Have you ever been in a situation where you’re not able to decide what you have to be prepared for before flying abroad for your studies? Well don’t worry because we are here for you. This article will help you ease your journey and your life in an other country without your parents. There are certain things that all of us are confused about before leaving our house. How to travel, how to book our tickets, what to bring to our journey, and things to remember before leaving. Well you’ve come to the right place because we will help you clear all your curiosities.
Table of Contents
How to book your tickets?
After you have decided where you’re living and where you’re studying, the next step is how you are going to reach the country. There are several platforms through which you can book your flights. The best way to book your tickets is Google Flights or from the official website of the airline you want to fly by. These platforms are always trustworthy and cheap. They do not charge any commission and make for transactions easy.
You cannot trust agents because they mostly cancel your tickets and tell you that the flight was delayed even though it is not. They also charge commission and the tickets get costlier than they should be. I can tell you with my personal experience that it is better to trust Google Flights than an agent. You should also check the facilities provided by the airline you are flying by. Take care of the luggage limit they are providing and try to search for the airline that provides the highest luggage weight.
My personal experience says always go in a group. You will get a good discount on booking tickets in bulk from the office of the airline. After you have decided the airline you want to travel by, check different platforms for the ticket prices and go for the safest way possible.
Essentials to pack before traveling
As a guy who has a sister and who has traveled abroad for studies, I can tell you the requirements are very different. But there are a few things that both require. Always pack things that you cannot find in other countries. Try to pack more daily essentials than clothes. The essentials are normally different for students travelling to other country. If you are traveling to USA, you will probably think a lot if things are cheap in US dollar but costly in Indian rupees.
Things like stationery are mostly like 1 or 2 dollar a piece but you will probably buy a packet of those things. When converted to Indian rupees, small things like pen and pencil seem to be costly. You should also carry utensils required to cook Indian food. Pressure cooker and tavas are heavy but are very useful to cook. Indian spices are also a must when it comes to cooking Indian food. You will find eating out daily is not that healthy on your body and your pocket. So the Indian spices will help you cook food for yourself whenever you want to.
Essentials as a student
You can always buy new clothes, but it is very hard to get medicines in other countries. Carry the medicines that you need once in a while. Boys should always carry a beard trimmer with yourself so that you can save some money by trimming your own beard rather than going out once in a month to a hair stylist. They normally charge a lot and carrying your own trimmer always helps. The same advice applies on girls. Girls should always carry a shaving cream and razor. These things come in handy when you are traveling alone to another country.
Girls should also carry pads or tampons with them in case they suddenly get their periods. When you travel to a new country, you do not know a lot of places and where you can find essentials and pads are most important thing for a girl. Both boys and girls should also travel with condoms because safe sex is very important especially when you are in a new country. But when you are making a list always keep in mind that you have a max luggage limit.
Try to keep it as low as possible because you have to pay a high charge if you cross that limit. There are a few essentials that are surprisingly very costly in other countries like Canada or America. You realize that when you go and buy them. For girls they are, make up, pads, tampons, pills that are required for periods if you take them and skin care products. You think these things are cheap but they are surprisingly very costly when you start paying for them. Whereas for guys, the story is completely different. Boys need different things. They are, trimmer, condoms, undergarments and socks.
List of kitchen essentials you should always carry
Pressure cooker
As a person who has traveled abroad with his sister, I can assure you that always buy a pressure cooker. They are normally heavy but very useful.
Belan and chakla
Belan and chakla is required to make rotis and let me tell you now, you will not find roti in any other country. At least not like an Indian household. So if you want to eat rotis then you have to carry these.
Tava and chimta
A tava is something which is very important in any Indian house. You need it to make rotis or omelette and many other dishes you want to eat. You will not find any tava in any other country because they are mostly famous in India and even if you do find it, they will be very costly as they are hard to find there.
Tea leaves and elichi and cloves
Okay let’s be honest, even if you are a coffee drinker, you do need tea once in a while. You will not be able to find good tea leaves in USA or Canada because they drink more coffee. Always carry the things required for making your own tea.
Spices
Last but most important ingredient to carry with you is Indian spices. India exports spices all over the world so you should know they are very important. Spices abroad are like fakes as they do not taste well even though you have added a handfull.
Always know when you are traveling
Things to carry if you are traveling in winter
You should always know when you are going to travel and pack accordingly because weather can be very different in parts of the world. If you are traveling to a cold country try to carry things that are costly and that are hard to find. Try to pack light for clothes because it is better to purchase your clothes from a country that is cold. You will find cheap clothes there and warmer because India in not a cold country in comparison to USA or Canada.
You will find that it is better to purchase your winter wear from there only. There are also some winter essentials that you should carry with yourself. If you are very prone to winter and you feel more cold than a usual person you should probably get some prescription and buy medicines that you will require. At least till you are comfortable with the weather.
Things to carry if you are traveling in spring
If you are traveling in spring, always carry sunscreen with yourself because you don’t want to be burned on your first day to a different country. Keep in mind that you have to pack light because you can not carry over the weight limit. It is easier for students traveling in summers because the backing is lighter. You will find that you do not need to carry a lot of essentials during summer or spring.
Daily essentials
There are a few things that you should carry with yourself so that you don’t have to buy them when you need to use them. Things like undergarments are very important because they costlier than you would think. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allows you to bring sewing and knitting needles onboard a plane. You can place both types in your carry-on luggage, as well as your checked luggage. It is better to carry a sewing kit because you will require to repair your clothes. It is easier to repair your clothes than to spend money on new clothes or getting them repaired by someone else. Cost is high to get your clothes repaired in another country because they do not have roadside tailors that charge a dollar to repair your clothes. You would have to get your clothes repaired at a costlier tailor.
Carry a first aid kid with yourself too. Trust me, Medicare is insanely costly in foreign countries and most of time, they do not work well on Indian immunity system. Especially for non resident people. You will see it is economical to use your own medical kit and use basic stuff from your kit only. Leave the box cutters and utility knives at home, but scissors with blades less than four inches long (such as cuticle scissors) are acceptable. You can bring nail clippers and basic disposable razors as well.
Conclusion
You should also remember the article is just to help you pack and you don’t have to follow the article word to word. You should try and packs things that you need on daily basis. Try to keep your clothes as less as possible because it is easier to buy clothes when you visit a country. You should keep things that are hard to access in another country. Things like medicines, Indian spices are harder to access because of either the price or availability of the product. Always try to keep your personal belongings too. Also, try to make friends carefully. It is hard to find real friends in another country.
Be sure to keep a clean slate in your college or university. Also search carefully about the locality you are living in. Try to live where more students from your college or batch are living. It will be easier to travel for you and they will also help you with college work. Try to live with someone because it is cheaper and easier for both parties. But be sure to run a background check on the person you are thinking of living with. Also try to live with someone with same preferences as yourself and same age. If you live with someone who parties a lot it will be harder for you to live with them.
So all the best for your future studies and we at Brownfunk wish you have a great future. Please drop a review below if this article helped you. You are also welcome to tell how we can be better. THANK YOU.
