Here are just a few tips that will help you get the most out of your study abroad experience.
1. Set a Weekly Budget:
If you have allocated $4,000 for food, entertainment and travel over a five month period, don’t waste it. If you set a budget $150 a week, that will leave with you plenty of money to spare. If you have a slower week with no bigger purchases or traveling expenses, take that money and add it to a week that you know you will be traveling. Keep track of your spending, and make sure you understand the exchange rate for your chosen country before your arrival. That $4,000 might actually be closer to $3,500.
2. Check for student discounts:
Student discounts are available everywhere. A lot of saved money can add up from discounts at shopping centers, movie theaters, museums, tourist attractions and even transportation.
3. Take Pictures:
You never know if you will ever have the opportunity to travel to the same places again, so pictures might be the only way to save your memories. Plus your family will most likely want to live through you and experience the places you saw and things you did. You can use photo sharing websites to help you organize your photos because if you plan on taking as many pictures as I do, your computer won’t have enough memory. Websites like Flickr, Shutterfly, and even Facebook allow you to share pictures with friends and family.
4. Locals Don’t Bite:
I am not telling you to go up to complete strangers all alone, but when you’re out with a group of friends, ask the locals where to go. They are the ones who know where the best places to eat are and what is an appropriate tip.
5. Step out of your Comfort Zone:
Living in a whole new country is a big step out of anyone’s comfort zone, but once you are settled in, you might get into a routine. Don’t just go to clubs with only people who speak your native language every night. Try joining a local club team if you like sports. Volunteer with local organizations or even land an internship. By doing something different, you will gain a better prospective for the culture and it could even open up opportunities for the future.
6. Travel:
When you are overseas, there is no easier or cheaper time to travel. Train and bus systems offer a relatively cheap way to travel. If traveling with a group, you can split the cost of lodging. Airlines like RyanAir offer cheap plane tickets in Europe, which make an extended weekend trip reasonable.
7. Fashion:
Do your research on what clothing styles are acceptable in your country of study before going. The most obvious reason for this is for the weather. Know if you are going to need a winter jacket or shorts and skirts. The last thing you will want to do upon arrival is spend a bunch of money on a new wardrobe. Also you will want to know what clothes are acceptable for church, if you’re planning on attending.
If you have any tips or advice let me know in my comments! I would love to hear students past experience or what they would like to know more about.
I’m studying abroad in Florence next year, and these are great tips! I will be reading your blog a lot leading up to my trip!
That will be such a great experience! I hope I can get some new posts up that will help you even more!
Unfortunately I don’t get the opportunity to study abroad but I found your blog really interesting. As a fashion major I really liked the section about fashion. I know that making sure you are taking the appropriate clothing for weather and other occasions is important but I would want to know more about preparing to buy clothes and souvenirs while abroad. Would you take an extra suitcase for purchased items? Overall your blog answered many of my questions about studying abroad!
You brought up a good question. I know most airlines only allow two checked bags, so anything after that would cost more. As for bringing things home, my recommendation would be to throw out some clothes that got a lot of wear out to make some room. Lucky enough for me though, my family will be traveling to visit me after school is over, so I hope to pack a lot of things in their bags.
I have not got the chance to study abroad, however I’ve always found the thought of it very exciting and something I would consider. Your tips and advice made studying abroad sound even more interesting. The advice about fashion in particular was very interesting to me, because like Amanda Lower stated, I am also a fashion major and oddly enough even though a lot of my life revolve around fashion I never took the time to really think about what fashion I would wear there. I’ve always focused on what fashion I could get there, but never really thought about what would be acceptable in different countries, not only for the weather but for other reasons such as respect or as you stated if I was to go to church. What may be acceptable in America might not be in other countries and I never really thought about that and I think that would be something interesting to research since I am so interested in fashion.
Even though your advice about fashion stuck out, the advice you gave about stepping out of your comfort zone was most interesting to me. I feel like studying abroad is already stepping out of your comfort zone, but I realized that when studying abroad you should really go all out and do things you thought you would never do, do not let the fact alone that you are in a new place be the only thing that is different, but try all kinds of different things that you probably could not have before. I’m sure that the experience can and will be different when stepping out of your comfort zone since you are in a totally different scene and atmosphere.
Overall your blog was very interesting and gave insight and advice on study abroad that I never had even thought of before.
I never though I would get the chance to study abroad, but now that it is becoming real I am very excited. I wish that anyone who is interested in it could have the opportunity!
I haven’t had the chance to spend a semester studying abroad but I did go on a month long trip to several different european countries my senior year of high school and many of the same tips apply.
The money is by far the biggest issue. I blew through the $2,000 I had saved up for spending money on the trip and had to get money transfered to get me through the last 4 days. The things you don’t realize until you get there will haunt you forever. Those 4 euro bottles of water and 6 euro sandwiches add up super fast. Unfortunately we weren’t able to go to a supermarket and buy bulk meats, cheeses and breads because we were on the move everyday but that is definitely the way to go. Also keep in mind most places don’t have air conditioning, nor do they have screens on their windows. If you have a bug phobia like I do, we were advised to bring along a mosquito net or alot of people brought along like a yard of fine mesh fabric to put over the windows. High-maintence, I know! But when you see mosquitos the size of your palm you’ll thank me.
Also, the picture ordeal is definitely a challenge. Our trip was so fast-paced and we were always on the go, so at the end of the day I’d get home and forget where half of my pictures were from. Most cameras have time and date stamps on them now, my advice would be to bring a small notebook with you and write down where you are and maybe a short description of pictures you take. This can get especially tricky at museums when you want to add the name of a piece and don’t even remember what museum you were at. Take a picture of the tile with the piece’s info on it right before you take the actual picture. You can delete them later once you add the captions to your photos and upload them. So much easier than trying to remember every piece you see or every place you went.
European locals are actually a ton of fun too. Sure, there are going to be the creepy people trying to sell you sunglasses and keychains everywhere you go but for the most part they are really nice! Try to learn some simple phrases in their language – please, thank you, I don’t understand, I’m sorry, excuse me – people are much MUCH more friendly if you atleast make an effort to speak their language. The “rude” stereotype of the French usually are from people who walk into a store and either just start speaking English or ask if they speak English. They think you are too lazy to make an effort and think we are the rude ones. I had a lot of natives teach me words and phrases as I traveled and it’s a great way to make friends and bond with them. Keep a notepad or something to have them write it down for you too so you can study them and use them later. It will make your trip much more enjoyable! I agree to try anything and everything you want to, and maybe some things you think you don’t want to! I got my cartilage pierced in Switzerland, went to the peak of the highest mountain there (SCARY-but fabulous!), went clubbing in Germany, got stuck on the Eiffel Tower (also very scary-but it happens pretty often-so don’t freak if it happens to you too), sprinted through the Paris subway, got lost in Venice, wrote my name on a famous bridge and much more. You’ll likely never get the chance to make such awesome – and funny – memories that you’ll remember forever. This is so cliche but YOLO! Live in the moment, you’re only there for a short time so make the most of it!
Last thing, the fashion. When in doubt, keep it simple! European fashion is much simpler than ours, simple skirts, tanks, and dresses will get you through just fine and they are super easy to pack. I stress COMFORTABLE shoes. Those brick and stone streets are not kind to 4 inch heels.
I’m sorry this was so long! I love sharing the things I learned on my trip though, especially with people who haven’t gone yet and are considering it. If I could relive my trip I definitely would have done a lot more research before going. Wish you all the best of luck, this is a great blog! I wish I’d seen it about 3 years ago! 🙂
I love all the information you have provided me with! I will be heading to Ireland for the spring so I love to hear any bits of advice any overseas traveler has for me. I hope to experience even half the memories that you had. Reading your comment made me even more excited than I already am, if that is possible!
Ahh you will have such an amazing time! That was like the one place we didn’t go to that I wanted to experience SOOO badly! I’ll keep up with your blog to hopefully hear about all your amazing experiences as well! Good luck and i hope you have the time of your life! 🙂
I’m going to Germany in April and these are good tips. Most literature on traveling isn’t so concise. Like Amanda said, I would like to know if you decide on an extra suitcase for purchased items. How many places have you studied? I would be really interested to know your different perspectives in your future blog posts.