Studying Abroad: Paperwork, Passports and Photos
Air, Italy, Passports & Visas, Planning, Studying Abroad, Websites and Blogs — By Patty H on May 18, 2009 at 11:45 amEarlier this year, Lost Girls intern Patty Hodapp was accepted to the Syracuse study abroad program in Florence, Italy. While she figured that she might need to do some planning for her trip, she hardly anticipated just how long-and pricey-her travel to-do list would get.
By Patty Hodapp
SU Abroad accepted me to their summer Florence program during the first week in March. This was great news, and with it also came a plethora of emails about travel preparations. I thought I would have more time to collect my thoughts, focus on schoolwork, and travel to Arizona for spring break.
Working with a travel agent, I nailed down my flight dates. My program starts May 29 so I’ll leave May 27. Syracuse’s study abroad period ends July 11 but since I plan to travel for two weeks afterward, I’ll be flying back July 25. Typically on a study visa, students have 2- 3 week grace period before they are expected to leave Europe.
Patty’s Tips for Collecting Travel Documents
2. Make Lists I am such a list-oriented person. A solid To-Do list keeps everything organized. Plus it feels really good to cross stuff off once you’ve finished a task!
3. Budget Yourself This is tough to do because going abroad costs a lot of money and there are typically hidden expenses. When you are planning your overall budget, keep in mind little costs like passport photos that are small at the time but that can add up to a lot of jing.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions If you don’t know or understand something, just ask. Better safe than visa-less or held up in customs because something didn’t go through with your passport. I didn’t even know what notarized meant and had to ask (for those of you who don’t know, it’s basically a place where you can get documents and photocopies of documents authenticated by a government official).
I didn’t need to get a passport, but here’s one site that can tell you how: http://www.cheapflights.com/travel-tips/getting-a-passport/.
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