BEFORE YOU GO

What to Take

Safety begins when you pack. To help avoid becoming a target, do not dress so as to mark yourself as an affluent tourist. Expensive-looking jewelry, for instance, can draw the wrong attention.

Always try to travel light. You can move more quickly and will be more likely to have a free hand. You will also be less tired and less likely to set your luggage down, leaving it unattended.

Carry the minimum number of valuables, and plan places to conceal them. Your passport, cash and credit cards are most secure when locked in a hotel safe. When you have to carry them on your person, you may wish to put them in various places rather than all in one wallet or pouch. Avoid handbags, fanny packs and outside pockets that are easy targets for thieves. Inside pockets and a sturdy shoulder bag with the strap worn across your chest are somewhat safer. One of the safest places to carry valuables is in a pouch or money belt worn under your clothing.

If you wear glasses, pack an extra pair. Bring them and any medicines you need in your carry-on luggage.

To avoid problems when passing through customs, keep medicines in their original, labeled containers. Bring copies of your prescriptions and the generic names for the drugs. If a medication is unusual or contains narcotics, carry a letter from your doctor attesting to your need to take the drug. If you have any doubt about the legality of carrying a certain drug into a country, consult the embassy or consulate of that country before you travel.

Bring travelers checks and one or two major credit cards instead of cash.

Pack an extra set of passport photos along with a photocopy of your passport’s information page to make replacement of your passport easier in the event it is lost or stolen.

Put your name, address and telephone numbers inside and outside of each piece of luggage. Use covered luggage tags to avoid casual observation of your identity or nationality. If possible, lock your luggage.

Consider getting a telephone calling card. It is a convenient way of keeping in touch. If you have one, verify that you can use it from your overseas location(s). Access numbers to U.S. operators are published in many international newspapers. Find out your access number before you go.

Lesson Plans

One of Teaching with Historic Places' primary offerings is a series of classroom-ready lesson plans. Created by National Park Service interpreters, preservation professionals, and educators, these lessons use historic sites to explore American history.

All of the lessons are available free of charge on the Web. On-line lesson plans are ready for immediate use in the classroom. They can be used directly on the computer or they can be printed out, photocopied, and distributed to students.

You can browse the collection in four ways, each of which includes a short description of every lesson:

* Location/State;
* Theme;
* Time period;
* Skill;
* National Standards for History;
* Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.

Although designed for middle school students learning history, social studies, geography, and other subjects, TwHP lessons are easily adaptable from upper elementary through high school, and even for college courses. Each lesson includes maps, readings, and photographs, all of which are accompanied by questions. At the end, activities pull together the ideas students have just covered and require them to initiate their own research.

Each TwHP lesson plan links both to relevant United States History Standards for Grades 5-12 and also to relevant Performance Expectations for Middle Grades from the national Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. For more information about the National Standards for History, please visit their website. To learn more about the national Standards for Social Studies, please visit the National Council for the Social Studies website.

All lessons are based on sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places, which include historic units of the National Park System, National Historic Landmarks, and places with state and local significance. Lessons plans that feature units of the National Park System, National Historic Landmarks, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are noted in each categorized index. National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Designated by the World Heritage Committee, UNESCO World Heritage Sites are cultural and natural heritage sites around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.

We welcome your comments and suggestions on how you've used the lesson plans, what's good about them, and how they could be improved.

In the fall of 1998, TwHP and the National Park Foundation created a curriculum kit that brought stories from six of our national parks into the classroom. While the original boxed kits, funded by Target Stores and The Eureka Company, were all distributed at Target stores, TwHP has posted much of that material on this Web site.

Santa Clara County, California -list of site

Hanna-Honeycomb House De Anza Hotel
Lou Henry and Herbert Hoover House Luis Maria Peralta Adobe

Palo Alto Southern Pacific Railroad Depot
Hotel Sainte Claire (Larkspur)

Ramona Street Architectural District
San Jose Downtown Historic District

Professorville Historic District
Winchester House
US Naval Air Station, Sunnyvale, CA, Historic District (Moffett Field)
Le Petit Trianon
Picchetti Brothers Winery
Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel Paul Masson Mountain Winery
James Lick Mill Villa Montalvo

Agnews Insane Asylum Los Gatos Historic Commercial District

Jose Maria Alviso Adobe
Forbes Mill Annex

Charles Copeland Morse House
Yung See San Fong House

Andrew J. Landrum House
Hayes Mansion

Santa Clara Depot
New Almaden
Southern Pacific Depot

How Do I Get A Travel Document?

What is a Travel Document and Who Needs One?
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you may need permission to return to the United States after traveling abroad. This permission is granted through a travel document. Travel documents are also given to people who want to travel, but cannot get a passport from their country of nationality.



Where Can I Find the Law?
The legal foundation for requiring these travel documents comes from the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). INA § 211 discusses documents required to admit aliens and control their travel. INA § 212 states that any immigrant who does not have the correct travel documents will not be admitted to the United States.

The specific eligibility requirements for travel documents are found in Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). 8 CFR § 223 describes the purpose, processing, and validity and effect on admissibility of all three documents.



How to File
The alien must file USCIS Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, complete with supporting documentation, photos and applicable fees. This form can be downloaded from our Forms and Fees page. See the application for specific filing instructions.



How to File For a Re-Entry Permit
If the alien is a permanent resident or conditional resident, he or she must attach:



A copy of the front and back of the alien registration receipt card (Form I-551); or
If he has not yet received his alien registration receipt card, a copy of the biographic page(s) of his passport and the visa page of his passport indicating initial admission as a permanent resident, or other evidence that the alien is a permanent resident; or
A copy of the approval notice of a separate application for replacement of the alien registration receipt card (Form I-797) or temporary evidence of permanent resident status.



A copy of any document issued to the alien by USCIS or former INS showing present status in the United States;
An explanation or other evidence demonstrating the circumstances that warrant issuance of Advance Parole.
If the alien is basing his or her eligibility for Advance Parole on a separate application for adjustment of status or asylum, he must also attach a copy of the filing receipt for that application.
If the alien is traveling to Canada to apply for an immigrant visa, he or she must also attach a copy of the consular appointment.


How to File For a Refugee Travel Document
If the alien is a refugee or asylee applying for a refugee travel document, he or she must attach:

A copy of the document issued by USCIS or former INS showing the alien’s refugee or asylee status and indicating the expiration date of such status.



Where to File
Where to file the Form I-131 depends upon the benefit sought. See the Form I-131 instruction page for details.



When to File
The alien must apply for the travel document before leaving the United States. Failure to do so may cause the alien to lose permission to re-enter the country, and lead to the denial of any other applications.



How Can I Find Out the Status of My Application?
To check the status of your application, please contact the USCIS office that received your application. You should be prepared to provide the USCIS staff with specific information about your application. Please click here for complete instructions on checking the status of your application. Please click here for more information on USCIS field offices.



How Can I Appeal?
If your application for a reentry permit or refugee travel document is denied, the denial letter will tell you how to appeal. Generally, you may appeal within 33 days of receiving the denial. Your appeal must be filed on USCIS Form I-290B. The appeal must be filed with the office that made the original decision. After your appeal form and a required fee are processed, the appeal will be referred to the Administrative Appeals Unit (AAU) in Washington, DC. (Sending the appeal and fee directly to the AAU will delay the process.)


Can Anyone Help Me?
If advice is needed, you may contact the USCIS District Office near your home for a list of community-based, non-profit organizations that may be able to assist you in applying for an immigration benefit. Please see our Field Offices for more information on contacting USCIS offices.



Frequently Asked Questions
See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information. You may also want to read the State Department's Returning Resident Alien Leaflet and see their list of Foreign Consular Offices in the U.S