Check List For Study Abroad

myohmy · 06-04-2008, 06:26 PM

Hi-- I have a D who is a rising Junior and will be studying abroad next year in Africa (first semester) and Hong Kong (second semester). Does anyone have kids who have been to either of these locations and can you recommend what she should bring other than her medications. I have heard in Africa its easy to have clothes made rather than to bring a lot over...I don't know how hard it is to buy good shoes, etc. She will be in Accra, Ghana. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

shelley14 · 06-04-2008, 06:48 PM

I'd be interested in credit card and/or debit card use in Beijing. My daughter will be there for 5 weeks this summer.
She has a debit card which I can easy deposit funds to. Everyone says she should have a backup, but I'm reluctant to get a credit card for her. How easy is it to exchange travelers checks? Would that work as a backup?

3boysnjmom · 06-04-2008, 08:10 PM

We were in China in the fall and my son has been working in eastern Sichuan for 15 months. We were told to use credit cards and/or ATM cards when we were in major cities. My son has had difficulty using his credit card in his city (huge city but not Beijing, Shanghai or HK) but no problem with the ATM. We also were told travelers checks could be cashed at the tourist hotels but would take more time to deal with at banks. Sounds like ATM/debit card and credit card backup is the way to go. How about getting her a credit card with a limit?

MidwestMom2Kids_ · 06-04-2008, 08:21 PM

When my daughter went to Italy with the HS orchestra as a freshman, we got a third card (in her name) of the credit card hubby and I use as a backup. We put a low limit on it. It was very useful to her, and reassuring to us to know she had it.

MidwestMom2Kids_ · 06-04-2008, 08:23 PM

This list might be useful:
One-Page Packing Checklist :: One Bag

cnp55 · 06-04-2008, 08:34 PM

Can you open a second account that will have a second card associated with it?

Hate to have the card eaten by machine -- as happened to my son in Gatwick Airport leaving him without cash or resources. Also hate to *need* cash and be tapped out for the day as happened to me in Paris and London, although my H tends to use our (joint) card freely without consideration of the person abroad who might need cash.

arabrab · 06-04-2008, 10:41 PM

We went the route of both an ATM/Visa debit card, for the primary purpose of using ATMs, and an AMEX card on our account (but with her name on it, of course) for emergency back up. We did activate the cash access feature on the Amex card. Note that both the bank and AMEX wanted to know in which countries and over what dates the card should be valid. Call and make sure. (We sent her with two cards after my experience getting to Europe only to find that my ATM card would not work, and being able to cash checks at the AMEX office was the only practical way for me to get cash.)

Take a look at mailing restrictions -- there are many things that you can take in a suitcase that you can't mail. (Italy, for example, won't allow mail containing artificial flowers, leather belts, typewriter ribbons, or medications) -- the lists are sometimes lengthy and often absurd, but better to know before you leave.

Local clothing is great; local shoes may or may not be great -- particularly in China, I've heard that the shoe last is designed for a narrower foot than is common in the US, and I wouldn't be too optimistic about availability of larger sizes. In more rural areas books in English are very hard to find; D wished she'd brought a couple with her, and we spent quite a bit shipping her some.

MidwestMom2Kids_ · 06-04-2008, 11:48 PM

When my daughter is going to be out of the country, I make a point to call the credit card company and let them know.

ticklemepink · 06-05-2008, 12:56 AM

Bring traveler's checks to survive on for at least 3 weeks in case your child's cards are stolen (as it in case with me). It was a bit of nightmare although I was really enjoying my country far too much to let it bother me!

emeraldkity4 · 06-05-2008, 01:34 AM

I don't think travelers checks were recommended in Ghana- my D brought cash
I sent you a PM

kathiep · 06-05-2008, 07:28 AM

When we were in China a couple of months ago, visiting our daughter who lives near Hong Kong, we had no trouble using our atm card everywhere. In fact, we found that many Chinese people don't even have credit cards, it's a very cash oriented society. Our daughter has been in China since last August and opened a Chinese bank account but still uses her American one. Strangely enough, about the only thing we used a credit card for was hotel rooms in Hong Kong. Everything else, including four internal flights and a sleeper train were paid for in cash. For what it's worth, my daughter says that Hong Kong is like a combination London-Beijing-NYC. We loved Hong Kong, and it seemed to be the most English language friendly city in China.

Did you know that there is a study abroad forum here on CC? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/study-abroad/ It's a real slow moving one but I think that's because everyone posts on their own forum (like this one) where they are used to posting. I asked the same question about what to take to England for my son (doing an abroad there this fall) and I did find a couple of good web sites.

BTW, dryers are not common in China and probably not Ghana either so clothes that dry quickly would probably be the best.

cupcake · 06-05-2008, 09:16 AM

Quote:

We loved Hong Kong, and it seemed to be the most English language friendly city in China.

Of course, because until 1999 it was basically part of England.

My sister used to live in China (though I have never been there) and from hearing about her experience, the rest of it is VERY different from HK and Macau (which was a Portuguese colony and is also somewhat Europeanised). Very few English speakers and outside Beijing mostly a cash-only economy.

In most parts of Asia you can easily have clothes cheaply custom-made by a tailor. They will happily copy clothes you already own if you like (using local materials). I suspect the OP is right about it being the same in Africa. We have mostly lost such skills in the western world, which is a shame.

interesteddad · 06-05-2008, 09:54 AM

My daughter asked a veteran of her travel abroad trip (Argentiana, China, and India) what one thing he would recommend to take that nobody had thought about. Without hesitating, he said:

"Good socks!"

My daughter said after her trip that it was good advice.

happysmoof · 06-08-2008, 07:19 AM

I did not study abroad but I volunteered abroad in both the Czech Republic and Switzerland, and onto my 10th month now. (I'm still here) I'm starting university (we Canadians call it that...) in September. What I can advise your daughter is to bring ONLY the essentials. It is really easy to bring so many more clothes and hygiene products than you need but my advice is this:

-Bring enough clothes to last you a week. You will accumulate clothing while you're there and you only need a week's worth of clothes and then you can wash and re-wear.
-To lighten the load, pack only sample-sized hygiene products. For example, no regular sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Get everything travel-sized to last you a week or so and then you can go to a drug store and get what you need. Believe me, wherever you are you will find a way to get these products.
-Bring a laptop computer, and install Skype. The first few months you will be very homesick and will want to talk to your family. Skype allows you to phone people for free that have Skype or to phone for a very small fee to people's landlines. It is a life saver.
-Get a credit card. There will be times when you or your daughter will forget how much money you have on your debit card (because you can't often get a balance on the screen at ATMs abroad) and you NEED a backup. This is especially useful for any small plane trips you need to book or other things you might need to arrange online. If you are really afraid, monitor the credit card regularly and only allow her to use it for large expenses or emergencies, but when you are abroad you cannot afford to only have a debit card.

samonite16 · 06-08-2008, 09:46 AM

I can't comment on Ghana, but tell your daughter not to pack much for Hong Kong. HK is far more westernized than mainland China; she will be able to buy almost everything that she is used to (with the possible exception of good running shoes). Any ATM card that is hooked up to a mainstream international network will work, but you make plans for what to do if she loses her cards. I'm not sure if HK is the same, but on the mainland, foreign banks are not allowed to issue new ATM cards.