<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Is getting a card a good idea - the card is $22? From their website:</p>
<p>What is the International Student Identity Card (ISIC)?
ISIC is the only internationally accepted student ID card and proof of current student status in existence. There is also the International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) and the International Youth Travel Card (IYTC). These cards provide a world of benefits and services to the nearly 5 million people worldwide every year. More than an ID card, they also offer:
Discounts to more than 33,000 locations in 103 countries
Mobile phone and a calling card communications package
Insurance plan
Emergency help line.
These benefits are exclusive only to U.S. cardholders. </p>
<p>We’re hoping our kids will be traveling to London, Paris, Ireland and maybe Scotland. After traveling our son will be staying for an 8week UK internship.</p>
<p>thanks -</p>
<p>I find it very useful.</p>
<p>Though despite the propaganda, almost all places that take ISIC will also take a standard student card. The staff at a desk don’t care about such distinctions.</p>
<p>What makes it useful if they’ll usually take a regular student ID card?</p>
<p>The fact that some places won’t, and not having to wonder about whether a place will. Plus the fact that some of the big discounters (like STA travel) are more likely to be more strict</p>
<p>In many places in the Middle East they wouldn’t let me use a normal student ID, or even a Jordanian student ID. Definitely get it.</p>
<p>Hopefully you aren’t paying for the internship.</p>
<p>It is an unpaid internship so the cost is close to a trade off compared to paying for a term in college. What does that have to do with deciding whether or not getting the card is a good idea?</p>
<p>Most places will take a regular student ID card. Both times I went abroad in Europe, that’s all I used, and I was able to get most discounts. However, some places require that your card has the year/semester you’re enrolled on it, which many student ID’s don’t. Also, there are some places that do only take the ISIC card, but personally I don’t think I would have saved even $22 with it. </p>
<p>Oh, and some places only give discounts to EU students, which the ISIC card doesn’t help with (what does work sometimes is having a student ID from a university located in the EU, but it sounds like that doesn’t apply to your kids).</p>
<p>I would definitely invest in one. It is true most places in Europe will accept a normal EU University ID, but it is much more convenient knowing you have a backup. Not to mention, I studied abroad in the UK which isn’t part of the EU, and while I didn’t have a huge problem using my ID to get discounts, there were a few places that didn’t accept it because it was from a UK university.</p>
<p>I was able to use it multiple times, and I’m pretty sure the card paid for itself during my trip to Rome alone (Vatican, St. Peter’s, the Coliseum). And there was even one instance where I was randomly able to use it to get a discount on transportation from a satellite airport to the city center.</p>
<p>I’d say just bring your card with you wherever you go and present it at the admissions ticket desk. If you get a discount, thats awesome. If not, it was worth a try. It only costs $20, and that’s probably the cheapest thing you’ll buy when you’re preparing to go abroad.</p>
<p>[The</a> Ultimate Study Abroad Guide |](<a href=“http://www.ultimatestudyabroadguide.com/]The”>http://www.ultimatestudyabroadguide.com/)
[The</a> Study Abroad Blog](<a href=“The Study Abroad Blog - Nate Nault”>http://thestudyabroadblog.com/)</p>
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<p>I think this quote proves that study abroad is a waste of time.</p>
<p>keepittoyourself, you could have just pointed out that yes, in fact, the UK is part of the EU, instead of posting negative comments. If you have nothing positive to say, then “keepittoyourself”.</p>
<p>[The</a> Ultimate Study Abroad Guide |](<a href=“http://www.ultimatestudyabroadguide.com%5DThe”>http://www.ultimatestudyabroadguide.com)</p>
<p>That level of ignorance deserves a negative comment. If you don’t know that the UK is part of the EU (especially after taking an extended vacation there) then you shouldn’t be advising people about study abroad.</p>
<p>That’s true, come to think of it I’m not sure how I overlooked that one, seeing as I was there for a while. But anyways, now that we’ve corrected that mistake, the rest of my original reply was genuine, so feel free to take it for what it is. I would still definitely invest in one.</p>
<p>My school advises all our study abroad students to invest in the ISIC card, more because of the insurance benefits than the student savings at museums. It’s an unpleasant thing to think about, but accidents do happen abroad and they can be expensive (I’ve heard that one of the most common accidents for Americans in the UK is to be hit by a car because travelers check the wrong directions when stepping into/crossing the street). The example that my study abroad director used was a student who had been in Vietnam and was in a scooter accident. She was in traction at the hospital, where they had no nursing care because it was considered the responsibility of family to bathe/feed/attend to the non-medical needs of the patient. She needed to be evacuated to a US hospital, but because she was in traction it required the removal of 3 rows of the airplanes seats- a cost that was fortunately covered by ISIC insurance. $22 compared to however much that would cost seems like nothing.</p>