Travel prep
Everything between your visa and your first paycheck
Six tools for the part nobody explains: the embassy appointment, the bag, the flight, the money and your first days abroad. Each is personalised from your profile and comes with a product you may already have.
Visa appointment helper
In Ready Pass · $15Book your embassy interview step by step, with your DS-160 checklist and what to bring.
- The booking steps in the right order: DS-2019, the I-901 SEVIS fee, the DS-160, the visa fee and the interview.
- For South Africa: Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, with the official appointment site.
- Save your date and we email you 14 days and 2 days before. You always book yourself, on the official site.
Free: The booking steps and official links are free.
Packing list
In Ready Pass · $15Built from your destination's climate in your program months and your job.
- Typical weather where you're going in the months you'll be there, from your profile.
- Work clothes for your job: non slip shoes for kitchens, warm layers for ski resorts.
- Tick off, add and remove items. Saved to your account.
Free: Preview the first items free.
Flight and arrival planner
In Arrival Concierge · $15Save your flight, check it against your program start and the entry rules, and share it with family.
- Save your flight and layovers. We never book or sell flights.
- Checked against your program start: J-1 visitors may enter up to 30 days before the DS-2019 start date.
- Arrival day reminders, and your flight on your family page only if you choose.
Free: The entry date check is free.
Money starter pack
In Money Planner · $9How much cash to bring, cards and banking, and when your first paycheck lands.
- How much to have available before your first paycheck, from your own numbers.
- Cards, banking and fees to sort out before you fly, and when your first pay usually lands.
- A free dollar and rand converter.
Free: The dollar and rand converter is free.
First 72 hours
In Arrival Concierge · $15SIM, bank, sponsor check in, Social Security and getting to work, in the right order.
- SIM, sponsor check in, bank, first shift paperwork and Social Security, in order.
- Written for your program and job, with the official links.
- Tick off as you go. Buddy knows the list and can answer questions about any step.
Free: Preview the first steps free.
Housing check
In Arrival Concierge · $15Paste a lease or a listing: red flags, unfair terms and a fair rent sanity check.
- Paste a lease or a housing ad. Buddy flags scam signs and unfair terms, and what to ask.
- A fair rent sanity check for the area, clearly marked as a rough estimate.
- What you paste is never stored. Not legal advice.
Free: The free scam check covers obvious scams.
General guidance with links to official sources, including travel.state.gov, ais.usvisa-info.com, j1visa.state.gov and irs.gov. Not legal or tax advice. We never book an appointment, buy a flight or file anything for you. Up Up and Away is a preparation service, not a sponsor or agency.