<p>S is getting ready to study in Rome this spring with the IES program. We just got a massive email regarding the student visa application and I realized how uninformed I am about this process. I would appreciate any and all advice on this process. In addition to his semester of study he is planning to stay fro a while to travel. We are sending younger S over to join him and hope to get tickets for a world cup game in Germany. So oldest S will need a tourist visa tacked ont to his student visa, I think. And will probably be returning from a different airport. All thoughts welcome!</p>
<p>If the Italians give your S a "Schengen" visa, it will be equally valid in Austria and Germany, as long as he has his passport, he will be OK. He can return from any EU airport within the "Schengen" countries i.e. not the newer member countries or Britain, although he can enter GB as a tourist without a visa.</p>
<p>I'm starting to research flights, info required for the student visa, and with his plans the cheapest way seems to be a round trip ticket to London or Amsterdam and then connecting flight to Rome and from somewhere in Germany after the world cup. Does this seem like a good plan? Are there things I'm missing?</p>
<p>Sounds like a good plan. We did a very similar thing (as tourists) a few summers back and it worked fine. One tip: we found that airfares varied widely in Germany, with cheapest direct to US flights from Frankfurt.</p>
<p>When traveling in Europe, you ought to check the prices of newer airlines that are emulating Southwest Airlines. A good start is Virgin Express, but there are a good number of them. A quick search on google reveals sites such as <a href="http://www.openjet.com/index.jsp%5B/url%5D">http://www.openjet.com/index.jsp</a> or <a href="http://www.etn.nl/lcostair.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.etn.nl/lcostair.htm</a> .</p>
<p>The new fares are often cheaper than the train fares. If you decide to buy a Eurail pass, it is cheaper to buy it from the United States. Also, you may have better luck getting a World Cup ticket by buying it in the US. Tickets are usually allocated by country, and you can expect the competition to be fierce among the Western European countries that are in driving distance. You should also check on the security measures that will be implemented in Germany. Most countries have started anti-violence systems whereby the spectators need to obtain a Fan Card from a club or the country soccer federation BEFORE the games. Without such card, you cannot purchase tickets or enter the stadium. Your entry ticket is matched to your fancard, and this allows the authorities to use cameras to identify troublemakers. They do not make exceptions for foreigners. I remember that our family could not get tickets for a soccer game in Belgium and had to watch it on TV from a restaurant across the stadium. </p>
<p>Since the United States qualified, a good start would be to check the USSF web site or google for travel agencies that will handle reservations and sales of packages.</p>
<p>My son is in Rome this semester on the ICCS program run through Duke. He did have to get a student visa (this required a trip to the local consulate - pay attention to the details, they had him running around Boston getting extra copies of forms, etc). I believe he had to have the exact dates of his travel (airlines, flight numbers, etc) before he could get the visa. He had heard that it can take awhile to get the visa, but it went pretty smoothly for him. Some cities are apparently easier than others. My best advice on this is to get the visa out of the way early on. Try studentuniverse.com for the airfare. I ended up buying the plane ticket direct from British Airways, but studentuniverse sometimes has better prices. I found that, at least with the Duke program, they give you very specific instructions on what needs to be done and when.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. we have found some deeply discounted student airfares. How about money, do credit cards seem the best? What about a local bank account or travelers checks? Also did any of you get your kids eurail passes for there time there or if they stayed and traveled after?</p>
<p>If your son has a checking account with a debit card in the U.S., the card should work for both purchases and withdrawing cash from ATMs in Europe.</p>
<p>The ATMs seem to work best, especially now that there is a surcharge on credit card purchases. Check with your local bank about ATM charges. We found that Citizen's bank doesn't have a charge for ATMs in Europe. Bank of America has partnerships with some European banks and waives charges at those banks. However, my son just used a Deusche Bank in Rome (that is a Bank of America partnership bank) and they still charged a $5 fee. I called and they reversed the fee no problem. It doesn't sound like the kids on my son's program are using the Eurail passes. I looked at it and they are relatively expensive. From what my son heard, many kids get discount last minute airfares for weekend travel. My son has only been there for about 2 1/2 weeks so he is still exploring Rome and hasn't ventured outside the city much. The program he is on provides monthly bus passes in Rome, and they take two extended trips outside the city. I know he is planning one weekend trip to visit a friend in Spain, but not sure how much other travelling he will do.</p>
<p>Cheapest air fares within Europe</p>
<p>Ryan Air
<a href="http://www.ryanair.com%5B/url%5D">www.ryanair.com</a></p>
<p>EasyJet
<a href="http://www.easyjet.com%5B/url%5D">www.easyjet.com</a></p>
<p>"he had to have the exact dates of his travel (airlines, flight numbers, etc)"</p>
<p>Does this mean he had to have specific return dates/flights before he could get a student visa? My daughter is planning to study abroad spring semester in Ireland, and will likely stay a bit after she's done at the university. . . . </p>
<p>She was abroad this summer, and had experience w/ some of the cheap European airlines. She used easyjet, and one with a name like deutsche wings. A friend recently recommended Aer Arann for travel in Ireland.</p>
<p>My understanding was that for Italy my son needed the flight info before he could get the visa. I will email him for the exact details and get back to you as soon as I hear from him.</p>
<p>The answer from my son: "They wanted entry and exit dates for your program. you can stay up to 3 months within the EU if you're here for tourism purposes, which means that even after your visa expires, you have 3 months. Alternatively, as long as you leave the region once every three months, you never technically need a visa. It's really just for students (who are required to have one, though what you need varies from country to country) and permanant residents". He had originally told me he needed the flight info, but apparently that isn't true.</p>
<p>I just received an e-mail from Capital One making clear that there are no surcharges associated with any use of their credit cards abroad.</p>
<p>thanks for that info mini. I had checked with Bank of America, Citizens, Citibank, AAA and a few others - all had instituted a 3% surcharge on overseas purchases earlier this year. My son has a Capital One card with him - I'll let him know that's the one to use in Europe.</p>
<p>I've gotten different opinions on the ease of changing flights at Frankfurt. Any feedback?</p>
<p>My daughter changed planes in Frankfurt this summer, with no problems.</p>