Less than 2 weeks...Christmas is over and I can’t stop thinking about how fast everything has happened. Another semester has quickly come to an end and a new year is just days away. I will be on a flight to London in less than two weeks and as of now it all still feels like a dream. Here are some of the things I’ve been up to over the past few weeks in order to help prepare for my trip: 1.) Host University Application & Registration: After receiving my acceptance to study abroad from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, I proceeded to complete the host university application process around mid-November. It was not too complicated in comparison to the study abroad application I had to complete for Mānoa. About a week later I received an email from Roehampton notifying me that I had been accepted onto their study abroad program. I will be assigned to on-campus living accommodations and will be able to register for courses once I arrive at the university.
Choosing courses has been quite a stressful process since I don’t know what my actual courses will be until I register in person. But Allison, my study abroad advisor, has helped me make a list of different courses that can serve as backup if my first ones don’t fit my schedule. 2.) Booking my Flight: Luckily, I was able to book my flight along with two other students studying abroad in London. Knowing that I won’t be traveling alone makes the idea of traveling half-way across the world more comforting. I booked my flight through Student Universe at a discounted price (https:/www.studentuniverse.com/) and all I needed was my school email to make an account. I purchased a one-way flight and was told that I may have to answer some questions when I go through customs & immigration in London. However, I have letters from both Mānoa and Roehampton about my student visitor status which should be enough to get me through any questions. As for the visa, fortunately we are not required to have one to travel to London for the semester, so that’s one less thing to worry about! 3.) Money Arrangements: I didn’t already have a credit card so I had to make sure I applied for one (I highly recommend it). My mom signed me up for an American Express credit card and I also registered for the Hawaiian Airlines mastercard. I was told to try to find a credit card that offered 0% foreign transaction fees since I’ll be making purchases abroad. I personally would not recommend the American Express credit card because it has a 3% foreign transaction fee, but I guess it’s still a good back up card to have. On the other hand, the Hawaiian Airlines credit card has an annual fee, but is a good option for travel because they have no foreign transaction fees. Aside from these, I also have my bank debit card. I sent out a travel notice to my bank to make sure they are aware that I am traveling out of the country and don’t freeze my accounts when I make any purchases. I purchased a pack of RFID protectors from Amazon to protect my credit cards when I’m traveling around Europe. Some wallets already come with RFID protection so that’s another option to consider. I’m not sure how effective the RFID protectors I bought are, but better safe than sorry! 4.) Phone: Aside from these things, the next thing on my to-do list is to get my iphone unlocked for international travel. My carrier is AT&T and they don't include international data and texting with my plan (unlike T-mobile), so I will need to have it unlocked to switch out SIM cards once I’m in Europe. With all that said… I should start packing now and avoid procrastinating any further!
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AuthorHi, I'm Erica. Please join me as I spend my spring semester in London! Archives
May 2018
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