Make 2 copies of your D’s passport, student ID. Drivers License. Debit Cards (front and back) and Credir Cards (front and back). Send 1 copy with her and keep one copy at home.
At least 2 weeks before leaving, call the Customer Service numbers on the Debit and Credit cards. Tell them that the cards will be used in other countries. They will want to know which specific countries and dates. Don’t forget to include layover locations.
You may also want to get some local currency from your Bank before the trip. This may take a few days.
Check with your cell phone provider to see if anything needs to be done for her phone to work in South Africa.
Check the State Department web site for their travel advice.
At home, keep emergency contact info for local US Consulates/Embassies, local hospitals, medical clinics, and police. Keep overseas contact info for any Professors or University personnel going with the students.
Consider getting a travel guide book and/or street maps to read prior to the trip. A google search will provide a lot of info also.
Ask about cell phones. In our situations, it was easier and cheaper to buy a phone locally…and just buy more data when needed. There are stores all over the place…and you can purchase data at every convenience store in the city.
Make sure your daughter has her Skype account…and you have yours…set up. Some people like using What’s App too. And FaceTime.
We got a notice from Capital One that since we have a chip card, we no longer need to notify them when we travel in other states or out of the country!
What’sApp is amazing. It’s how we communicate with our son when he’s in Lebanon. We can video chat with him easily. The phone reception is better than Verizon Wireless at our house! And all for free. You just need a wireless connection.
Do double check on whether the insurance is already included as part of the program. My kids have done many study abroad programs in both high school and college and without exception, the insurance was always included and arranged by the program. Probably their way of insurance that all students had the proper insurance and that it was taken care of.
I strongly recommend that you start figuring out immunizations now. Many types are available only at specialized clinics. D1 went to Ghana, at a time when our insurance didn’t cover much, so we paid out of pocket for the rabies immunizations and possibly others. Fortunately, we didn’t have problems getting her appointments at the travel clinic but doing so could have been difficult if we had waited much longer to schedule the appointments. Going through the process with D1 made it easier for us to figure out what to do for D2, but we did encounter some timing obstacles. She ended up having to get one shot in a series out of state (where she was working for part of the summer), and I don’t think our insurance covered it. This past summer, D2 went to southeast Asia with a friend and needed a few shots. She made an appointment at her clinic here because it worked with her vacation schedule and insurance coverage. But when she got to the appointment, the nurse refused to do the shots, saying they had to be done at the travel clinic, even though the clerk who made the appointment said the shots could be done there.
Our doctor’s office makes us go to the travel clinic for immunizations. It bugs me, because they charge a lot for the office visit, too, to give us advice. I’ve been there several times and don’t need the advice!
My lovely PITA daughter just informed me that she already has an appt at the school health center for the shots. She says she “knows” this already. Didn’t find it necessary to share with us. Lord give me strength.
LOL, it’s great that she’s one step ahead of you. If she needs Yellow Fever, that’s one that can make you feel really, really lousy for a day. The last time I got it, I had a fever of 103 from the shot. My son spent two semesters in Jordan, he had one backpack with an attached knapsack that held his computer when he left, but it grew into another bag for the return trip. She will almost certainly want to bring back stuff, so should keep that in mind. My kid did get sick enough once while he was there to take himself to the emergency room - though it just ended up being one of those mystery bugs. The program’s insurance covered the entire cost.
My son went abroad to Japan a few years ago through Stanford’s overseas study program and was given a Kyoto logistics handbook with all the information he (and we) needed about visas, passports, immunizations and what to pack, among other things. The main thing we had to figure out was the flight and where he would stay overnight before he got to Kyoto (he flew to Tokyo first to visit some friends). If I remember correctly, he was able to purchase an International Student Identity card for only $25 that provided the health insurance that was necessary above and beyond what our health insurance provided abroad. I’m assuming your daughter has received or will soon receive similar information for Cape Town. I was really worried about the logistics of the whole thing, but it all worked out fine in the end and he fell in love with Japan! By the way, his girlfriend went abroad to Cape Town at the same time and also loved her experience there. I’m sure your daughter will have a fantastic time!
@Mom2jl She just shared pdf handbook with me. Lots of info. I was just reading about the ID card. Our health ins company rep said they only cover internatl emergencies only. I think we still need to get regular coverage. I need to research that a bit more. We will see if we can get the coverage added on to our ins.
She won’t need yellow fever for South Africa, I believe. BUT if she plans to travel further afield…she may need it. She should discuss this with the health center folks when she meets with them.
We had a Peace Corps kid…and when we went to visit her…we started off in South Africa…where few shots were required. BUT we also visited her in Rwanda…so we needed a bunch of other shots,yellow fever, a polio booster (that was not a usual thing…so had to get that at the international immunization clinic), hep A and B, current TD.
They will know what she needs!
Ask the college about health coverage. When my kid was in the UK…if they needed medical care…they just went to a clinic. Since it’s socialized Medicine…no one even asks for your info. They treat you for routine things. For anything bigger…you probably want evacuation insurance…although the Peace Corps actually evaluated medical emergencies TO South Africa.
One hint…our PC kid…took a lot of second hand clothes from consignment shops,and the like. They went on a one way trip…she left that stuff all In Africa. This she had room for her souvenirs…and gifts.
My study abroad kid had to bring sheets, and towels. Again…one way trip.
on the off chance you have Chubb insurance, the offer a Passport product that is designed to cover overseas travel. I’m not sure if you can purchase it without being a home/auto insured, but it’s cheap (maybe $500?) and is a good product.
Re: health insurance, D’s program includes it too, but she is going 6 weeks early to do research so she didn’t have it for that time. I also wanted the travel-medical evac-health that is primary - they just take care of any medical need, period, without any discussion about other insurance. It even includes dental emergency. It was $125 for 6 months for her and includes the travel, baggage, delay etc. Travelex. And I added the “adventure pack” which for $10ish covers her if she skydives or bungee jumps or scuba dives etc as well. There’s a transportation pack option that covers rental car CDW as well.
We have BCBS. I jsut spoke with them. She is covered. Yay. The rep also said that they also have medivac and repat of remains but I cannot find it on the website. I like seeing it in writing. I think that unless we find it we will pay for the $25 one through the school. It’s worth the peace of mind.
@OHMomof2 We will look into the Travelex too. D16 is definitely an advanturous one.
We have BCBS and it covers study abroad, but S2 had to buy special (and cheap, thankfully) health insurance per his study abroad program. I bet your program will help you with the insurance issue.
S2 just got back from his study abroad. I am trying to recall the issues we had: insurance, visa, credit card, phone, how to get cash, flights, lodging. Many of these you have already started thinking about.
If you forget something or have to make a change, don’t worry. You and your student will figure it out. There are plenty of small issues you can’t anticipate, but you can solve them. S2 messed up filling out the form to let his bank know he would be using his debit card abroad, for example, and couldn’t get any money. (He was able to use venmo to borrow from friends and I was able to redo the form. )
You just need a wireless connection.
My son spent two semesters in Jordan, he had one backpack with an attached knapsack that held his computer when he left, but it grew into another bag for the return trip. She will almost certainly want to bring back stuff, so should keep that in mind. My kid did get sick enough once while he was there to take himself to the emergency room - though it just ended up being one of those mystery bugs. The program’s insurance covered the entire cost.