Anyone, traveling to USA?

[Fie KC]

Hello dear people!
So I'm going to meet my SO for the very first time in July (it's been 1,5 years) !!*excited
I will be the one traveling from Denmark (small country in EU) to USA. This I'll be doing all by myself, and it'll be the first time traveling alone. I find airports very confusing tbh. And then it's to USA; not easier..
So much security.. And here is where I need your help!

So, I know I need a visa thing.. I have ordered on, it's like a paper I have to print..
Then I know you should have dollars with you. And put your phone up for calling from another country ( check )
But I saw this video on youtube that showed I also had to have some travel medical insurance?? Do I HAVE to have that? or is it just my own medical card I have from my own country?
Then the video also say, that before I land in the US, I'll receive some papers I have to answer/sign, some custom forms and I-94?

Thanks!

[MissButterfly]

If you look around the forum (this section and the travel section), there is tons of advice for people who have traveled to the US and were worried about security. It's really not so scary as some people make it seem! As long as you have the visa, you're good. I never had any special medical insurance, just be sure that your medical or travel insurance covers costs abroad. If it doesn't, you can get a temporary extension at most insurance companies, just in case something happens. I never brought dollars with me, I just always got them from an ATM with my card at the airport. In the plane, you get a small form that you have to fill out. You need to say the address of where you will be staying, declare the purpose of your trip (really, just the same info as you had to get your ESTA visa). And then some stuff about your luggage, that you don't take any plants etc. with you. You hand it in right before you walk out of the luggage hall, it's not a big deal. Good luck!

[snow_girl]

Your home country health insurance most likely wont cover you in another country. I would make sure you have specific travel insurance before you go. The last thing you would want to do it get hurt and then find out you are not covered and have to dish out $10 000 + in hospital costs. The $80 or whatever it costs for travel insurance is well worth knowing you are covered

[Fie KC]

Okay but.. I just don't think anything will happen so I would need the insurance .. It'll be waste of money.. I've already used so much on the flight and all, and I don't have a lot of money, I'm only in school

[MissButterfly]

Of course nobody thinks anything will happen, but you have absolutely no control over that. If you slip and break your arm that would cost you hundreds of dollars rather than the bit extra you'd pay for medical insurance abroad. Don't be overconfident, just call your insurance company and ask what it would cost.

[Ella85]

For my daughter and I travel insurance is really expensive (£92.50) because I have asthma and she has a pre-existing condition. Sure I could not get it, sure nothing could happen and it could be a waste. But what if we were both hospitalized? My boyfriend could be stuck making a life or death decision for me based on the fact I didn't buy insurance and that is unfair on him and I'd never want him to be put in that situation. So I get the travel insurance. By the time I have paid for health insurance, all the passport expenses and flights and buses I will have paid close to $2500 for this 6 week trip. But you know what, it's better to spend the money then not. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I only went for 2 weeks last time, but I got insurance and I put the paperwork out where my boyfriend could see it just incase. This time I will give it to him to look after. In my opinion it's important.

[Colourfuldreamsx]

My friend went to America last year to visit some friends of hers, she stupidly decided not to get travel/medical insurance as in her words "Nothing's going to happen I'll be ok" she was fit and healthy and insurance would not of cost her that much anyway.

She went hiking with friends and when going down a some steps she tripped and fell the rest of the way down, she fractured her ankle and ended up needing surgery, she is paying off a massive bill ($19,000) at the moment for the stay in hospital, the care, medical expenses, the ambulance etc which if she had got insurance would of been sorted by them.

Please get insurance, yes it might be costly but I would never visit America without insurance you just never know what could happen.

[differentcountries]

Nneighter your home country health service not the European health card is going to be of any help outside of Europe. You also risk that the airport security will deem you an unfit traveller because you are not protecting yourself. This is especially important if you travel to a country for the first time. My boyfriend is actually not allowed to have his visa application come through unless he can prove he is insured for the time of travel plus ten days. This is serious stuff.

Norwegian newspapers are full of my countrymen who "did not think anything would happen" and went on holiday without medical travel insurance, had an accident or got sick somehow and then had a huge hospital bill that nearly killed their economy. We Scandinavians often feel so safe that it is easy to think the God/the state will protect us. Be a little smarter than that. Borrow money if you have to. Find a solid travel insurance company, select the time of your travel plus some days efter, and select "world" (or whatever the equivalent that makes you insured in the US).

[Moon]

Nneighter your home country health service not the European health card is going to be of any help outside of Europe. You also risk that the airport security will deem you an unfit traveller because you are not protecting yourself. This is especially important if you travel to a country for the first time. My boyfriend is actually not allowed to have his visa application come through unless he can prove he is insured for the time of travel plus ten days. This is serious stuff.

Norwegian newspapers are full of my countrymen who "did not think anything would happen" and went on holiday without medical travel insurance, had an accident or got sick somehow and then had a huge hospital bill that nearly killed their economy. We Scandinavians often feel so safe that it is easy to think the God/the state will protect us. Be a little smarter than that. Borrow money if you have to. Find a solid travel insurance company, select the time of your travel plus some days efter, and select "world" (or whatever the equivalent that makes you insured in the US).

Again, the US is not Norway. You do not need insurance to visit here.

OP, you're taking a risk, but it's your risk to take. I don't think anywhere in the world has as high medical expenses as we do. Dumb things like falling down a step, or cutting yourself with a knife can cost you in the tens of thousands of dollars. Now you know, so just keep it in mind.

[snow_girl]

Okay but.. I just don't think anything will happen so I would need the insurance .. It'll be waste of money.. I've already used so much on the flight and all, and I don't have a lot of money, I'm only in school

This is a super naive way of thinking. You could die tomorrow, you have no control over that. It is much better to spend a small amount of money to know you'll be covered rather than say you think nothing will happen and then spend waaaaay more money than you can even think of

[Miasmata]

Additionally to what everyone else said, it works the other way around too. My SO is in the process of getting healthcare insurance here in Germany, but he made sure to extend his insurance from the US a few months beyond his move date to stay covered. This way, we don't have a period where he isn't covered in some fashion. This was a very smart choice, because he needs medication that would cost me 100+ euro every month and I would never get that back. With his insurance, however, I get reimbursed. On one of his visits, he caught a nasty infection and needed medication + antibiotics, again a thing where his travel/home insurance with coverage abroad was a godsend. Things just happen outside of our control, and being covered for the worst case scenario is smart, not paranoid.

[whatruckus]

Well, if you think getting the insurance is a "waste of money", then you must have loads of money to throw away, am I right?

No? Then get the insurance. I read a story in the news that a lady who visited Hawaii from Canada when she was 8 - 9 months pregnant, ended up being in labor on while she was here in the US. While she did have insurance, it wasn't the right kind and she got stuck with a bill for over $1 million USD.

Unless you have money to just throw away, then get the insurance. Even if nothing happens. You never know.

[snow]

I visited the US 4 times and I never had insurance. Of course it is wise to have insurance, because you never know what could happen, but let's not get crazy here. OP is not pregnant and is going to have a baby in the US and it's only a visit, not a 3 month stay.

If you can afford insurance / your parents can help cover for it, go and get it, just for the peace of mind that when something happens, you are prepared. If you won't get insurance, know the consequences and if you are willing to risk it. It's entirely your decision, but I would advise you talk to your parents and your SO to figure out how you want to deal with this.

OK: Other than that, yes you will be handed a paper when you land/in the plane before you land - on that paper you have to fill out your name, your birth date, your nationality, which countries you have been through on this trip, the plane number, where you will be staying (the exact address) and, if you are leaving any of the items you are taking with you in the US, you have to declare them on this page! You will need to put down what it is, how much it is worth and how much it weighs (if I remember right), but that's easy. Other than that, there will be short questions, asking you if you had anything to do with farm animals, guns, if you're bringing food (they mean dairy and meat, because I declared chocolate and they said that is fine :P)

Airports are usually pretty straight forward - if you have more than one stop, always go towards "Connecting Flights" and if you are lost, show the airport personal your flight ticket and they will help you on your way - I get lost all the time and they have always been able to help me!

In the US, they will ask you the reason of your stay, the duration of your trip and where you will be staying, and maybe a couple more questions. Always be honest, give short answers and ask them to repeat a question if you don't understand.

Make sure you have a print of the ESTA with you, in case they want to see it, and proof of a return ticket. Bring any information that shows you have ties to your home country, lease, school documents, pay stubs, etc.

[Moon]

I'll be honest, I almost never get trip insurance, and I'm not young or broke, and I know better I never seem to get around to it, even though I think about it a little. Probably stupid, but it happens. I have it for my trip in a month, but only because I wanted the part for the plane, as I'm flying with a shaky carrier. But it's kinda good to know the emergency coverage is there for once.

[whatruckus]

True she might not need it, but to go out on a limb completely say that it's a waste of money is a really naive statement. What if something happens like she gets hurt, or gets sick and needs to see a doctor? Even at clinics, it's expensive. We definitely do not have the best health care in this country, even with the ACA. Plenty of hospitals, clinics, and even insurance companies find little loop holes to get around it.

If she has the money, she should get it. If she doesn't, I understand that, but to dismiss it if she does and say it's a "waste" is really ignorant. If I was travelling to a different country, yea, I would definitely get the insurance. I know how I am, I know how my body is, and I know my luck. It's always better to be safe than sorry.