The Woes and Wonders of Traveling

I’ve neglected for some time now a request from a friend to talk about managing certain aspects of studying abroad.  So here I go, but I’d like to preempt this by saying that I am by no means an expert (I mean my flight to London was my second flight ever). If you're not studying abroad in the near future or don't care for my opinion you've really no reason to read this post. Later this week I'm going to talk about some fun things I've been up to, like getting lost in the magical world of Harrods, so check back!

Mobile Phones, ah how we can’t leave without them.

There are basically two options when studying abroad. 

1)You can get a cheap basic phone and a pay-as-you-go plan that will give you a certain amount of minutes and text message and possibly data.  When your money runs out because you’ve exceeded your allotted amount you have to top up on your plan.  This is what I did, and since I had the phone my sister used when she was here it only costs £20 and I have yet to top up.  People who didn’t have a phone paid £2 for a phone and then £20 to get unlimited text and minutes are 5p a minute.  To be honest, I rarely use my phone here, it’s not like I have people to call or text, and so an elaborate phone plan isn’t really necessary. 

2)You can unlock the phone you have and then still get a pay-as-you-go plan but you’ll be able to put the sim card in your current phone.  To unlock a phone you need to contact your network provided and they tell you how to do it, but it can take a while.  Also, iPhone’s are the hardest to unlock so I’ve heard. 

It’s also really nice that in England at least they have phone stores that carry all the networks so you can compare and pick a network all in one place!

Travelling the World

Making travel plans is stressful. Period. My first piece of advice is not to make any travel plans until after you get to wherever you’re studying abroad. Unless there is somewhere you absolutely want to go at a specific time.  I know people who made plans before coming to London and then regretted it because they missed out on certain opportunities.  Next, figure out where you want to go and do some research.  Find out what it is you want to see and how much time you’d like to spend somewhere, the cheapest was to get there, etc.  EasyJet and RyanAir are inexpensive airlines. Just be careful because the airports they use are often about an hour outside the city, so it might be cheaper to fly a different airline and land closer to the city. Personally I think it best to plan just about the whole trip or at least have a general idea of what you want to do before you book anything. You don’t wan to be locked into anything.  Rick Steve’s guides are really nice for figuring out things to do in cities, and his website has a lot of information as well.  Look into guided tours as well, the Wales trip I did was an International Friends tour. Some are really good tours and others not so much.  It can be a little ambiguous too about what's included in the tour price.  For instance I assumed entrance to the castle and abbey I saw last weekend was included in the tour price, however it wasn't.  It was only a few pounds entrance, but still. Just do your research before making definite plans. 

Where to Sleep, where to sleep

HostelBookers and HostelWorld are two good sites for finding hostels. Hostels are cheap but some cities are just more expensive than others.  READ THE REVIEWS. And if the hostel doesn’t have a rating higher than 70% I would not stay there, personally.  Check what their check-in times are, if they provide linens, and have lockers to put your luggage in.  Also, check the location, you don’t want to end up in the ghetto or an hour away from the place you’re visiting.  Common products we take for grant it, like soap, may be missing.  I learned that this weekend, that in Wales they like bar soap, which personally I am not about to use in a public restroom or at a hostel.  But lucky for me my friend who I was travelling with studied abroad in Spain last year and knows the ropes so she brought a little thing of liquid hand soap.  My other friend brought Lysol and used it to spray the bedspread and sheets in the hostel.  The hostel was by no means dirty but it wasn’t a five star hotel either and it made us all feel better because everyone is terrified of getting bed bugs.

Once you figure out how you’re getting to a place and the general idea of what you want to do and where you are staying you can start to really look in to how you’re going to spend your days.  I recommend getting a map of wherever you’re going so you don’t end up extremely lost.  Also, learn some basic phrases in the native language. I have friends who went to Oktoberfest and didn’t bother to look up any German; it took them 30 minutes to find a bathroom (And it's also just rude not to try to communicate in the native language).  As well, some places you want to go might require you to reserve a ticket a month or more in advance so look into things like that and then enjoy your trip!

I hope this was somewhat helpful!