At a glance
Every year, hundreds of Belgian students go abroad on Erasmus. This experience is often a great adventure. One student shares her tips with us.
Every year, hundreds of Belgian students go abroad on Erasmus. For them, this experience is a great adventure. One student shares her tips with us.
A brief introduction to our student
Hélène (23) is a student in International Relations at UCL. During her bachelor's degree, she had the chance to spend a semester in Baltimore (USA) while studying at Saint-Louis, and is now repeating the experience for a semester in Bologna (Italy) as part of her master's at UCL.
We asked her a few questions:
How did you find out about the destination, local activities, etc?
For pretty much every destination, there are forums or Facebook pages, so I checked those out. You can ask any question you like and generally get answers fairly quickly. It's also a good way to get in touch with people and swap some information. It's reassuring, to some extent.
I browsed my university's website and the city's website. I also looked at Tripadvisor for tourist reviews and different activities. It gives a good sense of the city's vibe.
I also asked my university's international relations office for reports from students who had gone to the same destinations in previous years. You can find good tips, advice, and dos and don'ts there.
How did you go about finding accommodation?
In the US there was a campus, so everything was organised by the school's administration. For other destinations, the options are often broader: you can rent an apartment, a room, stay in a student hall, etc.
To find a good deal, you need to dig around on social media! But the host university can help a lot: either it has accommodation available, or it points you to real estate agencies.
For example, for Italy my host university told me about a student association that helps Erasmus students find accommodation. I contacted them, but I'm also looking into other options just in case. I'd like to find somewhere before I leave — it's much more comfortable. You arrive and just have to drop off your things; it's quite reassuring. If I don't find anything, I'll leave a few days before classes start and stay in a hotel or youth hostel while I visit a few flats. A lot of people do it that way, because it lets you choose your neighbourhood, check you're not too far from your faculty, and meet your future flatmates, etc.
How did you choose your means of transport?
For the US I didn't really have a choice: it had to be flying. For nearby destinations, I imagine some people go by train or their parents drive them by car.
For Italy I'm still torn between a low-cost flight or going by train.
How did you estimate your budget?
For the US, I'd asked for reports from students who had gone in previous years. They included a budget estimate, and I agreed on a budget with my parents. But not every family works the same way. If you want to enjoy yourself, it's best to budget for more than just accommodation and food, because outings and city trips are tempting in a country you don't know!
For Italy, it's completely different — I'm getting an Erasmus grant. It helps, but of course it doesn't cover everything! So I took a student job to be comfortable and travel a bit while I'm there.
Did you open a bank account there?
Since I was going for less than 6 months, I didn't open an account in the country, as the fees for opening and closing an account can be higher than the charges you'd save. For the US, I got a credit card to pay in shops. To withdraw cash, I'd asked my bank to activate my Maestro card for the US.
For Italy, Maestro is enough, but I'm taking a credit card just in case.
Did you take out insurance before leaving?
Yes! It's strongly recommended.
I'm a Redion member through the Tempo Long Trip contract. This long-term contract offers cover suited to this kind of extended trip, such as reimbursement of medical costs and repatriation in case of medical problems (of relatives in Belgium), with a return to your destination afterwards.
Want to go abroad as part of an exchange programme or the Erasmus programme? The following links can help you:
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