Travel Preparations for Students Moving to the U.S.

Background

Traveling to the U.S. after getting your student visa is one of the most important steps in starting your academic journey. As thousands of students travel each year, it becomes essential to understand the travel requirements, documents, medical needs, and packing guidelines.

The process is detailed and time-sensitive. Flights become expensive, airports have strict rules, and universities require specific vaccinations and documents. Understanding all this beforehand helps you avoid unnecessary stress.

Problem Statement

Most students make mistakes right after receiving their visa. They delay booking flights and end up paying higher prices. They do not check CDC guidelines, forget medical documents, or pack items that are not allowed in carry-on.

Some students also keep important documents like the passport and I-20 in checked luggage, which creates major problems during airport checks. These mistakes can cause delays, denied boarding, or trouble at U.S. immigration.

Examples

Scenario 1 – Good profile, poor preparation:

A student receives their visa but forgets that they cannot arrive more than 30 days before their program start date. They book an early flight and face issues at the airport despite having an excellent academic profile.

Scenario 2 – Average profile, excellent preparation:

Another student with an average academic profile carefully follows all travel guidelines: they book their flight on time, keep documents in hand-carry, follow vaccination requirements, and pack exactly according to the rules. Their preparation lets them arrive smoothly without any problems.

Tips, Methods, and Guidelines

Make travel arrangements

The first thing to do immediately after you get your visa is to book a flight. But before you do that, take a look at the CDC’s study abroad travel guide.

Now, have you received your passport back with a stamped visa? Congratulations, you deserve it. This is your reward after all your hard work and sleepless, frustrating nights. Make your travel arrangements as soon as possible, as tickets become expensive. (Remember, you cannot arrive more than 30 days before your program start date. So, book your flight accordingly.

Agents or 3rd party websites

You can either purchase the ticket yourself or get it through an agent. The 3rd party sites that can be used to purchase tickets are Expedia, Kayak, and CheapOair.

Depending on the site and city of your agents, tickets could be cheaper, but they might not be able to help in case flights are canceled or changed.

On the other hand, purchasing directly from the airline gives you more flexibility and peace of mind. For long indirect flights with layovers, tickets through the airline directly are recommended.

Airlines

The options to fly from Pakistan are Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, and Emirates.

Turkish and Qatar are usually the best value given their good customer reviews, food quality, economical pricing, and airport amenities.

Etihad is also cheap, but very small legroom can be a real deal-breaker for long flights.

Qatar also had seriously bad reviews about their rude and incompetent staff at the immigration counter in the Abu Dhabi Airport.

Emirates is also considered a good option, but on the higher price end.

All these airlines have membership clubs that you can join to earn points and use them for shopping later.

Best deals

Find the app called Hopper. It predicts the prices for specific dates. You can choose the cheapest dates and know when to purchase.

To book a flight, the price graph on Google Flights is pretty handy. The price graph can show you the cost for a whole month, and you can choose a cheaper flight if your dates of travel are flexible.

Google Flights has advanced search features that allow you to find flights from different cities near you. For example, if you want to travel from Faisalabad to Washington D.C., you can search for flights from Islamabad/Lahore to Washington D.C./New York and find the best deal according to your convenience.

Vaccinations and Medical

Get a polio vaccine from a local hospital for international travel. They will give you a card valid for a year; it is required by some airports.

Your university will ask for some immunization records. Make sure you have those ready from a local hospital where you got post-birth vaccinations. If you have health insurance from your university, you can get some of those vaccinations at your university after your arrival for free.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, all airlines require a negative PCR test for COVID taken 72 hours before your flight. But to be safe, get vaccinated as well before you fly.

Also, consider getting a complete medical exam and treating the problems, if any. Medical care in the U.S. is expensive overall, but you would be out of luck with eye or dental problems. Get your eyes checked and keep at least two pairs of glasses or contact lenses if you wear them. A detailed dental exam is highly recommended, and get all the implants and treatments before you travel.

Documents

Keep your passport, I-20 or DS-2019, and other important documents with you. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from the date of travel. Double-check your name, father’s name, and date of birth on these documents. All the details should be consistent with your academic certificates.

Keep them in a hand-carry or backpack that you can carry with you, not in the luggage that is with the airline.

Don’t forget to bring a birth certificate and marriage certificate (if married), and also obtain their notarized translation if they are not in English. You will need all these documents for registration at your university and tax purposes in the U.S.

Things to pack while coming to the U.S.

Make sure that whatever you are bringing with you is allowed by your airline. Each airline may have its own policy, and you need to be aware of those restrictions. There are further guidelines on things not allowed in hand-carry, like batteries and fluids that are only allowed in luggage bags.

In general, your documents and portable electronics like the laptop, iPad, and phone should be with you in your backpack or hand-carry, and you should only have small travel-size toiletries and perfumes with you. The rest will go to your main luggage.

If you are bringing packed food, spices, and utility items, those should be in the original packaging, clearly labeled by the company with an expiry date. Otherwise, it might not be allowed on an airplane (depending on their policy).

Electronics

Avoid taking additional electronics other than your mobile phone and personal laptop with you. The operating voltage in the U.S. is lower, which can damage your electronics that may not be designed for the low voltages.

Make sure you purchase the universal converter for mobile and laptop chargers that is compatible with the plugs in the U.S.

Regarding electronics in the U.S., you will have a variety of options to purchase a new phone, tablet, watch, or laptop.

Medical items and prescriptions

Don’t forget to bring your important medicines and all the prescriptions with you. I would recommend bringing extra painkillers and emergency medicines for the flight.

In the U.S., you cannot get any medicine without a prescription, especially antibiotics that are not available over the counter. Purchase some antibiotics for yourself just in case you need them.

Eye care and dental are not included in your health insurance and are very expensive. Hence, keep an extra pair of your eyeglasses and contact lenses, and don’t forget your eye medicines. Tear gels, eye lubricants, and allergy medicines are recommended to keep for the flight since the humidity level is too low, and you may get an allergy.

You can also keep cough drops, stomach medicines like Flagyl, Vapo-rub, or a pain-relieving gel, and at least one painkiller like Panadol for the flight. You will get almost all over-the-counter medicines in the U.S., but herbal products are hard to find.

For a more comprehensive health and safety list, refer to the CDC website.

Desi stuff and spices

Keep in mind that you can find almost everything in the U.S., but it would be a little expensive. Usually, there are Indian and Pakistani stores where you can buy spices, desi food, and kitchen items.

Students often bring a Tawa, a rolling pin, tea strainers, pans, etc., when traveling for the first time. You can also order these things online at khanapakana.com.

You may also bring some utensils to use for the initial days, like plates, spoons, cups, glass, frying pan, and saucepan, etc. All this stuff can also be bought from Walmart and Family Dollar once you arrive.

Household essentials

Pack your toiletries, cosmetics, cotton buds, nail cutter, shaving kit, comb, hairbrush, towel, bedsheet, socks, and travel pillow, etc.

Bring formal and casual shirts, formal suits, some cultural stuff, and a few traditional dresses, which are difficult to find here. Other than that, don’t pack too many clothes, sweaters, or jackets as you will find them here at good rates in better quality. The same goes for joggers and sneakers; just bring a comfortable pair of shoes and flip-flops. Everything else is available here in good quality.

You can bring gifts for your advisor and cultural items for yourself. Things like Ajrak, pink salt products, clay pottery, wooden models of landmarks, and northern shawls and bags cannot be bought from here. Students also love bringing sweets.

Conclusion

Travel preparation is as important as securing your visa. Once you get your visa, the next step is to find accommodation in the U.S. and book your travels.