You cannot travel outside the USA during the 30-day grace period and expect to return to the USA during that time. However, if you do plan to travel internationally, even to somewhere as close as Canada or Mexico, you can only do so while your J-1 visa is valid, and you first need to take the following steps:

1. Before you plan a trip outside of the United States, get written permission from your employer if you are going to miss any days of work.
2. Check with the Embassy or Consulate of the country you want to visit, as well as your country to confirm additional visa you may need for travel to or through any countries on your trip. This should include any countries in which you might stop briefly just to change airplanes or refuel.
3. Contact CICD at least three (3) weeks before your departure date to notify us.
4. Upon travel approval from CICD, and significantly prior to your departure, you will need to send your DS-2019 Form to CICD to get “travel permission” signed. CICD will send the signed form back to you as quickly as possible. We suggest express mailing the document to us by UPS, FedEx or DHL, both for document safety and speed. You must sent CICD your DS2019 form together with a pre-self-addressed, pre-paid express mail envelope from UPS, FedEx or DHL. Otherwise, we will send your form via normal US Postal service.
5. Protect at all times and do not loose your DS-2019 during your travels in and outside the USA. Replacing it is costly, and you may be denied entry back into the USA if it’s lost.