Studying Abroad..

Studying abroad can be a fun and safe experience but it is important to realize that you are subject to the laws and customs of another country. Here are some tips prepared by the Office of Overseas Services to help keep you prepared and safe.

• Although most trips abroad are trouble free, being prepared will go a long way to avoiding the possibility of serious trouble.
• Become familiar with the basic laws and customs of the country you plan to visit before you travel.
• Remember: Reckless behavior while in another country can do more than ruin your vacation; it can land you in a foreign jail or worse! To have a safe trip, avoid risky behavior and plan ahead.

Also, please see:

• Tips for Students
• Tips for Women Traveling Alone
• Travel Benefits for Students and Teachers
• New Student Abroad Campaign
• Spring Break Top 5 Tips

Preparing for Your Trip Abroad

Apply early for your passport and, if necessary, any visas: Passports are required to enter and/or depart most countries around the world. Apply for a passport as soon as possible. Some countries also require U.S. citizens to obtain visas before entering. Most countries require visitors who are planning to study or work abroad to obtain visas before entering. Check with the embassy of the foreign country that you are planning to visit for up-to-date visa and other entry requirements. (Passport and visa information is available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov .)

Learn about the countries that you plan to visit. Before departing, take the time to do some research about the people and their culture, and any problems that the country is experiencing that may affect your travel plans. The Department of State publishes Background Notes on about 170 countries. These brief, factual pamphlets contain information on each country''s culture, history, geography, economy, government, and current political situation. Background Notes are available at www.state.gov .

Read the Country Specific Information. Country Specific Information provide up-to-date travel information on any country in the world that you plan to visit. They cover topics such as entry regulations, the crime and security situation, drug penalties, road conditions, and the location of the U.S. embassy, consulates, and consular agencies.

Check for Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts. Travel Warnings recommend U.S. citizens defer travel to a country because of dangerous conditions. Travel Alerts provide fast-breaking information about relatively short-term conditions that may pose risks to the security of travelers.

Register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website . Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency. In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare and whereabouts may not be released without your express authorization. Remember to leave a detailed itinerary and the numbers or copies of your passport or other citizenship documents with a friend or relative in the United States. (U.S. embassy and consulate locations can be found in the country''s Country Specific Information.) If your family needs to reach you because of an emergency, they can pass a message to you through the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at 202-647-5225. This office will contact the embassy or consulate in the country where you are traveling and pass a message from your family to you. Remember consular officers cannot cash checks, lend money or serve as your attorney. They can, however, if the need arises, assist you in obtaining emergency funds from your family, help you find an attorney, help you find medical assistance, and replace your lost or stolen passport.


Find out what information your school offers. Find out whether your school offers additional information for students who are planning to study, travel, or work abroad. Many student advisors can provide you with information about studying or working abroad. They may also be able to provide you with information on any travel benefits for students (e.g. how to save money on transportation and accommodations, and other resources.)

Before committing yourself or your finances, find out about the organization and what it offers. The majority of private programs for vacation, study or work abroad are reputable and financially sound. However, some charge exorbitant fees, use deliberately false "educational" claims, and provide working conditions far different from those advertised. Even programs of legitimate organizations can be poorly administered.

Spring Break top 5 tips

1/ Cancun, Mexico is currently the most popular spring break destination among North American college students. With its entire economy planned around party tourism and active marketing for the college student, spring breakers can’t go wrong planning a trip to Cancun. Beautiful beaches, round the clock partying, and good travel deals make Cancun the top destination for spring break. Tips to remember for the Cancun spring break: be sure your hotel is friendly to spring break antics, check to see if a shuttle service is offered to local clubs, and try to book at an all-inclusive resort where you won’t have to commute about town for your meals.

2/ Since Fort Lauderdale, the original spring break destination from the 1930s to the 1980s, began passing local ordinances against spring break partying in the late 1980s; Panama City has emerged as the top Florida destination. Panama City also actively markets itself as a spring break destination and has cashed in where Fort Lauderdale left off. Panama City is also a spring breaker-friendly environment. With 27 miles of beaches, there’s room for everyone. Remember that Florida in March can cool down to the 40s at night so remember to have appropriate attire.

3/ Next on our list is a bit more exotic for the average American college student, but is well known to European students: Ibiza. Ibiza is one of the Spanish Balearic islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The locale is famous for its legendary nightlife and is home to Privilege, the largest club in the world with a capacity for 10,000 revelers. Ibiza has all the partying that other spring break destinations are famous for but it also has bragging rights for introducing some of the most famous DJs in electronic music to the world. Plus, there are plenty of beautiful beaches to stretch out on and relax during the day to recuperate from the night before. Tip for Ibiza: know your limits – local papers regularly print a column dedicated to people who are deported for conducta antisocial (drunk and disorderly conduct).

4/ South Padre Island has been a popular spring break choice for decades. Often attracting students from Texas, South Padre is another locale that markets itself as a spring break destination to college students. South Padre Island also has all the qualities spring breakers are looking for: parties, beaches, friendly laws, but is also known for the value it offers to cash-needy college students. Once there, take the local shuttles wherever you need to go – the local cops come down hard on reckless and impaired driving. Another option is to rent a boat and go on a fishing trip. South Padre Island is located in world-class fishing grounds.

5/ Finally on our tour of top spring destinations we end with a mention of Jamaica. Montego Bay and Negril are both excellent choices for spring break. Negril combines its renowned laid-back charm with nightly beach parties, local cliff diving, sunset party cruises, beautiful natural surroundings, and 7 miles of white sandy beaches. If nightlife and clubs are more of a priority choose Montego Bay with its famous “Hip Strip” of clubs that feature non-stop partying. During the day take side trips to Dunn’s River Falls or a snorkeling trip to the reefs in Montego Bay.

Study Abroad Campaign 2009

Study Abroad Campaign – Autumn 2009

Are you in the early phases of considering a semester abroad? Are you considering doing a Master’s Abroad?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you should not miss the Autumn Study Abroad Campaign. Between 5-9 October you can attend new Study Abroad workshops. On 6 October you can also visit the Global Village, the Study Abroad information market.

Applications
Please check with the responsible exchange coordinator of your faculty for

Benefits for Students & Teachers

Students and teachers can save money on transportation and accommodations, and obtain other discounts if they have one of the following:

• An International Student Identity Card (ISIC) - for students age 12 and older, who are enrolled in an accredited institution, and working towards a degree or diploma.
• An International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) - for full-time teachers and faculty at an accredited institution.
• A GO 25 International Youth Travel Card - for ages 12 - 25. You must be at least 12 years of age, but not over 25 at the time that you apply.

These cards are available, with valid proof of your student or teacher status and a small fee, from:

STA Travel National Service Centre
ID Cards Department
7890 S. Hardy Drive
Suite 110
Tempe, AZ 85284

Or by calling 1-800-226-8624.

The official website for ISIC is www.myISIC.com

The international identity cards offer the following benefits:

• Reduced airfares on major international airlines
• Discounts in the United States and abroad, including transportation, accommodations, international phone calls, car rentals and museum admissions
• Toll-free, 24-hour, emergency Help Line
• Basic insurance to cover sickness, accident and emergency evacuation while traveling outside the United States (only for cards purchased in the United States.)
• International student/teacher/youth recognition.

For more information about applying for international identity cards, contact STA as listed above, or at www.statravel.com.

SEXUAL ADVENTURES AND MISADVENTURES

And now some words about sex and the single student.

• We hope that you take our suggestions seriously and that you stay out of the way of street creeps, con artists, petty thieves, and potential terrorists. At the same time it is essential for you to realize that the most dangerous creature, at home and abroad, is a microbe. The sexually transmitted HIV virus, is the harbinger of AIDS, and despite recent medical breakthroughs, AIDS remains a life-changing and potentially lethal illness. Because you are at a point in your life when sex is likely to loom large, you need especially to take this threat into account and conduct yourself in a way that protects you from AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD's). One absolutely certain way of avoiding trouble of this sort is, of course, to abstain from sexual activity, a strategy that some will find reasonable and others intolerable. Those in the latter category will need then to take the proper precautions, which means the use of a latex condom, preferably one treated with the spermicide nonoxynol-9. "Use a rubber" is advice traditionally given to young men. For women, who are several times more likely than men to contract the HIV virus in heterosexual contact, this advice carries perhaps even more weight. Since one cannot always predict when an interesting romantic situation will arise, it makes sense to carry protection on one's person..
  
  
• Steps taken to protect oneself from the HIV virus also offer protection from other STD's the gallery of which is rather horrifyingly large and varied. (They will also be effective against an unwanted pregnancy.) Again, the surest strategy for staying out of harm's way is to remain celibate. At the other extreme, a pattern of unprotected intercourse with a large number of partners, especially partners whose sexual history is not known--and how really can one ever be sure about another person's sexual history?--is most likely to lead to catastrophic trouble.
  
  
• Space limitations prevent us from even approaching a proper treatment of this topic. For more complete advice about the physiology and sociology of sex in our post-Aquarius age, we suggest that you speak with a physician at the University Health Service or at least take a glance at pamphlets on display there. The booklet A Woman's Guide to the University of Chicago is full of helpful information really for both sexes.

Studying abroad is an adventure, and to make a success of it one must have an adventurous spirit. We do not want, with these comments, to subvert your sense of adventure or to make you fearful. Clearly an exaggerated fearfulness has no place in ventures where the challenge is to understand and, in time, feel comfortable in an overseas culture. So while we ask you to be cautious, to have a care, to trust your instincts, we also want you to be open to new experiences and to learn. Be open, but be cautious. Learn, but stay safe. With this apparently mixed message we wish you good journey and safe return. Bon voyage! Gute Reise! Buen viaje!

BEING A WOMAN ABROAD..

Here is some advice for our female travelers.

• Obviously everything we have said thus far applies to all students regardless of sex, and we urge women to heed the admonitions already given about public transportation, night travel, making friends, keeping one's home secure, and so forth. At the same time there are situations in which women, more than men, need to be especially on their guard, and it would be a mistake to ignore or deny this sad fact out of a feeling of support for sexual equality and female empowerment. The problem of unwanted attention from a stranger can be especially vexing. Do not feel--we are speaking mainly to women now--that you must remain courteous and pleasant in the face of pests. It may be necessary to be firm, even rude in turning away an unwelcome advance. You may indeed have to "make a scene" to get your point across. If necessary, seek the help of the police. Sexual aggressiveness can take crude forms. If you are confronted by an exhibitionist, the best response is to ignore the offender and leave the scene. Again, summon a police officer if you feel threatened. The best way to avoid trouble in the first place is to walk purposefully and with a body language that says "bug off!" Although this can be difficult for someone from a country where a ready smile has almost the status of Mom's apple pie, you will likely find it necessary, for your own protection and independence of movement, to cultivate a defensive surliness as you walk the streets of your host city. Perhaps we are making our point by overstating the situation, but this advice is based upon talks with many women travelers through the years.

BECOMING A CRIMINAL..

And now a word about crimes you might feel like committing.

• The word here, a contraction, is "don't". Though we all have the best intentions toward you, there is very little that the University or the State Department can do for you if you land in jail in a foreign country. Generally speaking, it is not difficult to stay out of jail. You simply have to refrain from mischief, avoid political demonstrations (as an active participant), and obey the laws of the land. We want especially to warn you about drugs and to urge you to have nothing to do with them. While some countries are very lenient about drug possession and commerce, others are very much the opposite. And since drug laws even in the lenient countries are complicated, we suggest that you conduct yourself at all times and in all places with great circumspection. We cannot state this too strongly. Using, possessing, or selling drugs in a foreign country is a highly dangerous game to play. If you are in the habit of using controlled substances, we suggest that you renounce this habit while you are abroad (and perhaps forevermore).