By Lauren Juliff
Student Travel Expert, about.com
If your family is anything like mine, it's likely that as soon as you started talking about studying abroad, they freaked out. They're concerned about your safety, they're worried about you spending so long away from home, and they believe the place you've chosen to study in is dangerous.
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Or, maybe you'd like to study abroad, but you're unsure
of how safe it really is. Maybe everyone's tell you to go for it, but
you're worried you'll hate it or something terrible will happen.
Is there reason to worry?
No. Not at all.
Study
abroad is one of the safest ways to see the world and experience live
as a local in a new country. As long as you take certain precautions and
utilise common sense, there's no reason at all why you can't have a
wonderful experience.
Here's how you can stay safe during study abroad.
Research, Research, Research
As soon as you've decided where you'd like to study abroad and received your approval, it's time to start the planning process!
I recommend buying a Lonely Planet guidebook
for the country you'll be living in and studying the overview section at
the front. It's important to educate yourself on local customs, how to
behave and dress to show respect, and start brushing up on the local
language.
If guidebooks aren't your thing, I recommend taking a
look at travel blogs instead. It should be quite easy to find a
destination-based blog through Google, and it'll likely have even more
up-to-date information than a guidebook. if you feel a particular
connection with a blogger, feel free to drop them an email to ask for
any advice, or to ask about anything that's worrying you -- you'll find
that most people are very responsive and love helping out their
readers.
It's important to note that these research stages don't
just have to be about the history and culture of a place. You can also
use this time to plan potential trips to take during your time abroad.
If you'll be studying in Europe, for example, you'll be excited to hear
that with budget airlines, you'll be able to easily fly to most
countries for as little as $100 return.
Enroll in STEP
STEP is the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program,
run by the U.S. government, and I highly recommend that you sign up for
it. If you're a U.S. citizen who is going to be spending time overseas,
you use this program to let the government know where you'll be and for
how long. If there's an emergency situation or crisis in the country,
the government will be better able to assist you.
Make Many Copies of Your Important Documents
Documents
that are saved in only one place are documents you don't mind losing.
Right? Before studying abroad, it's worth taking the time to make copies of your most important documents.
That means your passport, your driving license, your debit and credit
cards, and anything else that would cause a lot of aggravation if you
lost it or had it stolen.
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The easiest way to do this is to scan
your documents, then email yourself a copy, keep a version in a
password-protected folder on your laptop, and keep a paper copy in your
daypack, too. That way, if anything goes missing, you'll have all the
the details you need to get everything replaced.
Get Wise About Your Medication
If
you're taking prescription medication, definitely make an appointment
with your doctor before leaving to see if he'll give you a prescription
that lasts the duration of your trip -- I've never had a problem when
doing this. Also, make sure to research which drugs are illegal in the
country you'll be visiting. In some places, codeine and pseudoephedrine
are illegal, so you'll want to make sure you're not bringing any in with
you.
Memorize Any Useful Numbers
The
vast majority of students who study abroad do so safely and without
problem. In case anything does go wrong, make sure you have the most
important local numbers memorized. At the very minimum, you should know
the number for the emergency services and the local U.S. embassy.
Get Your Phone Unlocked
We've always recommended traveling with an unlocked phone
and using local SIM cards as a way for travelers to save money, but it
also helps ensure your safety, too. If you ever find yourself in
trouble, you'll be able to make local phone calls without worrying that
you're going to run out of credit; if you find yourself lost, you'll be
able to use your data allowance to find your way back to your dorm; and
if you every find yourself in a dodgy area of town, you can call a taxi
or Uber to get you back safe and sound.
Research the Dangerous Parts of Town
Your
guidebook should help with this by including neighbourhoods that you
should try and avoid, but it's worth asking the locals where they
usually avoid. Reading forum posts for the destination you'll be
studying in will give up-to-date information about any potential
dangers.
Be Careful With the Alcohol
Unlike the United
States, many countries around the world have their legal drinking age
set at 18. While it can be tempting to take full advantage of your
newfound freedom, do exercise some self-control for the first little
while. If you don't have much experience with alcohol, you won't yet be
aware of your limits, and locals have been known to take advantage of
this. Make sure to order your own drinks, to alternate your alcohol with
glasses of water, to keep the top of your drink covered, and to stop
before things get too messy.
Don't Go Out Alone at Night Until You Know the City Well
For
the most part, I feel pretty safe in a lot of cities around the world
when I head out alone at night, but I rarely do so if it's my first few
nights there. You don't yet know where is safe to visit, if you're going
to experience any harassment, and aren't even fully sure about where
you live in order to find your way back.
I recommend utilizing a
buddy system for your first few weeks in a city. Make sure to head out
with a friend and promise to keep an eye on each other while you're both
out. This is especially important if you're a woman, as unfortunately,
we can't travel as worry-free as guys.
One thing I recommend
doing is exchanging numbers with any friends you make while studying.
That way, if you do head out on your own, you'll be able to get in
contact with a number of people if anything was to happen.
Learn Some of the Language Before You Leave
Of course, you should be planning on doing this as a sign of respect, but learning some key words in the local language
can help you in certain situations. Learning how to say, "no", "help",
"doctor", "leave me alone", and "I'm not interested", for example, can
help a great deal. Learning various health ailment terms could help,
too, if you're prone to getting sick.
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If you suffer from any food
allergies, make sure to research how to ask if it is used as an
ingredient in any dish. In this case, I recommend writing down what you
can't eat on a card and showing it to the staff at the restaurant. Make
sure to clarify if you're allergic and what will happen if you eat it,
just in case the staff think you're a picky eater. This happens often to
celiacs, where the same oil that was used to fry gluten-containing products is used for their food and they still end up suffering.
Leave Your Expensive Stuff at Home
It
can be tempting to pack your expensive clothes, shoes, and jewellery
with you so that you look at glamorous as possible, but what this
actually does is single you out as a target. If you look like you have a
lot of money, you're a lot more of an attractive target for thieves.
You don't have to bring your ugliest, baggiest clothes with you, but I'd
recommend not taking anything that you'd be devastated to lose or have
stolen. Find out what we recommend packing for study abroad.
Make Sure That You Have Travel Insurance
Travel
insurance is the one essential that you have to make sure you have. If
you don't have it, you shouldn't study abroad. The last thing you want
is to break your leg while hiking outside of the city, have to be
airlifted to a hospital, and suddenly find yourself with a six figure
bill. It can happen and it does happen more often than you think.
Get travel insurance. It's the most important thing you should do.
