Studying abroad could be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made in your life. Whether you will be enjoying endless Italy gelato, basking in the sun in Australia, or exploring the rainforest of Costa Rica, those months will surely be unforgettable. So, you need to prepare yourself well, but how do you even start? Here are 10 tips you should consider before flying to your new home away from home.
#1: Grow your piggy bank
There’s one thing common with every student; feeling broke, it doesn’t matter how much you save. It’s going to be worse if you’re going to be traveling abroad for your studies. However, it’s important to save up as much money as you can. You could start doing this way before time. I’m sure you would rather be satisfied you spent some money on those interesting experiences than you did on those expensive pairs of shoes. You’d better work hard and save more. Let travel be your motivation to do so.
#2: Plan, Research and Planning to Study Abroad
While you’re going for a study abroad in just one city, there’s every chance that you’re going to be visiting other interesting places. For most students, free weekends will be better spent in other neighboring towns, cities or even countries. The idea here is to take out some time to research about the weekend destinations you’d probably wish to visit. Make some good plans – the internet would be a good friend here. There are specific websites to help you out with everything you need to know about your proposed weekend destination.
#3: Figure out a phone plan
While we have several means of communication, especially social media platforms such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and others, there’s one thing common here; they all are Wi-Fi dependent. This simply means that you’d need an internet connection to do so and could be near impossible in some locations abroad. This is why it is important to figure out a phone plan abroad with your current provider or buy a cheap prepaid phone card as soon as you get to your new country. Don’t ever try to neglect this when you’re traveling alone. You also need to subscribe to data enough to help you locate places as you move around the streets.
#4: Don’t come abroad with a whole new wardrobe
This is quite an essential tip you need to consider. You don’t need to come with a whole new wardrobe because your new country might have entirely different style trends. And that could depict how much a stranger you are in your new home. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t travel with some necessary wears such as a new pair of comfortable shoes or a warmer jacket. The idea is just to avoid going crazy with a shopping spree. You need to realize that you’re still going to adapt to the style trend there.
#5: Invest in a pair of walking shoes
You’d probably be making a lot of walks, or use public transport since you don’t have any private car to trust for your transportation. And as someone new to the city and enthusiastic, you’re probably going to be walking everywhere, besides that’s a good way to save up some cash. All you need to do is to get a few pairs of boosts with some comfortable inserts and a low heel for convenience while taking a tour of your new city. It’s nice to invest in a pair of walking shoes and I’m sure you won’t regret what you did.
#6: Keep a journal or blog
Keeping a record of your time abroad is one thing most students miss out on and afterward regret it. it is important to jot something down, probably your favorite memories at least once a week. I’m sure this travel journal will make a perfect souvenir to take back home. You can even set up a full blog so your friends and family back home can keep up with your adventure. You can make a video at every point. There are some apps to help you with that. One of them is the ‘1 Second Everyday’ which allows you to make a second video every day. I’m sure you’ll enjoy seeing this video over again and keep memories alive.
#7: Make sure your flight home is flexible
Make sure you have a flexible return date to provide you with more time to visit more places except in a case where you’ve already swept your bank account. It’s quite obvious that most students won’t want to head home immediately they end their program abroad particularly for those in their last semester. Well, you can still have your chance to stay longer and enjoy those extra months of summer. All you need to do is to stick to a flexible flight schedule.
#8: Have some idea of a budget
As someone new to a place, one of the essential things you need to do is to make a budget. You need to work out what you’d be spending on food, party, and travel. Though you might be making some adjustments, having a budget would save you from getting into a huge debt when you get home.
#9: Learn the language for
Learning the language of your new country would make you feel more comfortable. Though this is not easy, you need to learn some basics at least to help you get along with the locals when you find yourself in a vulnerable situation or probably want to purchase a few things from the local market. As you work hard in learning the local language, you will only get better with time.
#10: Arrive with some of your country’s currency
I’m sure that the last thing you need is to get into your new country and don’t have the local cash and probably have issues with your debit card. Cash is best since you’d be needing a taxi or even something to eat. So, a week before your scheduled takeoff, you need to visit your local bank and make sure that you have some of your new country currency, probably something worth up to a hundred dollars.
