5 Tips to make relocating easier and cheaper

Photo by: Ashim D’Silva

Sorting out the logistics of how to make your dream come true of living abroad and studying in one of the best universities in the world, isn’t the easiest part of the process. Whether you got accepted to Phoenix University, University of Chicago, University of washington, Berkely, Harvard, Yale or Princeton, there are certain procedures which you’ll need to to follow to make your relocation successful. Here are a few tips on different services you'll need and how you can invest your money and time in the best way possible:

1. Get the best deals on flights:

• There are many tips and tricks to finding cheap flights. Among many myths, there is one element that certainly affects the cost of the flight, and that is timing.

• What you need to know is that the less people that fly, the cheaper the flight will be. When there's a low demand for flying, airlines lower their prices to fill up the planes. Avoid flying before big holidays, like Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s Eve or when everyone goes on vacation to get some sunlight, like in July and August. 

• Airlines know that most people want to fly on the weekend, so the cheap flights will most likely be in the middle of the week and in the early morning or late at night. 

If you can’t be flexible, but you do want to get a good deal on a flight, just click here, and you can get 5% off of the price you paid for your ticket.

2. Get Health insurance:

• If you’ve read our previous blog about how to stay healthy and safe abroad, you probably know that getting vaccinations and medical health insurance is really important to do before you get to your destination.

• Seeking medical care abroad as a foreigner, will cost you twice (if not way more) the amount you would be paying if you had medical health insurance. Whether you had an accident, order an ambulance, need medications or just want to set a doctor’s appointment, you could save a lot of money by having the right health insurance to pay back these expenses. 

3. Getting a car:

• The city that you decide to study in will determine how you get around it, whether it’s by bus, a train or if you’ll need a car. 

• In cities like New York, Boston and New Jersey, the public transportation is so efficient, that trains and buses reach all areas inside the city and even outside the city and it’s preferable not to have a car and not have to worry about finding parking spaces and getting around traffic. 

• In the West Coast though, it’s very hard to get around if you don’t have a car. Los Angeles, and San Francisco, for example are very spread out, and the public transportation doesn’t lead to all areas of the city. 

• Many student buy a car to have the freedom both to travel around the United States and also have the freedom not to be dependent on public transportation. 

• One of the main problems that international students face in the US, is the fact that in order to get a loan for buying a car, a certain amount of credit score (which takes months to build) is necessary.

Many students chose to get help from Lendbuzz, who help foreign international students get a loan to buy a car, based on their educational background, employment history and potential future income.  

4. Get access to your favorite content while abroad:

• Although you may be far from home, you don’t need to disconnect yourself from your family, friends, culture and of course, your favorite TV show. While living abroad, many websites and media might be blocked (Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Prime, etc.). Having a VPN, allows you to still get access to these networks, and save a lot of money. 

• If you want to read more about how getting a VPN will improve your life abroad, have a look at one of our previous blogs about how to access your favorite content while studying abroad. 

5. Find an apartment:

• As an international student, the three main housing options you have are to live in the student university dorms, rent a room in a shared apartment or rent an apartment by yourself. 

• If you decide to live in the university dorms, you’ll need to talk to your university staff to reserve a room for you. 

• If you decide to rent an apartment, things might get a little more complicated. You’ll need to figure out how most people in your chosen destination find their apartments. In some countries, the popular way is through specific Facebook groups, or sites.

To save time, money and effort in the process, just click here, and find the right apartment anywhere in the world, for you.  

Get more help and information on studying abroad at: www.gradtrain.com.