Tips For Studying Abroad: First Time Travelers

By Gretchen Kernbach on April 22, 2016

Making your first trip out of the country as a college student can seem scary, confusing and difficult. The thought of flying and traveling is overwhelming, and even more so when you have to do it alone – no parents to oversee that everything goes according to plan. However, studying abroad is an amazing experience that should not have to be reconsidered because you have never traveled internationally. To ensure you have a smooth and successful trip, follow these traveling tips.

Passport

First thing’s first, when leaving the country, you must have a passport. You will need to gather required documents such as proof of citizenship and identity, a passport photo (that can be taken at places like CVS or Walgreens), the necessary passport application, a photocopy of ID, and method of payment. After those items have been retrieved, check with your parents to arrange a visit to the nearest passport acceptance agent and follow the procedure there. To learn more, visit uspassporthelpguide.com.

Image via eastnews.com.au

Packing

Another step of preparation for studying abroad is packing. And this is not packing for a sleepover with your grandparents. Look up the climate for the region you will be visiting (and living in for a couple months) to get a sense of what clothes to bring. Your first instinct will be to over pack, but avoid this urge and strive to pack only essentials. Remember a charger adapter! Click here to read up on what not to bring.

Also, it is important to be aware of baggage fees. Since you are by no means a frequent flyer, check your airline’s baggage rates so you can plan accordingly. For example, Silver Airways charges $35 for the first bag internationally, then $50 for the second and $150 for the third. Each airline is different so be sure to check the correct one you are flying with.

Budgeting

Budgeting is another factor to contemplate. Since you will be leaving the United States, the type of currency will change. For most students studying abroad, it is important to note that one U.S. dollar equals 0.88 Euro. On the other hand, if you are studying abroad in China or Australia, opposed to the mainstream curriculums in Europe, look up the currency exchange rates for those places.

When it comes to preparing for your international trip, it can take a lot of steps just in order to get you where you need to be. Unfortunately for you, there is more you need to know which involves the actual trip itself, starting with your flight.

Day of flight

On the day of your flight, make sure you have your ID, credit card, passport, and boarding pass. A cardinal rule of flying: arrive at the airport two hours before your flight departs. This allows time to pass through security and find your gate. And a first-time-flyer like yourself will need those two hours to figure out the nuts and bolts of airports.

Unfortunately, flights to Europe are around 10 hours. This means bringing something to keep yourself busy. I recommend reading a book or listening to music; try to coax yourself into sleeping, too. Your first time flying may be a nervous experience, but with a flight time well over four hours, you will get jittery. Packing snacks is also suggested, but remember you cannot bring drinks onto the flight.

Destination arrival

Once you get to your destination, the real journey begins. Follow the signs in the airport to retrieve your items from the baggage claim. A general rule in traveling, that I hope you are already aware of: do not stray away from the group. It is too easy to get lost in a foreign country. If you must wander away from the group for a couple minutes, bring one or two buddies.

Image via pintrest.com

As mentioned previously, the difference in currency can make buying food or other items a hassle. To avoid overspending, convert some cash to the local currency or come up with an easy conversion method. According to lifehack.org a good way to do this is to “come up with an easy formula for conversion, and round up so that your estimate is always fewer dollars than you think.”

It is a no-brainer that foreign countries speak foreign languages, excluding Australia. Therefore, try to memorize and implement five to 10 phrases into your everyday encounters. Phrases that will be useful to you include: hello, goodbye, thank you, please, do you speak English, where is the bathroom, how much, and the numbers 1-20.

A plus of studying abroad is that your activities will most likely already be planned out for you. This way you do not need to stress about what and what not to see. The only thing you need to be concerned about is what to wear and what to bring on these outings. There is crime everywhere in the world, so always be mindful of your belongings, especially your purse or wallet. In addition, dress appropriately. Back at home it might be manageable to wear wedges everywhere you go, but to be safe, wear comfortable walking shoes everyday.

First-time traveling can be overwhelming, but doing it in a big group of other students makes it manageable. When in doubt follow someone else’s example in your group and do not hesitate to ask questions. The fear of traveling for the first time should not be a reason to skip out on studying abroad.

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