Moving to America?
Get real guidance from real people!

Are you a new immigrant to the US? Or perhaps moving to America on a work visa? Either ways, settling-in is not easy. Most of your savings, your friends and contacts, and your family support structure are in your home country. You’re probably starting life afresh.

Well, here's the good news - you're not alone in this predicament. Every year, thousands of people are relocating to America. Most of them face exactly the same issues.

I did too!

Six years ago I was a project manager with an information technology firm in Delhi, India. Then my company transferred me to the US. It was an exciting time. I loved America at first sight, and its been my home ever since.

But I craved for guidance.

Don’t get me wrong. The United States of America is not the boondocks. I was a well-traveled, well-educated IT professional. I had no language problems, could easily figure things out, had company colleagues to assist, and was good at researching the web.

And yet I made mistakes. Some expensive, many avoidable.

Big Things like:

• What car should you buy? Should you go in for a pre-owned (second-hand) car? Should you buy or lease (what is leasing?)
• What kind of apartment should you rent?
• What credit card should you get? How do you build a credit history (and what is that?)
• What is insurance? How many 'types' of insurances are there? Medical? Car? Life? Do you need these? Where do you get them from?
• How do you open a bank account? Which bank offers the best interest rates?
• How much can you expect to save every month? How do you send money back to your parents?
• Should you invest in stocks? Property? How?

And Little Things like:

• What classy restaurant can you take your spouse to, on your anniversary?
• What else can you do on weekends, besides going to the movies?
• How can you get your flat tire fixed?
• Where on earth do you get your eyebrows threaded?

And therein lays the genesis of this website. It’s a compilation of all the little and big things I learnt, and all that other people like me learnt, when we first came to the US. Moving to America is, literally a life changing event. This Moving to America 'Guide' will hopefully equip you with knowledge and regularly updated, location-specific information that makes your move a whole lot more enjoyable with fewer hassles.

Remember, there's a smart way of doing things, and a slow way of doing things. The slow way is to make discoveries yourself, one by one. You'll spend time and energy. You'll make mistakes, get confused. You'll spend money, then regret it. The smart way is to stand on the shoulders of others who've been-there, done-that. You'll save money and avoid inconvenience. Most importantly, you'll feel secure that your decisions are based on the learnings of others like you who've tread the path of....Moving to America!