In honor of my one-month-of-being-abroad-anniversary (try to use that one Hallmark !) I thought I would go through and give tips and hints on what I found to be useful, frightening, thrilling, etc during my preparations for travel and since being here. I hope you find it useful !

 

Packing

Packing for a lot of people is a huge stressor when getting ready to travel. My tip for packing is OVER PACK ! That is probably the opposite of what everyone tells you to do but honestly, do it. I am not saying you should stuff your bags full or take an extra bag, forcing you to pay for the bags you put on the plane. I mean, take advantage of the space and the weight you have. Here is how I made the best of my luggage situation :

 

1. I found an airline that allowed two checked bags for free ! (Yay IcelandAir ! They are actually pretty awesome though. Their airline will also let you cancel your ticket, stay in Iceland for 7 days, then get a ticket home, free of charge (of course you are spending 7 days in Iceland but I thought it was a cool way to up tourism)).
2. Beyond the two checked bags, I was allowed 1 carry on and 1 bag/backpack that could fit under my seat. So in total, I had four bags.
3. If you are hurting for room : Separate essentials from being ridiculous. Of course you are going to need clothes, deoderant, tooth paste,etc, but what you need to realize is that people in your study abroad country need similar things as you do ! I sacrificed bringing hair gels and non-travel sized things in order to save space because I knew that when I landed in France, I could buy all of things (despite popular belief, the French do shower, shave, and use deoderant/perfume). Because I used travel sized stuff, I was able to fit in an extra outfit !
4. If you are hurting for room : School supplies are a similar situation as above. There are students in France too ! They need to buy school supplies and so did I when I arrived. I was actually really glad that I waited to buy supplies because I found out that the French use a different type of notebook than we use in the states (its is lined differently) and not that it matters for me to take notes but it was definitely an interesting cultural difference !
5. If you have room in your bags : Don’t « save » it for souvenirs, fill it with something. You will bring things that break and or that will not be brought back. For example, I brought a towel because I 1) had extra space and 2) could use it when I stay in hostels. Guess what is not coming back with me… the towel ! That is about five pounds that was in my bag, costs me about $2 at Ross, and is now being replaced by a bottle of wine or an Eiffel Tower replica.
6. I also suggest you have a priority list of your belongings. I know exactly what I am going to get rid of if I need to make room for something else on the way back starting with my lowest priority (socks, you only need one pair to wear on the plane !) to my highest priority that I am definitely bringing back (my laptop).

 

Security in the Airport

Obviously, the first step is to orient yourself with TSA and airline guidelines that are all posted online. After you have looked into this, pack your items in a way that security will not be a big deal for you. This is mainly for your carryon luggage since you will have given the airline your checked bags before going through the main security.

 

When you are on your way to your new home, kep electronics all in one bag (if that is possible). I had a gallon bag in which I put every charger, device, and anything questionable except my laptop which I had in its case. Those two bags, along with my liquids, were in the same compartment in my checked bag so that if security needed me to take them out, I could do it easily and without hassel. I also wore Toms for shoes so that I could slip in and out with no problems what so ever.

 

Fortunately for me, I did not have to do any of that at security. I somehow ended up in an expedited line. I did not have to get anything out of my bags or take my shoes off, just make sure that all electronics/metals were out of my pockets before going through th emetal detector. If you can get into this line, do it because it was so easy. I was surprised that this existed after everything that happened in France but it did ! If you don’t get into this line, don’t worry, just follow what I said above and you will get through with no problems.

 

On your way home, do not put liquids in your carry on if you are bringing liquids back at all. Once you are home, you can use your mom’s toothpaste and if your luggage is missing, its ok because you will have other clothes at home to wear. If you are willing to risk the loss of electronices, you could put electronics in your checked on the way back but I will most likely keep important electronics in my carry on and let less important things (power adapter, phone charger, etc) in my checked so it is less to worry about.

 

So I’ve made it… now what !

Once I landed in my study abroad country and got over the fear that my luggage had not made it across the ocean with me, the journey really began. Here is how to get started with as little flaws as possible

 

Airport to Your Residence

Taxi… I don’t care what anyone says about taxis being expensive, just take a taxi. Paris had several options : bus, taxi, metro, shuttle, etc. I chose taxi for several reasons :

1. Taxis would take me directly to my homestay address. I was dropped off right in front of the door and my host mom saw me getting dropped off and came to help.
2. Taxis are easy ! You go to the stand, tell them the address, get in with all of your luggage, take the ride right to the address, pay the driver, get your bags and walk a couple of feet to your residence.
3. Taxis give you nice views of the surrounding area without having to worry about other people.

Buses, metros, and shuttles are different everywhere you go but taxis are the same. I did not want to take public transportation because I had never used it on my own in France and because I had three bags. I did not want to deal with three bags, crowds of people, and a new transportation system all at once. Especially not after uncomfortably sleeping on a plane for less than a third of my voyage. If you are more adventorous than me, by all means, take the cheaper and unknown option but I was happy to have help with my bags and being dropped off right in front of my homestay. Warning ! Only take rides from taxis that are at an official taxi stand, I was asked about 10 times if I needed a ride before I was out of the airport. Chances are, these are not real taxis !

 

Public Transport

I know it sounded like I was bashing public transport in the above passage, but I only say don’t use it when you are trying it for the first time and also have to bring three bags along with you. Now that I am only carrying a backpack, I LOVE the Metro (love in the sense that it is so easy and so efficient not in the sense that it is « clean » and smelles pleasant).

 

One thing I suggest to everyone studying abroad is that you should look into the bus passes/metro passes that are offered. To those studying in Paris, it is not a question. Get a Pass NaviGo ! I use mine at least twice everyday and usually a lot more than that. It allows you to swipe yourself in to the Metro and the bus ! You pay to recharge it every month or week but doing the month is cheaper. There are ATM type kisosks in every metro stop in order to buy tickets and or recharge your pass. I am sure other cities/countries offer a similar thing so I definitely suggest looking into it !

 

You should also note what time the public transport opens and closes, but keep in mind that the times are different depending on the stop or at least they are in Paris. The metro supposedly closes at 1 :30 am and the trains stop at 2 :30 am but I was walking to a Metro stop with friends at 1 :00 am and the gates were closing. We went to another stop and that one was open so we had no problems ;however, certain stops follow different schedules so keep that in mind. If you are in a place that the Metro never closes, you are lucky and you are definitely not in France !

 

 Language Learning

Many people go abroad to learn a language. At least that is what a lot of people say they are here for on my program. While many people say that, you will find that most people speak English with others on their program and even to citizens of the country ! Don’t do that ! Speak the language you are learning all of the time. You will learn and appreciate your experience more if you stay in that language than if you just speak English. It is going to be hard and your friends may think you are being ridiculous but honestly do it.

 

Plan It Out !

Time really flies while you are abroad. I only have about two and a half months left in my program and I feel like I have done nothing. You really need to plan out your trips and what you want to see in your city as soon as possible. I made spring break plans with people the week after getting to Paris. Now I am in the process of planning out my trips for after spring break. Buy tickets and hostels early and be prepared, but also don’t forget that you are in a new city/environment and you should explore that as well ! I have a list of things that I want to do in Paris before I leave and have been checking stuff off steadily through the semester.

 

Eat Out

Eating out can be expensive, but if you can afford it, eat out as much as possible. Most places have meals that are cheap enough that it would cost the same as buying groceries for the week (in France in particular, there are boulangeries everywhere that have cheap food. You can also get a baguette from a boulangerie for 95 centimes and cheese from a fromagerie for 2 euros. You honestly cannot beat that meal !). Eating in restaurants and cafes really gives new perspectives on the local cuisines, drinks, and mannerisms. You can also meet some really cool people ! Also, I highly suggest that you try American restaurants that are in your country. Chances are they are very different than what you find at home. For example, I went to Subway the other day because I stumbled upon it, was hungry, and did not want to spend a lot of money (yes the 5 euro foot long exists but I am forgetting its metric counterpart). The bread was so different (in a good way) because it tasted like real bread and not that plastic-ish bread at home. Also, the vegetables tasted like… well vegetables. Beyond that, they also offered different things on their menu. McDonalds is also very different from ones at home so it is worth checking out at least once. If you are staying with a host family you should definitely take advantage of your shared meals with them as they are a great place to converse and eat cuisine that everyone eats everyday !

 

Right now that is all I can think of that really helped me get to France and also things that I have found good to do while being here. If you want advice or help with anything else, post it in a comment and I will let you know how I handled it.

Location: Paris, France