<p>DD leaves for a semester in New Zealand in a few weeks. She and everyone in our family have been fortunate enough to travel a lot, both in the US and abroad. Both alone and as a group. I feel like we have everything taken care of and that she is very well prepared…any parents out there with words of wisdom or practicalities other than the obvious that we might not have thought of? Things you wish you had done or had your student do before they left?</p>
<p>This will sound silly, but it’s a useful bit of information. Tell your D not to take off her shoes on the flight to New Zealand. It’s a long, long flight and my feet got swollen–and boy did I pay for it. Other option: tell her to wear sneakers or clogs or shoes without a back on the flight–anything that’s easy to slip into. I took my shoes off and they swelled so much, I couldn’t get them back on. I ended up going through customs with the backs of my shoes smashed down like flip flops. Eventually, I just took them off and walked in my socks.</p>
<p>DS was in NZ last semester. He said that there were no problems with the flights (other than being painfully long) or customs in either direction. </p>
<p>He did say that jet lag hit him hard when he landed in Auckland.</p>
<p>I had him notify Bank of America of his travel plans before he left. He had no problem using his debit card anywhere in NZ.</p>
<p>I also gave him photocopies of his passport/student ids and the address/phone number for the US embassy to keep in his dorm room in case he lost anything.</p>
<p>If NZ is anything like Australia, cellphone and internet won´t be cheap. D1 was in Australia for a semester. There was no unlimited plan for anything, everything was based on consumption. We were counting on Skype for communication, and that was not possible through her school(it was blocked), we had to get a separate internet service for her. D1 did get a pretty large bill for watching movies online. I got D1 a cell phone, not through her school, and it was a lot cheaper.</p>
<p>People told us that everything was more expensive in Australia (probably the same in NZ), to bring shampoo, and other toiletries. I wouldn´t do it again. No matter how much more expensive, the pain shipping just wasn´t worth it. We bought proper converters for D1. It was a lot cheaper off ebay than from Radio Shack or other retail stores. We bought cheap sheets and towels locally, because D1 needed room for her clothes and shoes.</p>
<p>Both my sons did a semester in NZ and they absolutely loved it. NZ people are the nicest, friendliest, warmest people on earth. Well, may not the MOST – but they are very friendly, nice and warm! </p>
<p>Lots of sheep there, too.</p>
<p>Remember that the seasons are reversed. It’s nice and warm there now, but when they return in May or so, it will be like November here.</p>
<p>My son plans on going one year from now. Someone told me student air fare to fly from one point to another in NZ is cheap. What about if they want to fly to Australia for spring break?</p>
<p>What are good travel guides?</p>