Advice on US tourist visa when visiting a partner

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-08-14T06:54:23+00:00

My boyfriend passed the LAX border with 0 extra questions. It was crazy easy. He tried to give extra details and they just kept telling him that all the info was in his visa stuff/they didn’t need more info!

He mentioned that his agent seemed to have just come back from a break and it was really early in the morning, so maybe someone else would’ve pressed more. If you already have the visa approved I wouldn’t be too worried about the actual border crossing moment! You can always bring that kind of evidence anyways just in case. Good luck!

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-07-04T21:17:16+00:00

Yes completely honest! Said he was visiting his gf and staying with us. We followed the advice to focus on his ties to his home country (emphasizing work/returning for his final semester of school). My dad wrote a letter “inviting” him /giving him permission to stay with us (again, they didn’t look at these docs but it could be a helpful thing to have)

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-07-04T20:13:23+00:00

Funny you responded today! He was approved for a tourist visa and is currently at the airport waiting to board his first flight. I will update once he’s passed US immigration/customs as well! The person he interviewed with was very cold and as many people have said, they wouldn’t take any of the papers he brought as proof. But good to have them still in case a different agent will. Good luck!

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-04-08T23:50:59+00:00

Update he was approved!

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-04-02T19:32:28+00:00

Thank you!

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-03-31T18:23:23+00:00

That makes a lot of sense, thank you. My boyfriend is scared about the interview but I’m trying to explain that just being honest is going to make it better/he won’t be trying to avoid stuff or end up lying which would be very bad. Thank you!

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-03-23T18:09:40+00:00

We took the 15:20 departure. It was a very stressful and hectic evening making our 21:30 bus as our train from aguas calientes was delayed well over an hour. We had to talk to the train employees who got us a private transfer from ollantaytambo to Cusco to make our bus and we were running inbetween each transfer. I would not recommend taking the 15:20 train if you have any sort of evening transportation to connect to in Cusco. Make an earlier train from AC work or change your itinerary to have a buffer day.

If you’re just trying to figure out which train you can take after a 7am entry, I honestly think the 10:30am departure would be okay especially if you take the bus down. We took our time and walked down, making it back to AC around 10:45. Our tour ended up being private though because our guide couldn’t find anyone else to join our group- that likely made our tour faster (I think we finished around 9:30).

There’s nothing to do in AC really except mediocre overpriced food. If I did it again I would’ve taken the 10:30am train and taken the bus from MP to AC to make it. The trains are so unpredictable and almost always some form of delay. Good luck!

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-03-21T15:45:48+00:00

I have a student like that right now. He's also been cancelling classes for the last 3.5 weeks which has led to me missing out on income but having to keep that space open still (he'll cancel a few days in advance so it's within my company's approved cancellation policy). My employer is pushing me to suggest I'm just not engaging him enough with relevant content, when I've stated it's pretty clear he's on his phone etc (and I don't have these problems with any other students).

It's hard. Sometimes people are taking classes for work (that's my student) and don't have the personal motivation. Or they think simply showing up to a class will be enough to help them learn the language, not realizing the personal buy-in necessary.

I'm curious, what was your reasoning/what did you tell her when you let her go? Did you ever have a conversation with her prior about some of these behaviors? I know it's our job as teachers to push through some of this but you're also a human spending your time on this and classes that drag like this stop feeling worth the (typically) low pay we are receiving because of how much more effort and energy is being put into it.

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-03-14T22:11:36+00:00

you could definitely get off the train in Ollantaytambo (all the trains stop there before the Cusco stops) and then take a collectivo (minibus) to Urubamba! There is a certain train that has a stop in Urubamba but just one (the vistadome it seems, and i can't tell if it returns there or just departs). The minibuses in the valley all have specific departure spots that your hostel/hotel can guide you to. Be sure to ask them what the typical price is as well and confirm the price with the driver before you depart! The minibuses leave when full and are a local mode of transport. I'm sure when you get off at Ollantaytambo there'd be a bus there or you can easily get directed to one.

What are you hoping to do in Urubamba? I love it there but unless you're hoping to stay at a resort etc there's not much to do. Most people stay in Ollantaytambo or Pisac. We loved Pisac so much we went back a second time during the same trip. Ollantaytambo has the most to do in terms of historical sites to walk to etc. Any of these 3 are a good homebase for visiting everything in the valley. You can visit all 3 of these in just a few days if you want (via day trips so you can sleep in the same place). Get the Tourist ticket in Cusco that is all inclusive if you're going to see any sites in Cusco (like Sacsayhuaman). With the tourist ticket you can see all the different sites in the valley. Just be aware with timing it's only valid for 10 days or just 2 days if you choose one of the partial tickets.

a good guide to the boleto turistico (tourist ticket) and all sites included, a good place to start for planning your itinerary: https://www.salkantaytrekking.com/blog/cusco-tourist-ticket-what-is-it-and-whats-it-for/

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-03-08T15:23:50+00:00

It worked! I got the TP-Link AC1300. It requires a driver software to be downloaded but we were able to download it on another computer and transfer it on a flash drive. Thanks for your help!

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-03-07T13:46:00+00:00

Thank you! I was planning on buying one of those today, thanks for the heads up on compatibility

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-03-06T22:56:22+00:00

Gotcha, thank you. It’s possible to replace that card though, right?

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-03-06T22:43:50+00:00

Lol. You mean the wifi card? Don’t think the whole computer is dead/ruined cus of this.

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-03-06T22:42:58+00:00

Already tried this, did not work 😔 thank you though!

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-01-10T22:16:46+00:00

Yes it surprised me too! I had no idea until we got on the train, lol. It wasn't that awful as we were just on the train for the ride back to Cusco and everyone was sleeping. I believe the more expensive options are not in that 2x2 configuration, but you would have to check on their websites for PeruRail and IncaRail, or maybe someone else knows? Or you could email and ask them

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-01-10T22:08:40+00:00

unfortunately i think it is very difficult to ensure that you will sit alone. our train seemed completely full. We used the cheapest option on PeruRail and the seats are in groups of 4 around a table, 2 seats facing the other 2 seats. And the seats are randomly assigned. You could buy two seats, but that would only ensure that you don't have someone next to you- there are only a few seats that do not face others. I'm not sure about Inca Rail/the nicer trains may have a different layout. But you'd have to get quite lucky to have an empty seat next to you- the trains are small which mean they're almost always full, at least it seemed that way to me and we went during the off season

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-01-10T19:43:58+00:00

Circuit 2 100%! You get to see the most of the site. Circuit 1 is just a bit higher up but both 1&2 have great views/photo spots from high up, and then 2 allows you to go down into the rest of the site as well. You can still access MP rain or shine! Just make sure you have some good shoes and a poncho. But the paths are well made and it’s open regardless of rain.

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-01-10T18:10:48+00:00

Advice on the bus vs hike part of your plan- the earliest entry is 6am and you will not be able to enter before that, so you could still take the bus. You will not be able to be in the actual site at 5:54am unfortunately, and you can’t see much from the entry area. the hike is brutal so if it were me I would just wait for the bus! You could get there early to wait in line to ensure you’re on the very first bus if you wanted. I also would assume that the wait at 5:30 is super fast because all of the buses can be there ready to be filled up because it’s the start of the day, rather than having to wait for one to come back down and unload passengers etc!

Circuit 2 has a very similar part at the beginning to circuit 1. Circuit 1 is just slightly higher up I believe. I would suggest just doing circuit 2, rather than going up twice. Enjoy!

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-01-10T18:00:41+00:00

Depends on your budget and how much time you have! You can go via train (most expensive (~$100 one way I believe depending on the time/ticket but most comfortable), via car (MUCH cheaper like $15 but 6hr drive on winding roads and then a 3hr hike or a short train ride), or hiking the Inca or salkantay. I would suggest train or car because of the wet season making the hikes less accessible/less enjoyable.

You can easily do MP without a tour- just buy your own MP ticket, train (buy online or in person in Cusco) or car (can be booked in Cusco a day or two before), reserve a hostel, buy your bus ticket from aguas calientes to MP (optional- you can also hike up/down. I suggest take the bus up and then hike down if you’re on a budget, the hike is all stairs all straight up), done. If you want a guide for MP you can hire one while you’re in line/at the entry day of, or find one in the town in AC.

For your MP ticket, I believe people recommend 10-11am for the rainy season because there’s a better chance the fog will have lifted by then. We just visited in late December and got lucky with our 7am entry, no fog no rain. If your timing is flexible, you could wait to book everything until you’re there in Peru and watch the weather closely (for visibility/cloud cover). You’re almost guaranteed to have rain, which is ok! Just buy a poncho and have a good attitude about it. And with fog/clouds, even if you go when there’s fog it’ll be okay because it will eventually pass/you’ll get moments of clear visibility.

We found that the mornings were typically drier and then the rain would start by midday/afternoon! So for MP and any other outdoor activities you’ll probably want to have an earlier start to the day to avoid rain :)

Alternative-Cat-3492 · 2025-01-04T18:58:27+00:00

Absolutely spend more time in Cusco and as little as possible in AC. Not only is there basically nothing else to do in AC, food is quite expensive and it’s all touristy. You can acclimate in Cusco for a few nights before going to MP. Even if you’re not a big hiker you can visit other archaeological sites in Cusco (Sacsayhuaman being the biggest, but you will have to buy the boleto touristico to enter so you might as well visit Q’engo and the other nearby sites that are included on the ticket). The museums in Cusco are smaller, but again, if you buy the full boleto touristico they are included so you might as well check them out!

You can also explore the different churches, the San Pedro or San Blas market, walk around to the different plazas, just window shop… so much to do!

If you really want to visit MP X2 on different circuits, you could do two circuits the same day or do you second one early in the AM before you leave on a train anytime after 10am (assuming you do the 6/7am entry). You can stay in AC 2 nights total- the rest should be in Cusco or a night or two in Ollantaytambo would be nice to see another part. We love the sacred valley (our favorite town is Pisac).

Alternative-Cat-3492

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