Please read the following information carefully in order to start your au pair adventure optimally prepared:

Flight Tickets

Your flight to the USA as well as your connecting flight to the host family will be paid by the host family and booked by AuPairCare in San Francisco. Approximately 2 weeks before departure you will receive your electronic flight tickets or your flight schedule in your MyAuPairCare Portal. This and your passport plus visa are sufficient for check-in on the day of departure. You are responsible for all additional travel costs such as travel to your desired departure airport or luggage costs.

If you want to order special food (vegetarian, vegan, etc.) in advance, you must try this directly through the airline. You will probably not be able to make a seat reservation until you check in.

An ESTA registration is not required if you are flying to the USA as an au pair, as you will enter with a J1 visa. However, if friends and relatives visit you in the USA, they would have to register.

To print out your e-tickets, please proceed as follows:

  • Log in to the MyAuPairCare portal. Directly on the homepage ('Home') go under 'Your Travel to the United States' to 'View itinerary'. The following page shows your reservation confirmation with your e-ticket number, which you can print out directly from the Internet.

  • Please be at the airport 2.5 hours before the departure.

  • Important: Sometimes the airline changes the flight times again. Please log into your MyAuPairCare Portal regularly during the weeks before your departure (especially the day before your departure) to check your flight status.

  • Please have your flight reconfirmed by the airline 24 hours before departure. You can do this via their hotline or website.
     

Luggage policy

Pack as little as possible. You will probably shop a lot during your au pair stay. Don't forget, in the end you have to transport all this back home.

Remember that security measures at airports in Europe and the USA are very strict. Any sharp objects such as pocket knives, nail scissors, nail files, etc. cannot be carried in your hand luggage and should therefore be stowed in the suitcases you wish to check in. Please also note that your smartphone, laptop and other electronic devices must be charged on certain flights from Europe.

Luggage regulations are usually very strict for airlines and excess or extra baggage charges are very expensive. Most airlines allow you to take a 23 kg suitcase and carry-on baggage free of charge on international flights. On onward flights within the USA, you are usually not allowed to take any luggage with you free of charge. The prices for (additional/over) baggage may change regularly and vary from airline to airline. Please always check with the airline directly to make sure that you have enough money with you.

Please remember that you can only take one suitcase with you to your room in New Jersey. Accordingly, if you have more than one suitcase with you, you must pack it so that you have everything you need for orientation in one suitcase. If you have a suitcase for hand luggage and another suitcase, it would make sense to pack the former for orientation. If your cosmetic products make it impossible for you to comply with the liquid regulations on the flight, simply repack your wash bag on arrival in New Jersey.

You can find more information about luggage in your Au Pair Handbook, which you can download in your MyAuPairCare Portal.

 

Important documents that you should always carry with you (in your hand luggage):

  • your passport (which will be valid for at least 2.5 years upon departure) including your pasted visa and your DS 2019 form. Please make sure it is firmly attached to your passport so that you cannot lose it, but it can be easily removed by the US Immigration Officer.

  • your "US Immigration Officer" letter

  • your flight information that you printed out from your MyAuPairCare portal

  • the "important travel instructions", which you can print out from your online portal. There you will find the address of the hotel in New Jersey where the orientation will take place as well as information on how to get to the hotel and what to do in case of flight delays or cancellations.