by Maegan Mercier, Owens campus student
Getting ready to travel abroad can be a very stressful time! BUT, once you're ready to go, life is so much easier. I went to Paris, France for ten days and it was the most memorable experience of my life, but I had a lot of worries – how to get a passport, what to pack, how much American money to bring, etc. Well, it’s all a lot simpler than you realize!
First and foremost, getting a passport should be the first thing you do, and it’s a very easy process. Research the local post offices to see which offer passport services – I went to the Seaford post office. Tip: get your passport several months in advance, as some countries require a “validity time,” before you arrive. Once I filled out my application, I called to make an appointment, so that I didn’t have to wait when I got there – don’t forget to bring your original birth certificate or a notarized copy. Passports can cost an upwards of about $140 if you expedite the shipping to get it in time – which is what I did so that I made sure I had it in time. You will receive your passport and birth certificate in the mail between 4-6 weeks!
Next is packing – my biggest concern before leaving. Be sure to track the weather of the area you plan on traveling to, and pack accordingly. I went to Paris in the late spring, so shorts and t-shirts was a must! Also, be sure to pack your most comfortable pair of sneakers – you’ll be doing A LOT of walking. (Your teachers will tell you the same thing, but trust me, I underestimated how much time I’d spend in those tennis shoes) Above all, just make sure you’ll be comfortable and be sure to bring extra socks! Along with packing comes what to pack it all in, right? I’ve been flying since I was just a year old, and the best luggage set I own is the hard-shell kind. Your bags will get tossed around and handled a lot, so you want it to be super safe – I remember a few classmates’ zippers getting broken/torn off by the time we got to the baggage claim.
And finally, currency. The first thing you should do is look up the currency of your destination country and become familiar with it – we dealt with euros that has A LOT more coins than the USD. After that, find out the exchange rate and play around with a conversion calculator – most of my classmates and I brought around $200 USD to convert once we got there, but you can always pull out more from a local bank once you arrive. Last, but certainly not least – and I cannot stress this enough – make sure you have a credit card BEFORE you leave. Your identity is going to be at risk even more so when you’re abroad, so do not use your bank card for anything other than withdrawing money from an ATM. Also, be sure to let your bank know that you’ll be abroad and include the dates, that way your account does not get frozen for suspicious activity – a simple email will do.
First and foremost, getting a passport should be the first thing you do, and it’s a very easy process. Research the local post offices to see which offer passport services – I went to the Seaford post office. Tip: get your passport several months in advance, as some countries require a “validity time,” before you arrive. Once I filled out my application, I called to make an appointment, so that I didn’t have to wait when I got there – don’t forget to bring your original birth certificate or a notarized copy. Passports can cost an upwards of about $140 if you expedite the shipping to get it in time – which is what I did so that I made sure I had it in time. You will receive your passport and birth certificate in the mail between 4-6 weeks!
Next is packing – my biggest concern before leaving. Be sure to track the weather of the area you plan on traveling to, and pack accordingly. I went to Paris in the late spring, so shorts and t-shirts was a must! Also, be sure to pack your most comfortable pair of sneakers – you’ll be doing A LOT of walking. (Your teachers will tell you the same thing, but trust me, I underestimated how much time I’d spend in those tennis shoes) Above all, just make sure you’ll be comfortable and be sure to bring extra socks! Along with packing comes what to pack it all in, right? I’ve been flying since I was just a year old, and the best luggage set I own is the hard-shell kind. Your bags will get tossed around and handled a lot, so you want it to be super safe – I remember a few classmates’ zippers getting broken/torn off by the time we got to the baggage claim.
And finally, currency. The first thing you should do is look up the currency of your destination country and become familiar with it – we dealt with euros that has A LOT more coins than the USD. After that, find out the exchange rate and play around with a conversion calculator – most of my classmates and I brought around $200 USD to convert once we got there, but you can always pull out more from a local bank once you arrive. Last, but certainly not least – and I cannot stress this enough – make sure you have a credit card BEFORE you leave. Your identity is going to be at risk even more so when you’re abroad, so do not use your bank card for anything other than withdrawing money from an ATM. Also, be sure to let your bank know that you’ll be abroad and include the dates, that way your account does not get frozen for suspicious activity – a simple email will do.