Travel Resources

Things to Consider

Talk to your family about these things before you leave:

• What if something happens to a family member while I’m away (e.g., illness, car accident, death, etc.)?
• What if something happens to me (e.g., broken bone, skiing accident, abcessed tooth, assault, etc.)?
• Will a family member come to be with me or do I deal with it on my own?
• Is it financially feasible for Mom/Dad to rush to my side if I am injured?
• What is the status of my relationship with my significant other, and how will a study abroad experience change that?
• Is that a factor for my leaving/staying?
• If something bad happens, how should the news be broken to me while I’m away?
• What if Grandma breaks her hip in a fall? Should my parents call, write, or email? And how long should they wait to tell me, as there’s nothing I can do?
• What if my dog or cat gets hit by a car? Should they tell me at all?
• How will holidays be spent in my absence? Is this the first holiday away from home? How will I cope? How will they?
• How will we communicate: by phone, fax, email or letter? How often?
• What if something happens that changes the general functions of a country – mail strike, travel strike, political change, acts of terrorism, social strife, etc.?
• Am I prepared to not get letters for long periods of time if no mail comes through?
• What if there’s a travel strike and I get stuck somewhere?
• What will be my family’s roles/responsibilities during my absence (i.e., filing my taxes, reading my mail, taking care of my bills, etc.)?
• What if I need more money? How will this be arranged and how will money be sent?
• What if I want to come home early? Will my family support me or make me stay?
• What if my boyfriend or girlfriend says he or she wants me to go but can’t promise to wait for me?

Consider these questions, which may come up once you're overseas:

• What if I don’t like my living arrangements, host family, neighbors, town, classes, and/or advisor?
• How do I deal with stress (e.g., exercising, eating, reading, writing, vegging, etc.)?
• How will I adjust to listening to a foreign language and different accent all the time?
• What cultural things are different and what, if any, mixed signals might I be sending?
• What if I want to return home early? Stay longer?
• How will I cope with homesickness?
• What if I feel like I’m not making any progress in the language?
• What if I’m having a hard time meeting people?

Ask yourself these questions regarding when you’re back home:

• What are my expectations of my family and friends? What are theirs of me?
• What do I do in order to graduate, return to SPU, and return to family life?
• What do I want to do when I get home (i.e., veg out for two days, party with friends, visit with family, etc.)?