Every year, many students travel abroad for their studies. The extended cultural exposure, diversity of people, international level education, and global experience are reasons for choosing abroad campuses for studies.
But moving abroad is not as easy as it might seem. Students face many challenges, from starting the journey to reaching the destination and staying there. Students often make arrangements in advance to combat these travel challenges and get extra ready for abroad trips, such as buying student travel insurance before leaving India.
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What are Student Travel Insurance Plans?
Students traveling abroad for studies often face challenges which become daunting and worrisome for their parents. For such a scenario, an insurance plan designed specifically for students, keeping in mind their needs, concerns, and travel challenges, is known as a student travel insurance plan. Insurance providers such as TATA AIG provide comprehensive student travel insurance plans with extended support for students’ safety and security.
Besides buying a student travel insurance plan, here are some of the points you need to consider before taking a flight to your destination –
1. Complete the Documentation
Keep all your documents ready before a couple of days of your journey. Keep your passport, visa, university acceptance letter, student travel insurance documents (if you have an insurance plan), and other necessary documents. Never leave the documentation for the last moment.
2. Get Your Tickets Done in Advance
Get your tickets booked at least a month before to avoid issues like non-availability or high-priced bookings. Compare ticket prices across different airlines to save some amount of money.
Also, due to ongoing circumstances, know your ticket or flight cancellation policies carefully. An intelligent student travel insurance plan can aid in this as well.
3. Gather Facts on Baggage Allowance and Other Essential Formalities
International flights often pose baggage allowance guidelines. Please get familiar with them before a couple of days of your journey and pack your belongings accordingly. Additionally, as you might be traveling alone, pack only essential items rather than carrying loads of unessential items.
For extra security, buy student travel insurance and stay covered against mishaps such as baggage loss or missing luggage.
4. Pack the Essentials
Pack only the essentialities to get started and leave less important things later. Pack essential documents, medicines, quick and ready-to-eat food items, some toiletries, and other necessary things.
5. Make a List of Immediate Affairs Upon Reaching Your Destination
Reaching your destination safely is just the first step of your journey abroad. Upon arriving, you must do some immediate things to get settled. Some of them are-
- Know the distance between your accommodation and the airport, book taxis, and comprehend the preferred communication routes.
- Get things ready for your accommodation.
- Get an activated sim card.
- Collect your transport card.
- Know about the nearest health facilities, food stores, chemist stores, etc.
- Know your campus, preferred communication routes, etc.
If you are a student and plan to study abroad, consider the abovementioned things. Some other bits of help could be getting professional assistance, taking suggestions from friends or family relatives who have been abroad for studies, some insights through research on social media, newspapers, etc., buying student travel insurance for added security during traveling, keeping some amount of local currency ready, etc.
All these can provide added security on your new journey in a different country, culture, and amidst other people.
