Summer International Travel Insurance
May 2nd, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelIt’s that time of year again – summer time! We know everyone is excited for the opportunity to have a long break and enjoy themselves. What better time to take advantage of the long break and travel overseas! Whether you are planning to backpack Europe, travel the Outback in Australia, or explore the beaches of Central America, be sure to purchase a summer international travel insurance plan. Our summer international travel insurance plan is designed for just that, it is designed to follow you in your adventure of a lifetime, here are just a few of the advantages:
– International coverage outside your home country
– Affordable rates and comprehensive coverage
– Emergency and non-emergency coverage
– 24 hour travel assistance including translation and interpretation services
– Flexibility to choose your doctor or hospital
– Option of 100% coverage up to $1 million
– Option to include the sports rider to cover you for adventurous sporting activities
The Summer International Travel Insurance can be purchased for just a few days up to a year depending on the length of the trip. Not only does this insurance plan coverage medical and health, but the plan also includes travel benefits like trip interruption, natural disaster coverage, lost checked baggage, and much, much more. Once you purchase the plan, you will receive an email confirmation with your documents that you can simply print and bring with you on your trip. Some countries require proof of insurance and that is why with the purchase of the plan you will have access to your personalized visa letter right in your personalized account that is immediately available. Contact one of our licensed agents for more information and to see if the summer international travel insurance plan is right for you!
Choosing which College to Study Abroad in
April 29th, 2011 by ahoontrakulWhen you are planning your study abroad, you would no doubt have to make a decision on where you want to go and which college or university to attend. Many of the factors that would help you determine which college is right for you is similar to that of choosing your college at home.
The first step is to get to know yourself. You need to ask yourself, “why am I going to study abroad?” You will need to think about what you expect to get from your experiences.
Are you looking to just have a lot of fun on your trip and use the opportunity to travel to other countries around the region? Are you looking to learn a new language?
For example, if you are looking to have a lot of community support while you are abroad, you might want to consider joining an exchange program that your University has already set up. This gives you the advantage of knowing that many students have already been there – or perhaps there is a sizable community of people from your own country that would be able to help you adjust to the new environment. But if you are confident with your ability to do things by yourself without much hand-holding, you are freer to choose to go to school where there is relatively few people from your country so you can focus more on your other goals like learning a new language.
Choosing a location
This step is obvious if one of your goals is to learn a new language. If you want to learn Chinese don’t study abroad in Spain and if you want to learn Spanish don’t study abroad in China! Additionally, there are also other considerations when choosing a location. Do you enjoy a big city with a lot of people even if that means your living space may be small? How about the traffic or commute? What is your budget keeping in mind that the cost of living is higher in big cities?
How long is your study abroad trip? Will you be abroad for over a year or just one semester? If you are planning to study abroad just for one semester in the middle of the winter, you might want to reconsider going to study in places like Finland (unless you really enjoys the cold).
Consider your financial need
Many colleges and universities offer scholarships and grants for international students, you would just have to look and apply for it. Not only do you have to consider the tuition costs, you will also have to think about your cost of living; living in London is going to be more expensive than living in rural China.
Many countries especially in Europe like Finland, Spain, etc. also require international students to buy health insurance to get a visa. Most universities in the USA also have school’s specific insurance requirements for their student. So it is important to choose an insurance plan that would provide you with good coverage in addition to an affordable price.
What do you want to do afterward?
Lastly, if you are going to be studying abroad as a full-time degree seeking student, you might want to consider where you want to work after your graduation. Most universities usually have connections to companies or specific areas in which they are located in, therefore if you want to work in the USA or Europe after graduation it may help if you graduate from college in your area of interest.
What to do with your cell phone when studying abroad
April 22nd, 2011 by ahoontrakul
If you have a cell phone service here in the US chances are you’re paying a monthly service fee from one of the major cell phone service provider – moreover, if you have a smart phone you will probably be paying no less than $70 per month.
But now your study abroad dream has come true! You are going to study abroad next semester and you will be out of the US for several months, so you ask yourself, what am I going to do with my cell phone service while I am studying abroad? If you cancel your service and return home, your phone number will be gone and you will have to tell your friends that your new phone number has changed. Let’s face it, it is a hassle! Here are some options that you may want to consider:
Suspend your phone service temporarily
Sure you might be able to use your phone while you are abroad by turning on your international service plan with your provider, however be prepared to pay an extremely high rate for international calls. Another option you may have is to suspend your service temporarily. This means that you will pay a reduced rate to maintain your phone number and at the same time you will stop all phone service while you are away. Different companies have different names for this service and various terms that may apply. Call your service provider and find out what their conditions are so that there are no surprises!
Unlock your phone
Most cell phones sold in the US are locked, which means that the cell phone provider blocks the access so that you cannot use your phone on another company’s network. If you have a smart phone – or even expensive phone – that you want to use abroad, you can unlock your phone by contacting your service provider or Google “how to unlock your cell phone”. Once your phone is unlocked, you can simply buy a sim card, insert the card into your phone, and have a working cell phone for both international and local calls while abroad (this will work if you are using a GSM phone, if you are an AT&T or T-mobile customer).
Verizon uses a different mobile technology called CDMA which is not widely used around the world so this method will not work in most cases. If you don’t want to or can’t unlock your phone you can also rent or buy a whole pre-paid cell phone package to use abroad.
Use the internet to call
If you have a smart phone, download applications like Skype on your cell phone so that you can use it to call home while you are abroad. If you have the iPhone4 or higher, you can also use Facetime over a wifi connection. Service like Google Voice will also let you text message any phone in the US for free and people can also leave you a voice mail on your virtual number.
Hopefully one of these options will help you with your study abroad experience – good luck!
Getting sick while abroad (a personal story)
April 19th, 2011 by ahoontrakulA few years ago I took a solo backpacking trip through Europe after I had finished my study abroad trip in England. It was a great experience and I had a lot of fun.
To begin the story, in one month I would start my trip from Prague. I would make my way south to Austria and Hungary down to Italy then slowly up to Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark and finally ending in Sweden. It was in the middle of this trip in Italy when I had my scary moment which I’m going to share with you.
So I’d finally made it into Italy and I was done with Florence and Venice, I was in Pisa seeing the Leaning Tower and was scheduled to take the train on the same day to Rome. After getting on the train and seeing the nice scenery I’d finally arrived in Rome safe and sound! But that’s when my scary experience happened. After getting off the train my stomach started to hurt a little bit, it was barely noticeable that I didn’t think twice about it. I walked around the front of the train station looking for the bus I needed to take to the hostel, which was further away from the city center, after awhile I found it and got on.
Almost right after I got on the bus my stomach started to hurt intensely, I started to have cold sweat and then my vision started to black out. Now at this point I was already on a packed full bus, going to a hostel and all I had was a printed paper with vague direction of how to get there. The bus doesn’t stop at every bus stop and most of the passengers were Italian who didn’t speak much English. I knew I was in trouble then, since the bus was full I was standing up. I quickly wrap my hand around the railing and put my backpack on the floor between my legs, hoping that my hand will stays wrap around the railing in case I passed out (thinking ahead, I thought it would just look like I was resting my eyes with my bag locked between my legs hopefully discourage people from running away with it in case they saw the opportunity!). After that, I was drifting in and out of consciousness standing there on the bus. In the beginning, I remember just wishing to arrive at the hostel before anything could happen! Luckily after a while I regained enough consciousness that I was able to make it off the bus and, with some help and some combination of pointing and made-up sign language, made it to the hostel.
My insurance ended after my study was done and I didn’t think about getting one during my trip, luckily nothing truly serious ended up happening to me that I would need to be hospitalized for, I don’t know how I would deal with it. Now I’m able to look back and say it was an interesting experience that I can tell people about. But at the time, it was scary to be in a place that you don’t know anything about for the first time and on the verge of completely passing out and not knowing what will happen.
I know that many people probably have just as, if not even scarier moment while they were traveling. If you have any horror travel story just other mishaps that happened on your travel, share it with us.
United States Reaches Out to Exchange Students in Indonesia
April 18th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelAs part of the United States’ mission to build foreign exchanges with countries around the world, Indonesia has been the next focus for bilateral trade and cultural exchanges. Last year, US President Obama announced that the US will spend $165 million over 5 years on this issue alone – and they meant it.
The United States has worked together with Indonesia for over 50 years on the Fulbright Program that works with Indonesians to promote English proficiency, university development, advance technology, improve civil society, draw religious influence into the mainstream, promote scholarships, and reach younger and broader audience as explained on the US government’s Fulbright site.
Now, the United States is expanding its educational exchanges in order to further promote this partnership. As described by President Obama, the current target is to double the number of Indonesian students studying in the United States. Most of this is done through educational fairs where students are welcome to attend. With more than 50 US universities at these fairs, potential Indonesian international students bound to study in the United States speak with recruiters, gather information, and discuss the how-to’s.
But this is just the beginning. The popular perception for Indonesians is that obtaining a student visa is near to impossible. The US government along with American universities are working on changing this image. In fact, according to statistics, approximately 90% of Indonesian that applied for a student visa were successfully able to study in the US as an international student. Changing this image and reaching out to these students is crucial. This comes as each year the number of Indonesians studying in the US drops – last year there was an 8% drop in student enrolled compared to the year before which had just under 7,000 international students.
Australia Student Visa Requirements Eased
April 11th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelYou may remember from our initial report back in September that enrollment of international students in Australia were dropping. The most staggering statistic was that international students from India, making up 20% of the total number of international students, dropped by over half compared to the year before.
As of April 2nd, the Australian government will require less documentation from international students applying for their student visa for 38 countries – including in India. The student visa gives students the opportunity to temporarily study in Australia. The government is now reaching out to students, families, agents and educational providers with the hope that these changes will increase the number of international students in Australia.
With this ease in student visa requirements for Australia, fewer documents are required and visa processing should be both easier and faster. Students will now be able to present less evidence of English proficiency, academic qualifications, and financial capability depending on their country of origin.
While the government is eager to stress that this will not change the permanent resident application process, students should know that studying in Australia should be a much easier process. Currently, the top sending countries of international students in Australia include India (80,450 students between 2009-2010), China (80,010 students between 2009-2010), and South Korea (21,720 students between 2009-2010). Two of the top three countries, both India and China, are included on the list of countries that this new mandate will apply to.
Tips for Taking a Road Trip in America
April 8th, 2011 by ahoontrakulAmericans are in love with cars and unless you live in one of the few major cities, you understand that it is hard to live without one. Because the United States is so big, there are vast distances between places and you will find that the public transportation is not as extensive as other countries. Having a car gives you access to really experience the many different facets of American culture. Taking a road trip can be a fun and economical way to see the country, especially if you share the trip with a few friends.
Each place in the US has its own unique culture and scenery. Take a road trip and you will see that America is really not all the same everywhere like the movies and news media might make it out to be. From the New England small-town charm and the history of early American settlement by the Europeans, you can compare the internal culture by traveling south for the famous southern hospitality and comfort food. If you are continuing to explore, drive further south to the beaches in Florida and Little Havana in Miami. Go west to Texas where everything is bigger, up to the bread basket with its vast farm land. See the famous Yellowstone National Park or go further west and hit the more progressive San Francisco.
As with taking any trips, you should do some planning beforehand to make sure that the trip goes smoothly. Here are some tips to help you plan a fun and successful road trip in America:
– Consider how much time you have and where you want to go: This will help with the next step of planning the road trip and also with budgeting.
– Get together with your travel buddies to plan the trip: The planning process is half the fun, and it is a great bonding experience. Planning it together also ensures that everyone has a say in where to go and what to do so no one feels left out. After all, you will be spending a lot of time with them on the road trip, and an unhappy companion will lead to an unhappy trip!
– Create a budget: By mapping out where you plan to travel, you can calculate how much you will have to pay for fuel; there are several fuel cost calculator online to help you budget. It is also important to think about where you will sleep; remember that the US doesn’t have many hostels, most stay in a hotel or motel and if you feel adventurous you can also try camping! Check out our recent blog on other alternative places to stay while traveling.
– Bring entertainment: Even with your favorite CD, listening to the same few songs over and over again may lead to boredom. Be sure to remember classics that everyone can enjoy!
– Try going off the interstate: US interstates are a great way to travel from one place to another, but with it comes all of the chain fast food restaurants. If you want something more unique, try going on local roads once in a while.
– Consider a GPS: While getting lost can be fun and often lead you to interesting places, not knowing how to get back to where you need to be when you need to be there can be stressful. Many smart phones today may have GPS, but if you are in a location where there is no cell phone signal, your phone may not work either. Don’t make yourself completely dependent on technology, bring an old fashion paper map.
– Bring food and drink: Stopping too many times to buy food will only takes time from your other activities so pack wise to maximize your time.
– Have fun!: Sure you should plan ahead, but you don’t have to plan the trip down to the minute. If you see something interesting on the road feel free to stop and take a look.
– Stay rested and don’t drink and drive! Remember that most states it is illegal to have an open container of alcohol in the car with you – that is even if you are not drinking it.
If you are a foreign national in the US, make sure that you have travel medical insurance coverage that would cover you nationwide in case you get sick or injured on your road trip. Don’t forget that you will also need to have a valid driver license in the US, and be sure to have auto insurance coverage for your rental car as well.
Do you have any other tips for taking a road trip in America you would like to share? Please leave a comment for us.
iPad winner revealed!
April 4th, 2011 by ahoontrakulAfter drawing the winner of the International Student Insurance Facebook Fan page iPad sweepstakes last Friday, we promised that we would be announcing the name of the winner today, so here we go!
Our winner is from Hong Kong, but currently studying Chemical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Kui Lun Tze is an international student on an F1 Visa who is in his junior year and has been in the USA for 2 years now and has 2 more to go!
Congratulations to Kui Lun Tze! We will be sending him a brand new white iPad 2 and we hope to have a picture of him with his new iPad when he gets it!
Thank you for everyone who has entered for the chance to win. Stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter and blogs for more fun and interesting stuff. As always we’re open to any suggestions on what you’d like to see posted and comments.
International Students in the United States are in Demand Among Public High Schools
April 4th, 2011 by Jennifer FrankelWith over 18 thousand high schools around the United States, trends are changing where both public and private schools are reaching out to international students around the world. While private high schools have historically hosted international students prior to gaining entrance to a higher level institution, public high schools are now realizing the advantage and changing their strategy.
Now, public high schools are looking to international students to create a mutual beneficial partnership. International high school students are being welcomed to study in the US with the opportunity of improving their English, gaining exposure to other cultures, and the hopes that studying in the US during their high school years will give them an advantage of gaining admission to a US college or university.
Students are not the only one gaining the advantage. Public high schools are finding a new market to increase enrollment (especially in struggling areas where students are moving out of the area), cultivate a diverse learning environment, increase local revenues, and improve their school’s statistics (i.e., exam pass rates, number of students taking high level class, college acceptance figures, etc.).
This is among the most recent trends among public high schools that typically cater to local students in their district. States like Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington are looking to recruitment agencies to reach out to the international community in hopes of driving students to their local town to pursue their education. According to US visa requirements, students can only study at a public school for a maximum of one year. Because of this, many international high school students view this as a unique opportunity to learn in the US and improve their English and perhaps later transfer to a private high school or improve their chances of gaining college admissions.
