There are quite a few things you need to do before you leave for your trip. Below is a list of things to do:
Get a Passport
Get one if you don’t have one already. Make sure to do this early. The processing time for a passport could take several months (though mine only took maybe a month). If you already have a passport, make sure it isn’t expired and that you still have pages left for a visa (if the country you’re going to needs one).
Get Your Visa
Usually you apply for this a week or two before your departure date (you need your passport for this!). However not all countries require a visa. Double check for the country you’re going to and find out where the nearest consult is in your area.
Buy Your Airplane Ticket
Buy this early if you can so you can get a cheaper price. Check several sites to compare prices. Even if your program says they have a partnership with so and so travel agency, you might still find cheaper on your own (I did!).
For a really long trip you might want to get a flight where you have to transfer planes so you can stretch out your legs inbetween. Sitting on a plane for 15 hours straight is NOT fun (I did 11 straight and that was no fun at all). Having a layover of an hour or two is a really nice way to break up the trip. I think a two hour layover would be ideal so that you have time to get through the security check at the transfer point and walk to your next gate. I only had a one hour layover in Korea and ended up walking (rushed) for 45 minutes of it from the transfer point to my gate.
Also, this is just my opinion, but I really recommend aisle seats so you don’t have to make people move so you can go to the bathroom. You also get a bit more space around you and can get up anytime to stretch your legs on the plane. Though of course, window seats where you can watch the scenery is always nice too.
If you’re traveling with a friend (or even alone), you may want to land somewhere else and travel a bit before making your way to your university. Two of the girls in my program traveled around China for two weeks before coming to Shanghai. Make sure you know how you will get to your university from wherever you’re coming from though.
Know the Name and Address of Your University
…in the native country’s language! Write it down and bring it with you, this is very important! If you get lost you want to be able to ask for help. CEA had us print contact cards that had the school’s address, two phone numbers of two CEA staffs, and a tiny Google map of the location of the school. However the name and address were in English – completely unhelpful in China. The English name of the university I went to is completely different in Chinese and no one there knew the school by the English name. I was lucky enough that the person I was asking help from knew just a tiny bit of English and was able to figure out where I wanted to go.
Prepare Any Medication You Need
Make sure to bring enough for your stay there or figure out if you will be able to refill your prescription over there. It may be a good idea to plan with your family ways to ship medication to you incase you need it. You may also want to research the environment you’ll be staying in if you have sensitive allergies.
Inform Your Bank and Exchange Money
It’s a good idea to have some money on you when you arrive. You may need it right away for food or a taxi. I tried to exchange all my spending money at my bank before I left because I didn’t want to deal with the fees my bank charges for withdrawing overseas.
You should also make sure to tell your bank the time period you will be gone and in what country you will be. As a security precaution, banks will sometimes lock your account if they see someone spending your money overseas. It would be bad to get locked out of your funds while overseas.
It would also be a good idea to make sure you will be able to use your card to withdraw from the ATMs overseas. I used Visa in China and was fine.
Figure Out How You will get From the Airport to the University
CEA did airport pickup, but that turned out to be just an escort to a taxi outside the airport. My taxi dropped me off at the wrong place at night no less. Hence, why it is important to have the school’s name and address in the country’s native language. It would be a good idea to have a map with you or something so you can find your way to the school by yourself.
Passport, ID, and Visa Copies
It would be a good idea to leave copies of your passport, ID, and visa with your family before you leave. It may also be a good idea to have copies of these to leave in your room while you’re there. In case you ever lose the actual passport/ID, having a copy would be a good backup.
Check Transfer Credits
If the courses you’re taking abroad will fulfill some requirement for you, double check that the units/credits will transfer properly and fill out any course substitution forms you may need. Also double check that the number of units/credits is enough for whatever requirement you’re using it for. Check with your school on how unit/credit conversion works. For my school, they gave me 1.5 quarter units for every 1 semester unit (I’m on a quarter system so semester units count more for us since semesters are longer).
Research the Area you will be in
Not just the whole country itself but the province or state and the city you will be living in. This way you will get an idea of what the culture is like and maybe find places you want to visit once you’re there.