Travelling alone to USA

[Andrew_Qin 0]

Contrary to popular advice, I purchased my wife's ticket to the US as soon as I knew her interview date. She will arrive in Tampa, Florida on August 15. Since I returned from China just a few weeks ago and must return to China at the end of September, she insisted that I not travel there just to bring her home. Now that it is getting close to her departure date, I am trying to prepare her so that she gets from point A to point B without difficulty. Since she is not conversant in English, this is a little challenging. She flies frequently and has traveled to several Asian countries in the past, so she is familiar with the basic process of immigration and customs.

I have called the airlines advising them of her situation and requesting assistance getting from arrival gate to her next departure gate. They have noted my request but warned me that if the airlines personnel are busy, they will not be able to assist her. I have written, in Chinese, the details of each flight, the process of going though immigration and customs, rechecking bags after customs, etc. I will also make cards, written in both English and Chinese, that she can show in the event she needs help. She also has a sim card to put into her phone upon arrival in the US.

Do any of you whose spouses have made the trip on their own have any additional advice? She has flights from Chengdu to Narita, Narita to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Houston and Houston to Tampa (total trip time is 24 hours).

[tan&tuyet 15]

In my opinion I wouldn't have purchase the ticket until she got her visa in hand because anything can go wrong. I am not saying it could go wrong but anything is possible with the visa process.

[Barbara J 115]

Contrary to popular advice, I purchased my wife's ticket to the US as soon as I knew her interview date. She will arrive in Tampa, Florida on August 15. Since I returned from China just a few weeks ago and must return to China at the end of September, she insisted that I not travel there just to bring her home. Now that it is getting close to her departure date, I am trying to prepare her so that she gets from point A to point B without difficulty. Since she is not conversant in English, this is a little challenging. She flies frequently and has traveled to several Asian countries in the past, so she is familiar with the basic process of immigration and customs.

I have called the airlines advising them of her situation and requesting assistance getting from arrival gate to her next departure gate. They have noted my request but warned me that if the airlines personnel are busy, they will not be able to assist her. I have written, in Chinese, the details of each flight, the process of going though immigration and customs, rechecking bags after customs, etc. I will also make cards, written in both English and Chinese, that she can show in the event she needs help. She also has a sim card to put into her phone upon arrival in the US.

Do any of you whose spouses have made the trip on their own have any additional advice? She has flights from Chengdu to Narita, Narita to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Houston and Houston to Tampa (total trip time is 24 hours).

I agree with the previous post you maybe should have waited till visa in hand in case of delay. One question could you not have got her a more direct route? When I booked I looked for as less stop overs as possible. Oh and I take it she has a US phone and us sim card? AS other phones dont accept US sim cards.

Edited August 2, 2011 by Barbara J

[Andrew_Qin 0]

In my opinion I wouldn't have purchase the ticket until she got her visa in hand because anything can go wrong. I am not saying it could go wrong but anything is possible with the visa process.

Yes, it was a gamble, but only at the risk of losing 20% of the ticket value if I had to cancel. Summer travel in China is expensive. Had I waited after her interview, the less expensive seat that I was able to get would have been sold out and I would have paid substantially more.

[Azzudiin 26]

Go online to each airport she will pass through. Get the map layout (all airports post them online) and physically draw the route she needs to walk from point A to point B in each airport.

About 72 hours prior to flights you will be able to get all the gate information for every flight, so you can map out every where she needs to walk, right down to elevators, stairs etc.

Makes it much easier for a person traveling through an airport the first time to find their way.

All she needs to do then is before she gets off each flight, ask the flight attendant to check her gate information to make sure that no changes have taken place. Flight attendant can do this easily about 20 minutes before landing. You can even write this out in the appropriate language, "Can you please tell me what gate my next flight is departing from?"

Edited August 2, 2011 by Azzudiin

[Andrew_Qin 0]

I agree with the previous post you maybe should have waited till visa in hand in case of delay. One question could you not have got her a more direct route? When I booked I looked for as less stop overs as possible. Oh and I take it she has a US phone and us sim card? AS other phones dont accept US sim cards.

Northcentral Florida is a tough route. I could have spared her one leg of the travel, but it would have been at the expense of a much longer total flying time.

Chinese tri-band GSM mobile units work with all simm cards. Over the years, I've given them as gifts to friends.

Go online to each airport she will pass through. Get the map layout (all airports post them online) and physically draw the route she needs to walk from point A to point B in each airport.

About 72 hours prior to flights you will be able to get all the gate information for every flight, so you can map out every where she needs to walk, right down to elevators, stairs etc.

Makes it much easier for a person traveling through an airport the first time to find their way.

All she needs to do then is before she gets off each flight, ask the flight attendant to check her gate information to make sure that no changes have taken place. Flight attendant can do this easily about 20 minutes before landing. You can even right this out in the appropriate language, "Can you please tell me what gate my next flight is departing from?"

Good suggestion. I'll follow that through.

[Casprd 167]

What airline is she flying on? If it is american, they have a new 5 star service and for a $125 fee, they will meet help her with all her connections, immigrations and security checkpoints. They are set up for this in Narita and LAX I know. Not sure about Houston. You can also check with each airport and see if they have any type of concierge service.

[Eric & Jin 10]

You may know this and have already passed it onto your wife but I will make mention of it just in case. Upon arrival at Narita she will be required to go through a security screening before being allowed to the departure gates for her connecting flight. It is no big deal really - she will just need to go through a metal detector and have her carry-on bags pass through an x-ray machine again. Things can sometimes get backed up at this point though if there are several international flights arriving around the same time - I usually get through it in short order (5-15 minutes) but did have almost a 45 minute wait in line during one connection. Most international airports don't require this extra security screening when connecting between international flights but they do in Japan.

[Operator 1,927]

I've had difficulty myself at Nerita with international connections. It seems that sometimes the security check isn't in line with your connection. They do have signs in English but many times I've seen them hand written with the connecting flight number. Maybe she can partner up with another Chinese with better English skills...strength in numbers.

[garfield529 47]

If possible, I would recommend meeting her in at least LA and flying the route back. There will be enough other Chinese on the Narita flight that can help her, but once she is through POE in LA she will be on her own. My wife had trouble with an address being entered wrong so she was held up at immigration for over 2 hours in Chicago and would have been in tears if I hadnt been standing on the other side of the door, and she is a tough girl. Just a though, if you can. Good luck!

[Casprd 167]

If possible, I would recommend meeting her in at least LA and flying the route back. There will be enough other Chinese on the Narita flight that can help her, but once she is through POE in LA she will be on her own. My wife had trouble with an address being entered wrong so she was held up at immigration for over 2 hours in Chicago and would have been in tears if I hadnt been standing on the other side of the door, and she is a tough girl. Just a though, if you can. Good luck!

LAX is a miserable airport for connections. Last time through there it took a good 30 minutes and several questions to find the terminal for my connecting flight. A Chinese lady was connecting in the same terminal so I tried to help her but it was more a case of the blind leading the blind. About the only help I gave was being able to ask directions and telling her to follow me

They do have some strange rules at LAX security so if your wife doesn't speak/read English well meeting her in LAX would be a good idea.

[LBeachey 45]

LAX is a miserable airport for connections. Last time through there it took a good 30 minutes and several questions to find the terminal for my connecting flight. A Chinese lady was connecting in the same terminal so I tried to help her but it was more a case of the blind leading the blind. About the only help I gave was being able to ask directions and telling her to follow me

They do have some strange rules at LAX security so if your wife doesn't speak/read English well meeting her in LAX would be a good idea.

I would agree with this. Houston is not any better. The one time I connected in Houston, I swear I had to walk a couple miles to my next gate.

[Andrew_Qin 0]

Thanks for your advice. This will require some careful consideration.

[Loueikun 5]

The best thing to do and usual rule is to meet your spouse at the POE, so try to make POE as close to your home as possible, but sometimes its hard.

I was able to easily meet my ex wife at the POE in LAX when I was from IAD, but that was cause I was working for the Airlines and I non-reved to LA and brought her home standby in first class.

If your spouse is travel savvy then I am sure they may handle the POE to Domestic connection alone, but I have had issues myself with tight connections, terminal changes, airline changes, which would confuse a noob

[freetv 7]

You are taking a route similar to what we take one or twice a year (Chengdu to tampa... and will do again aug 29) My wife's English is really good so she has no problems, but some friends of ours don't speak any english and the trip was hell for them.... They got lost at least two or three times in the airport, wasn't sure what immigration officers were saying, and just got generally scared. My advice: Go with your gut feeling, if she is a smart girl that knows basic english she will be fine... but otherwise PLEASE go back and get her. What happens if a flight gets delayed or a gate changes and she misses everything? It just isn't worth it for someone that doesn't know basic english.