Study Abroad Bloggers

Study Abroad Packing Tips

Packing the Bag, Part 1

First things first, lay everything out on your bed that you are planning on packing for your trip. This includes clothes, shoes, accessories, and toiletries. Once you've selected everything, and you're happy with what you want to bring, start packing.

Study Abroad Tips: Cultural Differences In Europe Part 2

Driving: Cars are generally manual transmission, and much smaller than American cars. Except in major cities and on super highways, avoid driving at night in Eastern Europe. Night driving can be hazardous because some roads are narrow and winding, and horse-drawn vehicles and bicycles may be encountered at any time on any road. 

Traffic regulations: Especially those related to driving under the influence of alcohol, traffic regulations are very strict. An international driver's license is usually accepted and, in some cases, required by Eastern European governments. You may obtain an international driver's license from an automobile association.

Study and Travel Abroad with a Kindle 2

Experienced travelers know that when packing for an extended trip, every extra pound counts. Especially when traveling to a country that lacks paved streets and sidewalks, rolling suitcases simply are not practical. Therefore, carrying luggage is the norm. Books are a necessary evil for travel: Guidebooks, phrasebooks, and even light reading books for time passing purposes add up to some heavy luggage. 

Enter the Kindle 2. With this wireless reading device, you can store all of the above, plus much more. Newspapers, magazines, blogs, and more are all available for download on one small, lightweight device. This gives you the flexibility to bring many more guidebooks, phrase and verb books, and entertainment books. While in the U.S., you can wirelessly download books instantly without connecting to a computer. Overseas, if you decide you want new books or some newspapers from back home, you can plug the Kindle 2 into a computer, download the book to the computer and transfer it to the device. 

Join the Movement for Study Abroad

Yesterday, the Simon bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act is a bill that will dramatically increase study abroad opportunitie4s for U.S. students. Read more about the Simon bill here. Last year, the bill passed the House with unanimous support and enjoyed strong bipartisan support in the Senate, including that of former senators President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, where is was one step short of passage when the legislative clock expired last fall.

Join the group on Facebook to help support the Movement for Study Abroad by clicking here.

Study Abroad Tips: Cultural Differences In Europe Part 1

Dates, Time & Measures: In Europe, dates are expressed by day-month-year, for example 23 July, 2002. For most of non-English speaking Europe, time is measured on the 24-hour clock. Europe also uses the metric system of measurments (i.e. kilometer, centimeter, millimeter).

Washing Your Clothes: Usually, European washing machines are front-loaded and only have cold water inlet, as compared to American top-loading machines with a variety of cold, warm, or hot water.

U.S. Department of State Launches Study Abroad Website

Traveling abroad can be an overwhelming experience. Even if you are arranging your program through an agency, there are still many areas that require meticulous planning. In an effort to increase global awareness, the United States government has launched a new website (http://studentsabroad.state.gov/) dedicated to study abroad. Perhaps most important of all, this website provides up-to-date information about passport and visa requirements, what to do if you lose your documents, and even a program that locates your nearest passport office. In addition, the site includes information on how to register your trip with the United States embassy, a smart choice that allows the embassy to contact you should there be any sort of emergency while abroad. Many students often wonder what vaccines they should receive before arriving in their new country. Due to ever changing medical opinions, many travel agencies and schools are hesitant to provide information. However, this website provides information about basic requirements and links to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the foremost authority on required and recommended immunizations. Finally, this website provides general information that every student should know, such as where to purchase travel insurance, how to secure an absentee voter ballot if you will be out of the country during an election, local laws, and current travel warnings. The key to a great, unstressed trip is planning everything before you leave, so that you are free to enjoy your trip worry-free. This website allows you to do just that, so be sure to bookmark it and plan accordingly!

Spanish Souvenirs (Part 3)

Then there is music. For many people, Spanish music is synonym to Flamenco, but in fact there are many different types and styles of local music. The Spanish modern music comprises modern Flamenco as well as pop, rock and hip-hop groups. If you like the Spanish nightlife, you'll quickly discover that for the most part of the evening you'll hear Spanish music in pubs and clubs. Finally, if you really want to, there is of course the vast array of typical handicrafts specially made for tourists, such as the 'Torero-posters' which are posters for bullfights, where you can get your name printed as the main torero. Or T-shirts with the famous Jerez-bull on it (if you've been to Spain, you know him), ashtrays with 'playa and sol' and multi-colored candles that for some unknown reason are abound along the costas, etc. etc. etc…

Spanish Souvenirs (Part 2)

Spanish wines are also very recommended as souvenirs. Spanish wine is excellent quality, comes in a wide variety of flavours and above all, is dirt-cheap! If you live outside of the European Union there are probably restrictions on the amount of wine you may import into your country, but luckily for the Europeans, there is free traffic of persons and goods :)… Which means that there are people who have taken 6 bottles of wine home in their backpack, wrapped in their snowboard socks (don't ask). Further, you can get very nice ceramics in Spain, especially those regions that have been heavily influenced by the Mores. The tiles that you can find on the walls of typical houses, outdoor as well as indoors come in many different patterns and colors. Little tables inlayed with ceramics, decorative plates, vases and ornaments are readily available everywhere. But you can't mention Spanish ceramics without mentioning the famous Lladro art. The factory is located in Valencia but you can find the beautiful figurines in the big department store El Corte Ingles or dedicated stores in the main cities. They come with a guarantee for life but I'd still recommend to be very careful with them and take them in your hand luggage.

Spanish Souvenirs (Part 1)

Spain is a country that receives more than 50 million foreign visitors per year and in addition many Spaniards celebrate their holidays in their own country. Most of these visitors like to take something back home as a souvenir. What people end up taking home with them depends a lot on their personal preferences of course, but also on which part of Spain was visited. Food items are on most peoples' lists. Spanish cuisine is world renowned and I think many a visitor wants the recreate the memory of a warm summer night on a terrace sipping wine and eating tapas. Vacuum wrapped chorizos, cured ham (jamon), cheeses, olives and anchovies are all readily available to take home.

Beginner German Phrases [Part 3]

Food is always important, therefore below a little list of some basic food and drink items. With this and some extensive hand- and feet gestures we should be able to survive in Germany!

Beginner German Phrases Part II

Now that we’ve learned how to greet someone, here are some practical words that you can use to ask or say something. Even if most of the sentence needs to be in English, it always makes a good impression to try to add at least ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ in German. Germans will be very pleased that you are making an effort to speak their language. They know how difficult it is!

Beginner German Phrases Part I

For those of you that are planning a trip to the German-speaking world, maybe for skiing or snowboarding, or just to enjoy the apres-ski :) I thought I’d write down some basic German words that can be helpful to you while staying in Germany, Switzerland or Austria.