Free Megabus Tickets for Interviewing Candidates

Some nice news for 2008 residency Match applicants, who have Interviews in Late Jan - Feb 2008 :-) Megabus - a rival bus service to Greyhound, is offering free bus tickets, provided the travel dates fall between Jan 16th 2008 and 11th March 2008. Thus, for candidates taking their interview then, if your cities are luckily covered by Megabus - grab it !


Steps to avail this Deal:

1. Go to Megabus.com
2. On the Search and Buy section - type in WIN2008 on the 'Promotion Code' section
3. Enter other details - date, city, etc.
4. The Next Page will show you the Charges - Free !
5. 50 cents Reservation fee may be added


Notes:
- There's probably a total of 100,000 such ticket-giveaways planned - so grab them early :-)
- There does not seem to be a limit on the number of trips you can make
- Megabus does not operate in all US cities
- Both One-Way and Return Trips are free
- Day travels are generally safer


Apparently - Megabus has also been offering $1 tickets for advance bookings in select cities like Chicago, Los Angeles - I guess you gotta keep checking their website or simply Google it.


Also read:

- Benefits of scheduling residency interviews late

Using International Drivers Permit (IDP) for driving in USA

I had an email a few days ago from an interviewing IMG asking if an International Driving Permit (IDP) - also known as the International Driver's License - can be used to drive or rent a private vehicle in the United States.

The answer is Yes - and here are some more facts to know:

1. The International Drivers License Alone is not acceptable, it must be accompanied with the original drivers license from your country. This is because the IDP is merely a English language translation of the original license and is not a license document by itself

2. The IDP is valid up to one year from the date of entry into the United States.

3. The IDP must be issued by your own country to drive in the USA. The IDPs issued in USA are for US Citizens to drive in other countries

4. The IDP can be used to drive both an owned vehicle or a rented car in the US.

5. The IDP was a result of a 1949 UN convention on Road traffic that was signed by about 140 or so countries - which basically means these countries will respect and recognize an IDP from other endorsing countries for a year. Check with the Motor vehicle driving license office in your country to check if their IDP is recognized in the United States.

6. Some countries have separate agreements with the United States and do not need their citizens to have an IDP to drive in the USA.

7. If renting a car in US (e.g. Enterprise.com) , before booking, check with them if they will accept an International Driving Permit from your country.

8. Also read this article on USA.gov for foreign visitors driving in the USA.

9. Despite what the above gov site says, each state might have its own variations of the rule - its best to check up the rules with the drivers license offices. It's easy to get that on Google - for Ohio, search with this - Ohio DMV - Replace the state name for any other state.

And by the way - here's how an International Driving Permit Looks, but can vary by country of issue.


Air, Train, Bus, Cars are the traditional traveling options in the USA for the interviewing candidate - and depending on the distance and the renters charges, driving may turn out the cheapest option while traveling for residency interviews.



Related Products:

- USA Road Driving Atlas (Less than $25)
- US Road Driving GPS Navigators
- How to Pass a Road Test for Your Driver's License



Search keywords to this article:

- "Can International drivers permit be used to rent car in USA"
- "can students and people on visitors visa drive vehicle in USA using license from own country"
- "how to get an international drivers license / international driving permit"

Tips to Take care of your Interview Suit while Travelling

Some tips mentioned here may be more relevant for people flying for their residency interviews - but I have tried to keep them as general as possible.

1. If you will be flying, all the things that you need to be CARRYING and WEARING to the Interview, should be carried with you on the CARRY-ON Luggage. You don't wanna risk putting any of that in the check-in luggage, which could get lost in transit.

2. It's recommended that you carry the suit and other business/formal clothes in a Garment bag - Here's a Sample Garment Bag. A garment bag with rollers is more convenient to carry around during flight stopovers. Some airlines have a separate closet to hang business suits while traveling, but you will need to call and confirm for this facility. If you are traveling by car, you can hang it off the handle above the window.

3. While packing for travel, first keep the suit wrapped in its original suit protector sleeve. If you don't have one, you can buy a cheap one here.

4. Next, when you fold the wrapped suit to fit in the carry-on luggage, fold it around another garment such a towel or another shirt. Folding the suit on itself for a long time while traveling could give you a nasty crease / wrinkle at the fold line.

5. The suit should be the last thing to go into the bag after everything else is packed, so that it stays on top and is not sandwiched and crushed

6. After traveling there could be a few wrinkles, though usually suits are pretty travel-sturdy. Many people suggest hanging the suit in the bathroom away from direct water, while you take a warm water bath - the steam is a good anti-wrinkle agent for both cotton or wool suit material. I have not tried that myself, but you can research more on that online. You even get Wrinkle-Removing Travel Garment Steamers online.

7. Other option for a wrinkle-free suit - Most probably, the hotel you will be staying at will have a quick dry-cleaning service - if your suit did not make it in a good condition or if you just wanna get that 'crisp' feeling on the interview day..it may be worth a few dollars :-). So if you planning to do that, call the hotel before hand and verify the cost / time of the service.

8. Yet another option is to simply wear the suit on yourself while traveling with some other pants and then working on the wrinkle-removal options we discussed above, after the journey. One great wrinkle remover is the Downy Wrinkle Releaser, which many people swear to be so effective that they do not need the electric iron anymore.


9. DO NOT hot-iron your suit - makes it look shiny as if snails crawled all over them ;-).


10. DO NOT put your suit in a laundry / washing machine for a wash - doing so might sound ridiculous to most of you, but a friend of mine did it- lol



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Also Read:

- Rules for carry-on flight luggage: official Transportation security Administration Website

Amtrak Train Travel Passes for Interviewing IMGs

When I was a kid, I was a train freak and I still often get nostalgic about my monsoon train journeys into the interiors of rural India , chugging along into the fresh greenery and the rejuvenating rains.

Public transport systems are not strong in the United States, since almost all households rely more on their own vehicles, and lack of affordable public transport system is often a problem for International visitors. Maybe the rising oil gas prices will make US invest more into public transport :-)

Amtrak is a semi-government railway corporation that operates trains in the US and a few in Canada too. Let's thank an anonymous reader who posted a comment on my CS blog about Amtrak Railroad passes for International visitors who are Non-US and Non-Canadian citizens

Amtrak gives out 15-day and 30-day rail travel passes to International visitors at two rates - the peak and off-peak periods rates. Thankfully, what Amtrak considers "off-peak" is pretty much the the peak interviewing seasons for residency programs :-)

Passport is needed to purchase the pass for proof of identity and purchases are valid for the following visa types:

A-1 Ambassador
A-2 Official of Ambassador, in a Sub-Category
B-1 Temporary Visitor - Business
B-2 Temporary Visitor - Tourist
C-1 Alien in Transit
C-3 Foreign Official and Immediate Family Members
F-1 Student
F-2 Spouse or Child of Student
J-1 Exchange Visitor
J-2 Spouse or Child of Visitor
M-1 Vocational or Non-Academic Student
M-2 Spouse or Child of Student
WB Waiver Business
WT Waiver Tourist


Click Here for complete information on the Amtrak Website about the rates and how to purchase the passes and Here are the rates.


Would that be economical ? Thats a decision based on the amount of travel one needs to do, which in turn may depend on the amount of interviews one has scheduled. If there are plenty enough in places not too far off and have railway connectivity, then this is a good option worth thinking about and making early reservations for.