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8 Things You Should Know Before Travelling for Semester Exchange Programme

8 Things You Should Know Before Travelling for Semester Exchange Programme

Before delving deeper into the topic, let us discuss what a student exchange programme is. A student exchange programme is a study programme in which the students from a university or higher education institute study abroad at one of their partner institutes and vice versa for six months. It is not necessary that a student from the other university have to fill in your vacancy. The student exchange programme includes international travel, but the main purpose of this is to provide a student with an opportunity to study in a different country for experiencing the culture and history of another country. The programme also allows them to meet new friends that help them in their personality development.

Here are the 8 things a student must know before travelling for a semester exchange programme:

  1. Review your flight info: It is necessary! As a student, you must double-check whether everything is correct. Check whether you have plenty of time during any layovers. Confirm that your transportation to the airport is in place, and make sure you have a back-up plan to reach the airport in case of weather delays, car issues, or illness.
  2. Contact your bank: If you are travelling to another country, then you must inform your bank that you may make international transactions or else they may block your debit/credit card for security purpose. It is mandatory to inform the bank about your international travel because students tend to miss it. If you overlook this matter, then you might end up in calling your banks to unblock the card that might take a considerable amount of time.
  3. Research well: Good research is never a waste. If you are travelling for a semester exchange programme, then you should have a good understanding of your destination such as their food habits, economy, and culture. If you perform the research well, then you will come to about the dos and don’ts in that country. For example, cabs are costlier in foreign countries and rather than losing money, you can choose either local trains or buses.
  4. Make copies of important documents: In case you lose your original documents in a foreign country, you will be in tension. Therefore, it is wise to make copies of all your important documents. If you lose the originals, then you can at least show these copies and circumvent such embarrassing situation.
  5. Exchange emergency contacts with new friends: It is always a great idea to share emergency contact numbers. As soon as you are confident enough that you can trust a person such as a roommate, it is a great idea to give them contact numbers of a few of your relatives and vice versa.
  6. Double-check your packing: For obvious reasons, you do not want to miss anything while packing your travel bag. So, double-check your suitcase or backpack to avoid purchasing things in a foreign country. Pack a pair of emergency clothes and other stuff you may need in hand baggage in case the airline loses your check-in luggage.

Read more: Backpack Essentials for The On-The-Go Student

  1. Unlock your smartphone: Most of the smartphones are locked by default. Hence, it is a good idea to unlock your phone if you are travelling abroad to get a local number. Ask your carrier company to unlock the phone and they should do it free. However, plan this at least before 7-10 days of travel as it takes time.
  2. Know the destination’s culture and language: It is always a good idea to know where you are going. You should know the culture and language of the country so that you can easily socialise with them. Although English has become the lingua franca of the world, it will not be a waste if you know their language. Even though you are not fluent in their language, learn to converse a bit so that you can break the ice.

Read more: What are The Advantages of Learning a Foreign Language

So, pack your bags and feel excited about your semester exchange programme because it would be a great experience to learn new things, know about a new culture, and meet new people. Semester exchange programmes are diligently crafted for students. With the help of the semester exchange programme, you can boost your confidence and add the same in your resume.

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