✈ Travelers guide

Friday, Jan 17 2025

⚠️
Disclaimers: This is all based on my traveling experience. Your mileage might vary.

TLDR

Ensure you have these:

  - Documents 🎒(📑)
   - [ ] a small bag/bagpack
   - [ ] passport
   - [ ] your ticket (printing is optional, good for elderly/backup)
   - [ ] green-card (if applicable)
   - [ ] necessary docs for your visa {~i20~, supporting docs: finance docs}
   - [ ] address where you going to USA, written in a paper

  - Food 🍪
   - [ ] a water bottle (small 1/1.5 ltr steel better for hot water)
   - [ ] some dry fruits, biscuits, veg noodles(your backup)

  - Luggage 🧳
    - [ ] ensure your bags are below the allowed weights(23kg | 50lbs)
    - [ ] also tag your name, address in all of your bags
    - [ ] take a photo 📸 of your luggages (could come handy in emergencies)

  - Money 💵
    - [ ] get a travel card from your bank
    - [ ] small change in dollars💸 {1,2,5,10,20};

FAQ

Q: What to wear ?

A: Wear light comfortable clothes.

I prefer trouser, a light jacket/hoodie, slipper(crocks). I try to avoid jeans pant and belts. Most of the airports make you put out your belt for security check

I felt little bit of cold, while flying over pacific, so I would prefer to have a jacket/hoodie for my backup. Airplane also provides you some light sheet to cover your body.

Q: Can I charge my phone ?

A: Yes you can charge it, but most of usb outlets doesn't support type C, make sure you carry tybe B cable head

Luggage 🧳
  • use zip-locks to seal your food items(properly seal your pickles, masala)
  • put food items and your important clothes in different bags if possible
  • learn to do army roll of your clothes, you could save lots of space in small bags
  • use duffle bags if possible; it will save you weights so you could carry more items
  • make a list of items, and roughly estimate the weight by putting them randomly and measuring with scale
  • properly label your items(in english), use white masking tape and marker

Handy tips, that I learned:

  • If you have heavy jackets, wear it before they weigh your bags, it could used as neck support while sleeping in plane.
  • Stay hydrated through out the flight. You could get headache if your run low on juice.
  • Airports security asks you to empty your bottle, no worries it could be filled up later, you can ask for water in plane also.
  • Keep small change of ~~$50, could come handy in stores and airport for tips to carry your bags🧳
  • In case your bags are just above allowed weight, while measuring your bags put the lightest bag first on scale on boarding station, its ok sometime to go above 23, like 23.4 or something
  • If you could get a wheelchair for your elderly, its the easiest/shortest way to move within the airport. You would be lucky too, you could go with them via short-cuts.
  • Please also keep a small paper note with your name, address, number inside the bag for emergencies(if your bags gets lost/misplaced)
  • Its ok to ask for help.