Category Archives: Abroad Advice

5 Awesome Travel Movies

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So, you’ve decided to study abroad. The countdown to departure has begun and all you can think about is what it will be like to eat, sleep, study, party and play in your destination of choice. You’ve already Googled everything you can and watched plenty of YouTube videos on your new country. Have you looked up fun travel movies to watch? Here are 5 of (many) that are good picks. What else would you recommend? Leave a comment and tell us about others!

Fun Movies

photo credit:
Sheryl’s Boys

In no particular order:

Midnight in Paris: This recent flick is for the Paris lovers and Woody Allen fans. Dripping in the sights and sounds of Paris, you could get lost in how much love people have for this city, throughout the world and throughout time.

L’auberge Espangnole (The Spanish Apartment): This is a foreign flick in subtitles yet gives a pretty good glimpse into apartment life with other international students. It’s not the most Oscar worthy film, but pretty entertaining especially if you’re interested in Barcelona.

Eat, Pray, Love: If you’re interested in solo, soul-finding travel, you may want to see this movie. (actually you should read the book first) Julia Roberts portrays Elizabeth Gilbert, a middle aged writer, living in New York, in need of a major life change. She travels through Italy,  India and Bali for one year to find herself, love and many other things.

Outsourced: This movie is about the growth and adjustment people go through when they travel abroad. A man at an American company is suddenly ordered to India so he can train those who will be serving as the outsourced customer service dept. While he highly resists India for the first half of the movie, he ends up loving his experience. This one comes highly recommended!

Lost in Translation: Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson make for an unlikely pair in this movie set in Tokyo, Japan. They’re both Americans who befriend each other when “stuck” in a foreign land for several months. Through travel, they get to know each other and themselves!

 

 

 

 

Check out Forum-Nexus for great summer abroad program options!

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One of the most difficult tasks of studying abroad is making a decision on where to go! There are SO many program options available, especially in Europe. If you’ve been dreaming of backpacking through the Swiss Alps, indulging in local cuisine in Italy, learning about the historical and cultural remnants in Berlin, or visiting multinational companies in Barcelona, then keep reading to learn more about Forum-Nexus and their multi-country summer programs! Continue reading →

Do you have your passport ready? National Passport Day is Sat, March 10th!

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Is your departure date for international travel fast approaching? If you’re procrastinating the application or renewal process for your passport, you’re in luck. This Saturday, March 10th, the U.S. Dept. of State is hosting a National Passport Day! Area post offices and regional passport agencies are opening their doors to the public for this very reason.  Continue reading →

Mia’s Packing Tips for Down Under

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It felt like I was at home awaiting my trip abroad forever, but now, i’m finally here.  Although most of the Global Ambassadors are well into their international adventures, my choice of country, Australia, means I’ve just begun.  In Australia the seasons are opposite, since it is in the southern hemisphere (ie UNSW has been on summer vacation and their fall semester starts Feb 27). This switch of seasons poses great prospects for weather but also quite a conundrum for packing. As mentioned in my intro post I have been lucky enough to travel a lot, however that doesn’t by any stretch mean that I am a skilled packer.

Whenever my family travels together things begin to fall apart as we approach the luggage counter, otherwise known as the scale of fear. If you aren’t careful your bags may tip the scale over the airline imposed 50lb limit. This error causes overage charges and a headache induced by frantically switching clothes from one bag to the next in an attempt to even weights out. If you keep one thing in mind while packing for your semester abroad it should be “Less is more.” In all likelihood the country you are going to has extra pants, socks and shampoo, let’s hope… Continue reading →

Long Distance Relationship Guide

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You may remember our post: To Be or Not To Be (Together): Long Distance Relationships well, in honor of Valentines Day, one of our Global Ambassadors decided to write a guide on long distance relationships:

One of the hardest things about living so far away from home is living 15,000km from the man I love. It’s common to have a tough time with long distance relationships, especially when you’re used to seeing each other everyday. Long distance relationships are not for the faint of heart, and require a great deal of work and very sound coping mechanisms. In fact, according to the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, 60% of relationships fail when one partner goes on exchange! You may think your love is strong, but can it stand the test of a long distance relationship? Continue reading →

Making a Meaningful New Year’s Resolution

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Only a couple days post-New Years, I wasn’t too surprised to walk by extra crowded fitness centers on my way to work. I’m one of the many who has made that same resolution year after year to either workout more, eat healthier, procrastinate less, study more, etc.  All these are great ideas to try and improve your own health and well-being; and I don’t discourage that at all.  But what if we all took our yearly resolutions one step further and considered what we could do to contribute to a greater society, and a greater global community. Continue reading →

5 Things to do After Returning from Abroad

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For those of you whose semester abroad has gone by in the blink of an eye, we know that you’re probably dreading the idea of leaving that new, amazing place you’ve been calling home for 4-6 months. We want to prevent you from being diagnosed with SAOD upon your return home, so we have some more tips for you to help with your re-entry adjustment! After reading Matador’s article about the 5 things NOT to do after returning from abroad (and completely agreeing with everything they mentioned), I couldn’t help but think about the things students CAN and SHOULD do to make their transition home smoother.

Continue reading →

Guest Blog: Top 10 Factors to Consider If You Need to Find Housing Abroad

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By (Anonymous Guest Contributor)

If your study abroad program does not provide housing, has multiple housing options, or if you decide to extend your stay in a city and need to find accommodation independently, here are some important factors to consider:

1. Safety

A useful way to find out whether a place is safe is to get references from people who have stayed there. Abroad101 itself serves as a database to post reviews. Another useful resource is Transitions Abroad, which also posts past participant reports. Inquire with your individual hosts, too. Continue reading →

Five Things to Avoid While Abroad

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Here at Abroad101 we always love to give students some good advice on what to do while they’re studying abroad. Well, here’s a few tips on what not to do. Enjoy!

1. Getting Stuck in a Routine

Let’s be honest, routines are boring and no one likes them. You didn’t chose to study abroad to be stuck in the same agenda that you follow at home. This is your opportunity to make the most of your study abroad experience and challenge each day to be a little different, and a little bit more memorable. Break out of the waking up, class, class, class, home, dinner, bed routine and spice up your life a little bit! Find a different route to school one day, or a different way home. Find a new café or store along the way. Just imagine all the neat things you will see and experience if you decide to change up your routine a little bit each day. And, needless to say, you will become a master of all the cool little things your host city has to offer! Continue reading →

How to Pick Your Travel Companions Abroad

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It’s no secret that an opportunity to study abroad will inevitably lead to catching the travel bug. Traveling can easily be considered one of the best parts of studying abroad, where you will collect many memorable experiences that you are sure to never forget. Different destinations each weekend, numerous new cultures to experience, historic landmarks to visit…honestly, who can disagree!? But deciding who to spend those mini-vacations with can be difficult, especially if you have different goals or opinions about how you want to spend your weekends away. Continue reading →