For those of you who may not know me, I am a huge planner. Therefore, it's no surprise that I started planning my trip to England about a year and a half ago. To be honest, most people probably don't need this much time to plan a semester abroad. I have no regrets, however, since a few extra months gave me plenty of time to handle the unexpected quirks of international travel. From one traveler to another, here is my advice list to consider when planning a trip abroad:
1) Organize your finances. This is probably the most important part of planning. Currently, the British pound is worth twice as much as the American dollar -- bad news for U.S. college students. By working tons of overtime hours at my co-op job, I've earned enough to off-set the cost of British living. Grants and scholarships have also helped tremendously to fund my semester abroad.
2) Get a credit card through Capital One. A little known fact is that Capital One charges no fees for international purchases. I really wish that I had known this sooner so that I could have built a better credit history with Capital One in order to get a higher credit limit. Most credit card companies charge high fees for purchases in other countries.
3) Apply for a student visa. Due in part to recent terrorist activity, the British government is requiring all students to have a visa in order to pass through customs. Apply about two months before your trip to ensure that important documents return to you before leaving the U.S. The visa process is a little nerve-wrecking in that they ask for a lot of specific documentation (i.e. bank statements, a passport photo, letter of acceptance from your host university).
4) Get a current passport. This should probably be put before the step above, but I'm too lazy to copy and paste it in there. In short, you should have done this step already if you even have an inkling to leave the country. Passports are now required for travel to the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, and any country outside of the U.S.
5) Meet with your study abroad advisor. This is another vital piece of advice. The study abroad advisors at UC are amazing resources that can help you in a million ways. My advisor, Jill Winograd, sent in my application to the University of Surrey, encouraged my to apply for a Globalization Grant through UC, and made sure that I had completed all important paperwork for the trip.
6) Buy your plane ticket early. By booking my flight five months in advance, I was able to get a great price on a direct flight from Cincinnati to London.
7) Read Rick Steve's travel books. This guy really knows his stuff. Picking up this piece of advice from my boyfriend, I haven't regretted this Amazon book purchase at all. Rick Steve travels almost every country in the world each year, and writes a new edition of each travel book yearly to provide the most up-to-date travel information on places to see and things to do. Some of the tidbits found in these books are pretty remarkable.
8) Become an eternal optimist. This may sound a little corny, but positive people are generally happier people. Planning a semester abroad can be a little stressful, especially when leaving close friends and family. Travel abroad is not always cheap, and it's better to spend money on a great experience than a half-hearted one.
So there you have it... the most important pieces of advice that I could string together in one sitting. In five days I will be flying over the Big Lake (a.k.a Atlantic Ocean) for an experience of a lifetime. Special thanks to all of you that gave me a fabulous last weekend in the States. I'll miss all of you!
1) Organize your finances. This is probably the most important part of planning. Currently, the British pound is worth twice as much as the American dollar -- bad news for U.S. college students. By working tons of overtime hours at my co-op job, I've earned enough to off-set the cost of British living. Grants and scholarships have also helped tremendously to fund my semester abroad.
2) Get a credit card through Capital One. A little known fact is that Capital One charges no fees for international purchases. I really wish that I had known this sooner so that I could have built a better credit history with Capital One in order to get a higher credit limit. Most credit card companies charge high fees for purchases in other countries.
3) Apply for a student visa. Due in part to recent terrorist activity, the British government is requiring all students to have a visa in order to pass through customs. Apply about two months before your trip to ensure that important documents return to you before leaving the U.S. The visa process is a little nerve-wrecking in that they ask for a lot of specific documentation (i.e. bank statements, a passport photo, letter of acceptance from your host university).
4) Get a current passport. This should probably be put before the step above, but I'm too lazy to copy and paste it in there. In short, you should have done this step already if you even have an inkling to leave the country. Passports are now required for travel to the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, and any country outside of the U.S.
5) Meet with your study abroad advisor. This is another vital piece of advice. The study abroad advisors at UC are amazing resources that can help you in a million ways. My advisor, Jill Winograd, sent in my application to the University of Surrey, encouraged my to apply for a Globalization Grant through UC, and made sure that I had completed all important paperwork for the trip.
6) Buy your plane ticket early. By booking my flight five months in advance, I was able to get a great price on a direct flight from Cincinnati to London.
7) Read Rick Steve's travel books. This guy really knows his stuff. Picking up this piece of advice from my boyfriend, I haven't regretted this Amazon book purchase at all. Rick Steve travels almost every country in the world each year, and writes a new edition of each travel book yearly to provide the most up-to-date travel information on places to see and things to do. Some of the tidbits found in these books are pretty remarkable.
8) Become an eternal optimist. This may sound a little corny, but positive people are generally happier people. Planning a semester abroad can be a little stressful, especially when leaving close friends and family. Travel abroad is not always cheap, and it's better to spend money on a great experience than a half-hearted one.
So there you have it... the most important pieces of advice that I could string together in one sitting. In five days I will be flying over the Big Lake (a.k.a Atlantic Ocean) for an experience of a lifetime. Special thanks to all of you that gave me a fabulous last weekend in the States. I'll miss all of you!
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