Study Abroad: Making the Move

by James Connington via “Telegraph“

When I signed up to go and live in a country where I don’t speak the main language, I figured that some embarrassment might be involved – at least in the first few weeks anyway.

What I didn’t bargain on was how quickly or frequently this would occur, which was a little overwhelming for my sleep deprived self after a 3:30am start.

My first venture into Bonn left a trail of bemused and angry waitresses, checkout assistants, taxi drivers and mobile network employees in my wake.

It also quickly became clear that things I thought I had sorted were, in fact, not; such as there being somebody to get keys from at my accommodation.

Thankfully, an extremely helpful Jordanian student was able to translate my absentee building manager’s voicemail, which told me that he was away. A quick TripAdvisor search secured me a hotel for the night and, aside from the financial setback, I was none the worse for wear.

There is, however, a point to these ramblings, beyond giving you something to laugh at. I’ve travelled a fair amount, and as a result of this I thought I was beyond prepared, I thought that I would breeze through any culture shock and instantly acclimatise.

As I discovered, this can be a risky attitude to take.

Some lessons can be learned from my mistakes. First of all don’t get complacent; if there’s any ambiguity in the arrangements for your arrival, then get them clarified (this may involve you annoying some people). . . . .

READ MORE

“17 Tips for Studying Abroad!”

by Stacey Lindsay via “Seventeen“

Be a Copycat

Dando, Wegscheider and Stephenson all recommend making copies of your passport — print out several to bring with you, and email a scanned copy to yourself. “That way, if you lose it, you can always go to an Internet café and print it out,” says Stephenson. This applies for other essential documentation as well: “I’ll scan my travel information and all itineraries and send to Google documents or a shared site,” says Wegscheider.

Purse Patrol

For carrying essentials, a smaller cross body bag is ideal, according to Wegscheider and Stephenson. Be sure to keep it close to your body, or on your lap if you are at a club or restaurant — never put in on the back of your chair or on the floor! “I have known so many people who have had their wallets stolen out of their bags when it was at their feet,” says Stephenson. 

Learn About Foreign Traffic Safety

Road accidents for passengers and pedestrians are a serious matter, both here and abroad. Perhaps even more so in a country where traffic comes from the other direction! Check out the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) and Sara’s Wish Foundation for helpful info. . . . .

READ MORE

“Tech Tips For Travel To Latin America”

by Ariel Coro via “Huffington Post“

“After a long journey visiting relatives back home in South America or the Caribbean this holiday season, it would be well advised to arrive to your hotel well prepared. I recommend traveling armed with the right gadgets and tech that save space, are light and have multiple functions. Below are a few suggestions for your next trip abroad.

For travelers who enjoy photography, instead of lugging around a big camera, you can now carry, just the lens. What do I mean? Sony just released the Cybershot QX10, a wireless zoom lens for your smartphone. It connects to the lens through 
Wi-Fi and you can operate it using the Sony Play Memories app to take photos, videos and control the zoom lens. . . . .”

 

 

“Going It Alone: 7 Tips for Successful Solo Travel”

by Nikki Bayley via “CNN“

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.”

So wrote the great travel writer Freya Stark in her 1932 book “Baghdad Sketches.”

It’s been my motto traveling solo through 30 countries in 21 years.

I took my first trip alone, to Greece, at 22.

I remember walking to the beach, Nirvana’s “Nevermind” blaring in my headphones, and realizing: no one knows where the hell I am.

I’ve been chasing that euphoric feeling ever since. . . . .”

 

 

“How to Dial “911″ Around the World”

by Carlos Alcos via “Matador Network“

 

Perhaps it’s the “it’ll never happen to me” syndrome why many of us travelers aren’t as prepared as we should be. If you’re in Thailand, Spain, or Bolivia, would you know what number to dial to get some emergency service?

Some history

In 1937, London became the first city to introduce a system where callers could dial a short 3-digit number to get immediate help. They chose 999 as it was difficult to accidentally dial on the old pulse-dial phones. Calling 999 alerted a switch-board operator by sounding a buzzer and flashing a red light.

The first 911 system in North America was set up in Winnipeg, Canada in 1959 and, nine years later, Alabama and Alaska followed suit to bring it to the US. It wasn’t until the 1980s that 911 became a standard under the North American Numbering Plan.

There were many obstacles to overcome such as being routed to the wrong jurisdiction, but with switching technological advances, almost every single location in North America has an accurate 911 service today. . . . .

 

“50 Travel Tips You Must Know Before You Go: Phil Tripp’s Top Tips”

“50 Travel Tips You Must Know Before You Go: Phil Tripp’s Top Tips”

by Phil Tripp via “The Australian“

“A BLOKE should always pack some ladies’ underwear when going on holidays.

In fact, he should fill half his suitcase with women’s clothing.

That’s the advice of an expert traveller whose 50 must-know tips for travellers we bring you today.

Why the women’s wear?

It’s not a case of cross dressing. It’s just common sense for any man travelling with a female travel companion, in case of lost luggage.

And no, it doesn’t mean the female counterpart gets to fill her own luggage AND half her fella’s suitcase too.

She should carry a few changes of clothes for her partner in her luggage, too.

That way, if one piece of luggage is lost or delayed, both travellers will always have something to wear. . . . “

 

Real Travelers’ Best Tips

via “CNN“

“While Travel + Leisure has its own little black book of hotel tips and air travel tricks, we wanted to take a page out of yours, too.

So T+L teamed up with CNN to solicit advice from seasoned CNN iReporters as part of our Ways to Travel Better campaign—and posed some questions to get them going. What’s your secret to navigating a crowded airport? How about a tip for nabbing a table at the hottest restaurant in town? Do you have a favorite money-saving app or website? . . . .”

 

Summer Countdown: Passport Applications

Just wanted to remind everyone that if you are actually interested in studying abroad over the summer or fall, you need to start on the Passport process now.  You can’t always wait until you’re accepted into a program in March or April; you need to get on top of the Passport thing early. Even if you already have the Passport, you might need new pages for it if you travel frequently and almost all countries require that the Passport not expire until at least 6 months after the estimated end of your trip.

Every year it takes longer and longer to get a Passport, especially if you aren’t the simplest case.  Dual citizenship, foreign citizenship, criminal records, and a history of visiting or coming from difficult locations (Middle East, China, Etc.) can all add to the wait time for a new or renewed Passport.

Plus, you have to have a Passport to get a Visa, arrange flights, set up hotel reservations, and other steps.

So go ahead and get the ball rolling to make sure you have it early! 

For helpful instructions check out the ‘Getting a Passport’ section on our site “Students Ramblings“. We also have information for ‘Renewing your Passport. Or just head straight over to the State Department’s website.

“Studying Abroad: Tips, Advice from Students, Staff”

“Studying Abroad: Tips, Advice from Students, Staff”

by Lauren Holtmeier via “The Collegian“

Studying abroad can be a very unique and exciting experience for many students, and K-State offers many study abroad options in a broad selection of countries. However, after committing to a program, getting all the necessary paperwork, forms and pre-arrival arrangements made can be a hectic time for a lot of students.

“There are so many study abroad options out there to various locations and for various lengths of time, if nothing else look at all of your options available to you,” Logan Gauby, peer advisor in the study abroad office, said.. . . .”

 

Tools: FAFSA School Code List

As most of you know, your average college student can’t survive without good old government school loans, and that means the dreaded FAFSA.  That horrid form you have to fill out every year just to prove what you already know, you’re broke. 😛  

For those of you studying abroad, you probably are aware that you can get federal loans to cover these classes if your school transfers them in or is in charge of the program.  Usually, this means you have to study via a US college’s program, either through your own university or as a visiting student at another college.  I have studied abroad several times, but only once through my own college.  All my law school classes abroad have been through programs offered by other US law schools who agreed to take me in.

But did you know that the FAFSA doesn’t just cover US schools?  Sometimes, your college is unwilling to transfer in credits.  Or you want to take more classes than is allowed for transfer purposes.  Or a program just isn’t offered through a US school in that country or area you wanted for that specialization you’ve been dying to research.   

For those situations, you might want to turn to the FAFSA School Code List available here.  You probably haven’t looked at this since your first semester when you had them send the forms to your college, but try taking a look at the bottom of the list.  That’s right, the FAFSA program may cover a program you’re interested in at a foreign school.  The list starts on page 147 of the form, and it includes numerous school in all sorts of countries.  So if you’ve always been interested in studying in Australia, but no US college offers a program at that university/city, check out this list.  If it’s on the list, it is covered by FAFSA and you can apply for US government school loans to cover that program of study the same as you would any US program.  This is how many US students are affording to get their entire degrees abroad. Technically, you can have an entire undergraduate or graduate degree covered with school loans in these schools via the FAFSA program, the same as if you studied in the US. Or even just a summer program.  It’s worth looking into!  Also remember, if it isn’t on this list then FAFSA won’t cover it.  So unless it’s on this list or you’re traveling there via a US college, you may  have to pay out-of-pocket.