<p>Hey,</p>
<p>How much money do you think I should carry? I'll order my laptop from India, so I won't factor that into my calculations.</p>
<p>Also, how are you carrying the money? I've been told about $300 in cash the rest in a prepaid card or travelers checks (gosh, it's so hard not to type "cheques"). Which do you prefer? </p>
<p>And all this is just for initially, right? Once I'm there, I'll have a bank account and start using that, am I right?</p>
<p>Carry about $20 in one dollar bills for the airport baggage trolley things. I do not know what the recommended amount is, but I could tell you how much I carried.
I traveled with my dad, together we had about $400 in cash. We didn’t need that much, because hotels and stuff were booked online, but it was a just-in-case thing. We also carried about $3000 in travelers checks. These were used for the initial bank deposit (created a bank account on day 1).
As for your bank account, you won’t get your debit/credit card immediately. It takes a week or two. You’ll be using weird checks, so have enough cash with you to pay for 2 weeks worth of food, etc, depending on whether you’re in university housing, with a meal plan, etc.</p>
<p>EDIT: Forgot to mention this, when you get travelers checks, make sure you get receipts from the travelers checks guy, and that you take them with you to the airport. Customs is a b*.</p>
<p>Thank you! Exactly what I wanted.</p>