Pre-Departure/Airport
- Pack as light as possible and make sure that you are able to independently lift your luggage into the overhead compartment unless you enjoy being flustered, overwhelmed, and scowled at for disturbing the boarding flow of traffic/ being a stupid American.
- Wear comfortable clothes in layers. I actually wore pajama jeans for my 16 hours of traveling. There are only 2 times when pajama jeans are acceptable, travel and after holidays before the diet starts working.
- Be sure to have your passport/boarding ticket(s) in a safe yet convenient location. You will be asked to produce these documents several times from the moment you check in to the moment you get pass through the foreign customs.
- Keep a travel sized toiletries handy to freshen up during or in between flights. A few small products (such as hairbrush, toothbrush, facial wipes, deodorant, and lotion) can be the difference between being a ratchet American and a classy foreigner. We need to maintain our dominance over the Europeans in as many areas as possible including hygiene. Go AMURRICA.
- Make sure your laptop, electronic devices, and liquid products are easily removed from your bag and wear a metal detector friendly outfit to make security a breeze and once avoid dodge the stupid American stigma.
- For people like me who suffer from security officers constantly wanting to pat us down; opt for a padded sports bra instead of metal underwire to avoid going to second base in the middle of the airport. Also remove any type of metal jewelry (especially the ones hidden to most of the public) for the same reason. Lastly, when being body scanned jeans with back pocket embroidery or big buttons will allow the officer to go below the belt.
- Always be nice to airport personnel. Everyone has been wrongfully blamed for something when they have absolutely no power over the situation; imagine security guards who are wrongfully blamed in 10 diverse but equally colorful languages. As my father and my grandmother before him always advise me, "its nice to be important but its IMPORTANT to be nice."
- Strike up a conversation with a stranger on the plane but keep your headphones or book in hand. You could be introducing yourself to the Duchess of Alba. You never know. I have actually learned about various opportunities from plane strangers as well as given great advice (very rewarding.) One time a woman even cried because we talked the whole plane ride and I reminded her of her daughter. Needless to say when she asked for my Facebook info I gave her a fake name.
- Protect your personal info. Do not give out personal contact information. Go back to 8th grade when a greesy-haired creepy kid asked for your number and utilize fake names/numbers in an uncomfortable situation. If you actually want to keep in touch, ask for a business card or email address. Also, do not use your home address on your luggage tags!!! Personally, I use closed tags that require special maneuvering to see the info and only list my father's business address. No matter where you are, there will always be sketch balls.
- Bring snacks from home and an empty water bottle in your carryon. Airport food is ridiculously expensive and you can fill up your bottle for free at a water fountain. Also, airplane food is sometimes questionable and you do not want to add an empty stomach to your list of problems.
- If meeting a group and no one else is on your flight, get someone's flight info (# and terminal) and agree on a meeting spot (who finds who.)
- Get used to public transport and be resourceful. Use the lists of information provided to you whether its arrival/departure screens or which rail line to use. And if you are not sure...
- ASK SOMEONE. There is nothing worse than accidentally ending up somewhere you don't want to be. Not only could the area be dangerous, but you are more susceptible to criminals/thieves if you are lost and you LOOK lost.
- Decide who, what, when
- Who: who will you be contacting, possibly mostly students on your program.
- What: calls/texts? How long will the calls be? How often will you be texting?
- When: what time of day? Sometimes this matters for the plan but it could also help you determine who and what. If most of your contact is arranging plans (including the 2am "where r u" texts) you probably want the most basic calling plan because you will not be spending hours on the phone with a boyfriend/girlfriend.
- It is cheapest to get your phones as a group, sometimes you can even ask for a group rate on the phones if someone is good at bargaining.
- Don't make your decision in the store after the sales rep has just thrown more numbers at you than a sudoku puzzle. Go online and use a translator if necessary.
- Don't buy an expensive phone that you will only use for 4 months or less. Embrace the culture of pay as you go and rough it for once.
Coming Soon....
Host Family Living
Opening a Bank Account
Opening a Bank Account
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