So, last week we discussed how to get international internships. But once you’ve acquired said internship, your work is far from done. Next up, you have to get a budget together, and get ready to acclimate yourself to a new country. Here are a few tips I learned from my travels:

Budget, Budget, Budget!

Budgeting is a life skill, one that I have only recently acquired. These tips actually apply in the US as well, but if you are going abroad, they are especially important. You aren’t near family, and not having enough money while outside the country is a whole circle of headache unto itself. I actually went to both Barcelona and Italy with budgets in mind, but the budgets were missing a few details, details I will share with you now.

–Figure out how much money you have to work with. If your program offers you a stipend, figure out what form that stipend will take. Are you getting paid up front or reimbursed? If it’s a reimbursement, you will need to figure out how to pay for items before you get reimbursed. If you are getting paid, know how much money you have and how you will apportion it on food, transportation, etc. Maybe this idea of setting aside money seems obvious. I was aware I needed to separate money before I went to Italy and Spain, but I failed both times. Why?

–Know how much things cost. I failed because I did not know how much money necessary daily goods would cost. Remember, exchange rates are not necessarily your friend. I strongly recommend looking up the costs of items like water before you go, and avoid tourist prices at all costs. One example would be water. In the US, we tend to ignore the importance of water. It is usually readily available, potable, and free. Abroad, none of that may be true. In Italy, there is plenty of water, but some fountains are potable while others aren’t. Many buildings lack public water fountains, and the sink water isn’t really drinkable, so one is left with no choice but to buy water. Water purchases becomes very expensive, especially during the summer, when it is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and with 80% or more humidity in the air. Out of desperation, I paid as much as 5 euro for a bottle of water–that’s approaching 8 dollars. These prices are avoidable if you find local grocery stores which sell big bottles of water for 1 euro or less. Hence, you can save yourself a lot of money by figuring out how to acquire necessities in the cheapest way possible.

–There will be costs you did not anticipate. Prepare for that. No matter how well you plan, there are times you are going to have to pay for the unexpected. We had transportation strikes three times in Rome this summer. Did I plan for that? No. How would I have known? There was no way to know. I had to pay for a taxi a couple times. Was this expected in the haphazard budget I threw together? Nope. Leave extra money in your budget for emergency situations like this one.

Dorothy, You Are NOT In Kansas Anymore.

If you are looking for a position abroad, obviously you know already that you are not going to be in your home country during the summer. However, this has all sorts of implications that you might not consider initially. We are all enthralled by the unknown, the novelty, the excitement, but just remember, you are not in a familiar environment, which means…

–You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need. When you are abroad, forget about getting those creature comforts you love at home. Love Odwalla Juice? Forget it. You probably aren’t going to find it. Have a favorite shampoo? Bring it with you, or get used to using whatever you can find. Bring whatever you absolutely cannot live without. Medications, for example, need to be brought with you. If you are going to Europe, from my experience I recommend bringing a computer, and I would recommend keeping it on you at all times, or keeping it somewhere safe. Keep in mind, Wi-Fi is no guarantee abroad. Internet is a luxury, not a promised service. I could go on about what you will not have when abroad, but the best idea is to Google search for what ex-patriots are saying about the place you are trying to work.

–You need to know your area, preferably before you get there. When I arrived in Barcelona, the first thing my host family did was pull out a map and cross off the more dangerous or dodgy areas of the city, so I would know where not to go. They also told me where the most pickpockets were, and how to hold my bag so I wouldn’t lose everything in it before I arrived at work. I recommend that first thing you need to do when going abroad is buy yourself a map and find out where you are living, where the grocery store is located, and where to avoid, at all costs. Use your network and talk to people who have lived in the city or area you are planning to work. Know the areas which have lots of pickpockets or robbers. Every city has them, and the locals can tell you how to avoid them. Also, know where your work is in relation to where you are living. This way, you know how long your commute will be beforehand, and you can plan for it.

–You may miss home at some point in your travels. The first time I went abroad, I did not prepare myself for homesickness. If you have never traveled alone before, just know that you will probably miss home at some point. You might not be able to call home because of time differences or lack of a means of communication, you will not have familiar food to eat, and sometimes foreign cultures are difficult to handle. My recommendation is to bring something familiar with you from home that will be comforting to you when you get to this point. Personally, I bring a book or two that reminds me of home. Also, while these moments do happen, they will pass if you keep engaging with people around you and seeking out new experiences. Try not to wallow in homesickness; it just makes it worse.

–Get excited about immersing yourself in a new culture! Embrace the differences. Talk to people about their country, their politics, and their lives. This is a chance to not only work, but also to learn about other ways people live in this world. When I worked abroad, my favorite part was learning about the local culture, whether it was celebrating the summer festivals in Spain or watching the World Cup in Italy.

I hope some of this is useful to all of you in your application process! Please let me know if you want to know more about anything I mentioned above, or if you have a question about applying abroad that I haven’t answered yet.

Next week: My Mom and Suit Shopping: The Good (My Mom), the Bad (takes sooo loooong), the Ugly (TAILORING).