nearest Indian store on the Internet, go to the store and buy all the basic things you need. You can find almost every necessary item from rice to chapathi, from spices to curries in every Indian store.

Water is very costly here, I meant pure drinking water. During customs checking in the Indian airports they do not allow you to carry water or any glass containers, it becomes necessary to buy water bottles on the plane or after you land. In the lodges or hotels that you may stay, 500ml of water can cost you 1.5$. So it becomes necessary to buy a filter for the tap at your place. You can find all the items in huge stores like Walmart, Target, Home depot, Kroger, these stores have chain all over the US. So all you have to do is locate one of them nearest to your place and buy all the items that you need. Out of these I like Walmart the most; it’s like the Big Bazaar of the US. For the ones who come to the US to save money Walmart is the place to be.

The public transportation includes flights for domestic travel, cabs in cities and towns, and trains found only in cities. So there are no buses except for the school bus and no autos as well. Everyone relies on cabs in small towns. These cabs sometimes take a lot of time during bad weather condition and they are costly as well. Hence most of the people own cars. You can get rented or second-hand cars for very less price. These cars are well maintained and you can contact the service people for any kind of help regarding the vehicle.

In case of food items, things that you are allowed to carry in your check-in bag can be all bakery and frozen products excluding perishable ones like milk,fish,veggies and the ones that they suspect of spreading bacteria. You can get pickles, sweets in plastic container but make sure it is not in a glass container. If you like to eat cooked rice, make sure you carry a cooker along with you. It is difficult to find a decent cooker here. If you are planning to cook at home and all by yourself then do get some of the spices like turmeric powder, cloves, jeera and the basic ones necessary. The spices are imported from Asian countries hence they are very costly here.

Each person is allowed one cabin bag that you can take along with you when you're on the plane with your necessary items like laptops, food items like biscuits,chocolates,bakery fried items etc. The check-in bag where most of your luggage will be put into, you will receive at your destination itself unless you have to take a domestic flight after landing in the US. Domestic flights have re-customs checking.

If any of you have found out more problems do write a comment, so that we can help people who are actually preparing for their first US trip. Good Luck guys!!

Spreading smiles

First time US Travelers