Quick question!

[Honour]

It will most likely be 2016 before I can see my SO. However, I want to be completely ready so that when the time comes, I'll be prepared in the best way possible. I've never met my SO, and I'll be going over to Georgia from Wales in the UK. So, my question is, what sort of things should I ensure of before I go? Advice/hints/tips, anything is welcome!

[Ahava]

You should have the "are we gonna be physical/share the same bed" discussion with your SO, LOL, so that both of you now what to expect.
And just in general talk what both of you wish from the first visit so that you are on the same page.
I think planning is one of the most fun parts, even if some of the plans don't work out.

I'm not 100% sure what kind of tips you were expecting.
I think those living in/whose SO lives in the US can give you great advice on stuff related to VISAs as well as how to cope with travelling more or less 10 hours on a plane.

[differentcountries]

Make sure you have a valid passport (I believe you have to get the "credit card-size" passport for the US), VISA, travel ensurance, cash money, visa- and credit cards, tickets with enough time to make easy transfers. Keep all of it in a small seperate bag in your hand luggage. Apply for VISA in due time.

For entertainment, bring books, music and so on. Don't use your phone a lot for entertainment as you don't want to drain the battery. If you have an idpad or small laptop you might use it to watch movies and so on. You can check with the airline if the offer internet online, have movies you can watch, music and so on.

A professional traveller once said in an interview: When travelling, always eat, drink and pee when you can. It sounds obvious but I find his advice to be very useful! When going to new airports, you don't always know where you can stop do do those things, so at the first uppertunity just do that! Especially drink a lot to not get dehydrated in the dry airplane air.

Google the area where you are going to see what the nature looks like, what people generally do there and so on.

[snow]

You won't need a visa, but you will need ESTA - it allows you to stay in the States for up to 90 days at a time on the Visa Waiver Program and it's $14 that you have to pay with a credit card. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

Make sure you read up on your airlines what sizes and weight of suitcases you are allowed to take on the plane / have checked, because if you overpack or you take too much, the fees could be really high - last time I went I had 2 free checked bags and the third was 200€, which I obviously didn't want to pay lol

If you have layovers, make sure they are at least 50 minutes to 2 hours, because even though I never had to wait more than 30 minutes to get through security, I have heard of friends who had to wait for 2 hours and you wouldn't want to go through the hassle of requesting a new ticket because you were held at security for too long. On my flight now I had 2 hours twice and it was really not that bad to wait.

Take cash with you if you want to buy drinks or food. It is really expensive at the airport and since you can't take fluids in your checked bag, you want to make sure you can buy them.

Make sure your family and your SO knows what planes you're going to be on, in case anything might happen. I use https://www.checkmytrip.com/, where your close ones can simply enter the booking reference and your last name to see a list of all your flights.

If you are allergic to any kind of food, don't feel bad to get yourself a special meal. You can usually do that on the website of the airline you're going to use, if at all - you will get the food earlier than anyone else hehe

Take headphones with you, but don't pull them out until they handout airport headphones. The one time I forgot to bring my own, the ones I got broke after half an hour of watching the movie, which just sucks.

To pass time, do what makes you feel the most relaxed. Some people read, some people write, some people play games on their devices, to be honest, I sleep lol

[The_gentle_Hart]

Usually I bring an empty water bottle to airports.
You can go through security with it empty, and then once you're close to your terminal or gate, find a water fountain and fill up for free that way you won't have to pay for the expensive drinks in the airport or on the plane. Most international flights will have things to keep you occupied (like an inflight movie on some occasions) but its always good to be prepared by bringing books or games.

Stay organized and keep your important documents (ie. passport, ticket, ID etc) all in one place (like a ziplock back) and on your person. It'll make getting through customs and security waaay easier.

Depending on when you plan on flying, do remember that Georgia is rather warm and can get quite humid in the summer (trust me, I speak from experience lol). Bring layers that you can easily take off or put on as needed and a light jacket. Sunscreen might also be good if you have sensitive skin that's prone to burning. Atlanta in summer is basically like a giant concrete desert lol

[CynicalQuixotic]

Make sure you have a valid passport (I believe you have to get the "credit card-size" passport for the US), VISA, travel ensurance, cash money, visa- and credit cards, tickets with enough time to make easy transfers. Keep all of it in a small seperate bag in your hand luggage. Apply for VISA in due time.

OP's from the UK, so she doesn't need a visa, only to fill out an ESTA to enter the US on the VWP.

Also, "credit card-sized" passport? There is a passport card, but, it's only available to US citizens and can only be used to enter certain countries either by land or by sea. Other than that, I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about.

[Ambert]

Usually I bring an empty water bottle to airports.
You can go through security with it empty, and then once you're close to your terminal or gate, find a water fountain and fill up for free that way you won't have to pay for the expensive drinks in the airport or on the plane. Most international flights will have things to keep you occupied (like an inflight movie on some occasions) but its always good to be prepared by bringing books or games.

Stay organized and keep your important documents (ie. passport, ticket, ID etc) all in one place (like a ziplock back) and on your person. It'll make getting through customs and security waaay easier.

Depending on when you plan on flying, do remember that Georgia is rather warm and can get quite humid in the summer (trust me, I speak from experience lol). Bring layers that you can easily take off or put on as needed and a light jacket. Sunscreen might also be good if you have sensitive skin that's prone to burning. Atlanta in summer is basically like a giant concrete desert lol

Omg i didn't ever think about this bottle-idea LOL. It's really smart!

[p_b82]

Others have already said it, but check on trip advisor for how long the connecting flights for an international passenger takes at your airport and make sure you have the time for a layover - esp if there are plane delays.

For a US citizen it is typically 40mins, for an international ones it is more like 1.5 hrs as the bare minimum (tho repeat visits on an ESTA can get you through the US border as if you were a Us citizen with the electronic gates (Chicago O'hare for example)). Be aware also that most US airports are huge as they have less space restrictions than we have in the UK, adn you will almost be guaranteed to need to change terminals.

once you have cleared the border, you will need to retain your customs form and hand in on exit, if you have a connecting flight there will be a place to leave your bag so it goes through, you can put anything from duty free or what you needed for the longer trip in your main bags at this point - you do not need to follow the same procedure flying back out.

I would suggest making sure you either have noise cancelling headphones, or earplugs if you want to sleep, and an eyemask is a good idea.

make sure that you don't wear restrictive clothes and have comfortable footwear, and get up and stretch periodically if you are awake to avoid discomfort..... the will heat and cool the plane periodically to make sure that you have enough to keep warm, and have something you can take off if you get too hot as well.

I actually tend to drink and pass out if I am not having to drive on the long haul flights (especially on the way back on the night 'red eye' flights, but this is not actually recommended by most lol)

Empty water bottle is a must for me, and almost all US airports have filling stations now...

and then when you actually get to your SO, as others have said, make sure you both have the same expectations, if you want it to be slow and careful or the opposite, make sure you are on the same page, but also be prepared to play it by ear... sometimes the whole situation can put plans out the window

Be prepared as well for it to take a bit a time to settle in with each other, and personally I would advise not running round filling your time with doing 'stuff' as it can be exhausting, and some quite time together can be better - there will be plenty of time to see and do things on later trips

other than that, just enjoy it

[TaraMarie]

Don't be disappointed by ringgold. It's the size of a postage stamp. Have the rebuilt since the tornado? It was a really bad one. Hopefully you will come in the spring. It's the nicest then.

[Honour]

Thank you for all the advice, ladies and gents. I appreciate it. I've never been on a plane before, so I'm somewhat concerned the effect it may have on me. I've been on the Channel ferries on the way to and from France, but this is QUITE a bit bigger lol.

Health insurance is going to be a big thing for me. I have 2 health conditions, Costochondritis (Inflammation of the costal cartilage around the breast bone) and Fibromyalgia (put simply, a painful pain in the ass) so I want to make sure that I'm covered should anything happen. My medical prescription is a monthly occurrence, everything gets ordered at the same time, and I get a month's supply of everything I need. Not sure how taking medication with me would work out, or if it would be even possible, though I sincerely hope so. Asides from my health, the rest will be a huge learning experience.

[differentcountries]

I suggest that you google "fly first time" and see if you get some hints and tips. You might look at the airline's website or the airport's website for information about planes and flying. I used to afraid of flying for a couple of years and then I did that.

I don't know about other travel ensurance companies, but with European /Eurpeiske I didn't have to give statement of my health at all. I have trouble getting full health insurance because I have got fibro and a whole load of other stuff, but travel insurance couldn't care less.

Taking medication with you should be no problem, especially if you keep everything in their original package and have a letter for your doctor explaining you need those meds. I have never needed it, though. I use two daily medications as well as several important other meds, I guess I am lazy because I have not gotten a letter for them. It is very possible to bring your meds- and you should! You will not be there long enough to get a local GP there, and you can't use your perscritions internationally. If you know when you are going to travel, you can ask for extra medication so you are sure you have enough if something happens, or you loose your meds on the trip. Be sure to keep meds, or at least a week's supply of them, in your hand luggage! I have had luggage dissapear on me for 4 days on international travel, luckily I had started keeping my meds in my hand luggage so I did not become ill.

[differentcountries]

BTW: I would not count on filling up empty water bottles in the airport. I have never been to an airport where you could do that - the only running water I have come across is the warm water you wash your hands with, and you really don't want to drink that! You will need LOTS of fluid when you fly. I usually alternate betwen water with and without gas, juices, teas - and coffee if I feel tired. At the airport I usually buy two-three bottles of water; one to drink on the spot, and one or two to bring on the plane, so I can start drinking water right away and not have to wait until they start to serve. Sometimes they will give you drinks for free on the planes, sometimes you will have to pay - I usually drink the same ammount anyway. Fluids are "airport tax"! You really have to have them.

[differentcountries]

OP's from the UK, so she doesn't need a visa, only to fill out an ESTA to enter the US on the VWP.

Also, "credit card-sized" passport? There is a passport card, but, it's only available to US citizens and can only be used to enter certain countries either by land or by sea. Other than that, I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about.

It is good that she has it easier than a visa - I think someone else on this thread explained it to her quite well.

I actually had to look it up to see what I meant! It turns out I am thinking about an old travel change; EU passports issued before 2004 were not "readable by machines" so people had to apply for US visa if they had old passports (I had this in mind when I planned to go to US in 2006 with an old passport). OP is young and obviousy has got a new passport, so never mind what I said

If she travels through an agency, they might give her a checklist for new travellers - I got one in my standard welcoming package from one of my travel agencies.

[p_b82]

BTW: I would not count on filling up empty water bottles in the airport. I have never been to an airport where you could do that - the only running water I have come across is the warm water you wash your hands with, and you really don't want to drink that! You will need LOTS of fluid when you fly. I usually alternate betwen water with and without gas, juices, teas - and coffee if I feel tired. At the airport I usually buy two-three bottles of water; one to drink on the spot, and one or two to bring on the plane, so I can start drinking water right away and not have to wait until they start to serve. Sometimes they will give you drinks for free on the planes, sometimes you will have to pay - I usually drink the same ammount anyway. Fluids are "airport tax"! You really have to have them.

Actually I think almost every US airport now has them - and in the UK most have a tepid water fountain stashed somewhere, it is the other airports and cities in Europe that lag behind here!

I think there are no carriers over the atlantic now that charge you for soft drinks, as they are mostly all part of one of the 'clubs' but the cheaper ones will charge for alcohol, tho some this is only on spirits and wine not beer for example..

[Honour]

Passport is the next thing on my agenda. I literally have never had one, nor ever had the need to get one. I'll be applying for one in the next month or so.