<p>DS is going to Germany for all of next school year and I need to come to grips with the logistics of his trip. There's so much I don't know--How are we going to get him money? What about health insurance? Our cell phone plan doesn't have international service--does he buy one there? He'll be staying in student housing, not sure about what he should take/what he should buy there. He will be a grad student, but I can't seem to get him focused on preparing for this adventure. I should probably just let him figure it out, but .....</p>
<p>Can we buy an 'open' return ticket when we buy his departure ticket even though it's a year out??</p>
<p>Is there a Study Abroad 101 source for this kind of information?? I'm sure there are many things I haven't thought about--</p>
<p>How to get him money? Have him go to his nearest Schwab office and open an account. He can use it at any ATM, and they reimburse any fees. Do a search on this topic on CC; there have been other threads. I think Capital One was also mentioned.</p>
<p>Cell phone - he should buy one there. Best to just skype when he wants to talk to someone in the US since it’s free. Cell phone charges can be astronomical between the US and Europe.</p>
<p>What should he bring? Whatever he’d bring for any other cold weather location. Anything missed, he can buy what he needs there. Pay close attention to the weight limits. They even weigh carry-ons, at least Air France does. Some student housing provides bedding, which helps reduce packing load. But this should be stated in the housing info. If no bedding is provided, he can pick some up there and leave it if it’s too much for his luggage.</p>
<p>Health insurance - check the program info. If he’s doing this outside of a program, you can get the insurance separately.</p>
<p>I take it he has his visa, and his passport is good for at least 6 months after his planned departure. Make copies of all; keep a copy for yourself and a copy he keeps separate from the originals.</p>
<p>Check Rick Steves’ site. Lots of good info on traveling in Europe. Do a search on Parent Cafe for ‘study abroad.’ These issues are covered periodically. Have him read up on the tourist scams in Europe, just so he’s aware. Pickpocketing seems to be prevalent throughout most of Europe. Then there’s the ‘is this your ring?’ scam and the ‘sign this’ scam, etc etc.</p>
<p>Re money - my d is hoping to go to London in January, and I noted that her school suggests they pay for their lodgings using cash, and recommend that they start withdrawing funds some days before as most ATMs limit the amount one can withdraw on a given day.</p>
<p>Surely there must be a better way to go than this?? </p>
<p>Would the Schwab account work in London and enable her to transfer funds or write a check to a landlord?</p>
<p>My S had the same problem - cash for an apartment. He took some with him … splitting it into three areas. Two different pockets and his backpack … that’ s the problem, if you are checking into the apartment shortly after arrival, you can’t withdraw enough cash. It is apparently common in other countries to pay up front, all of it, in cash. </p>
<p>Triple A also has cheap “emergency evacuation” insurance, which you may want to look at. You can also order money ahead of time - and that way your student doesn’t have to worry about getting local currency the day they arrive.</p>
<p>Register with the US Embassy on line - that you are in the country - in case of emergencies in that country.</p>
<p>landlords in London take cash only; no checks so that advice makes sense…</p>
<p>If you have a BofA checking account here in the US, all Barclays bank branches in London allow you to take $$ out on your debit card…that way, you can transfer $$ in to the account whenever she needs to withdraw (accounting for exchange rate)</p>
<p>to the OP: no idea if any banks accomodate like in London, but doesn’t hurt to find out…Schwab in fact may do that for you</p>
<p>Have him buy his cell phone in Germany. Perhaps he can email the program ahead to get their recommended carrier but he’ll need to buy it in Germany to have the right SIM card. For some study abroad programs, most of the students get the same provider in order to have unlimited free phone & text to others in the program with same provider. Have him use Skype for free to speak with international friends and family. I also recommend you use Skype to call his German cell phone when you need to reach him quick and he’s traveling away from his online Skype. Skype sells you time in $10 increments. It’s still a little pricey calling a cell. It’s much less $$ to call a landline.</p>
<p>Is his study abroad being arranged through a US university? If so, their study abroad office has much info on health insurance, visas, etc. My son’s US school required certain insurance, so it is wise to know this before purchasing elsewhere.</p>
<p>"Is there a Study Abroad 101 source for this kind of information?? "
Probably. But there is also a study abroad forum on CC that has answered many of these questions.</p>
<p>Seems to me that since he is a grad student, it is his responsibility to research the details of the logistics. My ds has spent this year in Istanbul (undergrad) and managed to figure it all out himself. I would echo what others here have said though-- cash for the rent.</p>
<p>My DD needed about $2k for move in expenses, we contacted her bank and had a 1 day increase in the ATM limit, that worked. The best way we have found to access your USD funds and transfer them to local currency is to take ATM withdrawals. That or changing on your US credit card and paying the bill with your USD bank account.</p>
<p>My DD who lives abroad has kept her USD local bank account, we can deposit for her if necessary (checks in the mail, etc). She opened a bank account in that country, in her case she needed proof of an address, there was no way (unless you merit a high dollar investment grade service) to open the account ahead of time and try to take advantage of better exchange rates.</p>
<p>One thought about grad school abroad- you are going there for a reason so do not try to recreate the US, embrace the food, embrace the culture, meet others and make friends, go visit their family when invited. Learn & experience the place you are, don’t waste time missing home. It is expensive, even with funding, to be in Europe with the USD so low. Make the most of the experience.</p>
<p>You might investigate Vonage for your landline phone number, if you have one, we have free calling to DDs country. Of course, Skype works too.</p>
<p>Buy a one way ticket. Check out Iceland Air, they had good one way fares and seem to be rather Southwest Air in attitude.</p>
<p>No need to buy the actual phone in Germany - he needs a quadband unlocked phone, which you can get on ebay for as little as $40-50 for no frills. You can probably order a German SIM card online ahead of time, or he can get one when he arrives (probably in the airport). For you to call him, aside from Skype, try pingo.com or another similar calling-card program. You can call a German cell phone # for about 22 cents a minute (calling a landline is practically free, but that may not help you). For insurance, try CMI - they have study-abroad policies for about $30 a month, good coverage. When my daughter went to France, her school was charging much more to get it through them.</p>
<p>you could use an unlocked phone, but he could also buy a prepaid one in Germany. Prepaid phones are super cheap and they are always what we use when travelling overseas rather than paying for international coverage.</p>
<p>When we lived in Germany most of our regular expenses (landlord, phone, TV) were withdrawn automatically from our (German) bank account. I don’t remember ever writing a check. As a grad student in Germany it’s possible they are covering the health insurance.</p>