Studying abroad is a bit of a fun idea. With this concept of education, you are already doing two things at the same time: traveling and studying. It is somewhat part of someone’s bucketlist to earn a degree different country. But just like all things that are new to you, you can’t always see the whole picture of what is it really like so study abroad.

In this article, I will be sharing to you top tips in studying abroad. These tips are a product of my years of studying in a foreign country and I don’t want you to end up like me that went through stuff that I should have avoided if only somebody had given me advice.

1. Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if required. Also, before you go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport. This is an assurance for you to pass through the immigration officers. In fact, airport officials is the very first obstacle that you will face on the day of your journey as a student abroad. You just need to secure all documents and you don’t need to worry. If any issues do come up then you need to get in contact with the relevant professionals, try looking at this Mayfair Immigration Review to see what people think about how they were helped by this particular immigration service.

2. Read the Consular Information Sheets (and Public Announcements or Travel Warnings, if applicable) for the countries you plan to visit. Your government might have security concerns issued to a particular country. You need to know the coverage or the particulars of CIS for you to be aware of your travel limitations.

3. Leave copies of your itinerary, passport data page and visas with family or friends at home, so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency. Keep your host program informed of your whereabouts. Moreover, scan all of your important documents, like your passport and acceptance letter to your university, *just* in case you carelessly lost the original copies.

4. It is never easy to be sick, let alone be contracted with a disease in an alien country with no relatives to readily help you. That is why it is important that you make sure you have medical insurance that will cover your emergency medical needs (including medical evacuation) while you are overseas. Additionally, you can enroll yourself in an au pair program (you can visit https://www.goaupair.com/au-pairs/ to learn more about au pair programs), where you can be paired with a family in the country. You can live in the family as an additional member and receive a monthly allowance as well. In exchange, you would have to help the family with their work, such as taking care of their children, dropping them off at school, etc. In this way, you will be able to reap financial benefits as well as have a family to care for you in case of illness.

5. You are in a way accustomed to the laws and culture of your home country because you lived there throughout your whole life. But once you go abroad, you need to familiarize yourself with the local laws and customs of the countries to which you are traveling. While most laws would likely be the same, like the illegality of assault, robbery, intoxication manslaughter, murder, and similar crimes; some specific ones might differ. Remember, while in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws and most of these laws are not familiar to you or you are ignorant about it.

6. Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas and never accept packages from strangers. This might be the stupidest thing that you can do to your oversea-student life. One rule to always remember is not to trust anybody. Be vigilant to your surroundings and to the people around you including those that you are already friends with.

7. You don’t need to focus your whole life overseas spent on books and sleepless study nights. You are free to enjoy life abroad. While you are in an alien country, avoid using illicit drugs or drinking excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages, and associating with people who do. You might end up being punished in a country wherein they take drug crimes seriously and has capital punishment. You can however take precautionary measures by getting in touch with a criminal defense lawyer in Texas or the country you are targeting. It might also help you save yourself in the event you get falsely accused.

8. Do not become a target for thieves by wearing conspicuous clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of cash or unnecessary credit cards. No need to show off. Just keep a very low profile and have your focus directed to your studies.

9. Deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money to avoid violating local laws. Identify authorized money exchange establishments and couriers that have accreditation to send mail or packages to your home country.

10. Some websites – such as Amazon Student Prime, Hulu and Nextflix – have trial periods that you may forget you’re subscribed to while you’re gone. If you don’t cancel them before the trials end, many will start automatically charging you subscription fees. Make sure your accounts are taken care of to avoid unnecessary costs.