Keep key travel documents with you at all times. It is best to always carry your passport and visa materials on your person - never pack them. Do not forget to declare any food products you are bringing with you. Declare everything you have purchased outside the U.S. that is not for your specific personal use. Remember, advice from friends and shopkeepers about what you must declare is often wrong. You must declare duty-free goods, even if you purchased them in a duty-free store. Do not assume. Find out if the items you plan on bringing to the U.S. are acceptable. There are very specific restrictions on fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, live plants and animals, trademarked goods, and animal trophies to name a few.

Plan how you will get from the airport to your temporary housing, and from there to your final destination. Transit agencies (bus lines, subway systems, and railroads) publish schedules, maps, and fares online. Your host organization can also tell you the best way to reach your final destination, or might arrange to pick you up. Check with your host organization for more information.

If you do not arrange for long-term housing before you arrive in the U.S., you will need to find short-term housing while you search for an apartment. Hostels, affordable hotels or motels, and universities are all good options for short-term housing. Book your room in advance so you have a place to stay when you first arrive in the U.S. You will find specific short-term housing resources below. Hostels Staying at a hostel can be an adventure. You get to interact with new people from all over the world. Hostels generally offer shared or private rooms with shared bathrooms. Some options include: Hostel World Hostelling International USA