Our youngest child will be studying for a semester in Dublin this spring. What are some essentials that would be good for her to have?
essentials for student studying abroad in Dublin spring
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Lots of money! I just had a Dublin layover for my work last month with the airlines and thought that it was a very expensive city since I was last there.
Rain gear;family pictures,ziplocks,Ireland travel guides and a general Europe guide book for weekend traveling.
Wheeled carryon or back pack that can be used for weekend traveling-read small as the discount airlines charge alot for carryons and checked bags.
At the shops in many European countries a 4-digit pin code is required when using a debit/credit card. Check with your daughters bank to make sure she can get one.
Ocer the counter cold and flu remedies like NyQuil tablets are handy to have.
Rain gear-definitely.
A small wheeled suitcase or backpack for weekend or longer travel.
A packable quick dry towel.
Silk long john set to ward off the potential cold and damp.
A good attitude.
Her accomodations in Ireland -- and in every other country where she might study abroad -- are likely to be very different from what she is used to in her North American dorm or student residence.
Temperature is one issue nicely covered above. Another is a need to buy things like hairdryers in the country. Electronics like computers will work fine with an adapter plug but not anything that heats, at least not reliably. There are likely to be fewer outlets in her room than at home, the bathroom will be different, the library is likely to be open fewer hours, and people have a different idea of what is good to eat and fun to do.
You don't say how young she is, but most social life revolves around pubs and bars and she will be able to drink legally. Does she know how to handle that?
This will almost certainly be the most important part of her college experience. Hope she has a great time!
My daughter did a study abroad semester in Dublin a few years ago and I think she would agree with all the advice above (although she would never be caught dead in a pair of long johns--silk or not.)
Encourage her to take advantage of any free time she has to explore Dublin, Ireland and Europe, even it's on her own. My daughter found that her roommates and classmates were not as interested in touring/traveling as she was, so she did a lot of this on her own and she felt perfectly safe doing so. (She just used common sense when traveling alone.) She found the Tourist Information office to be a great resource for touring in Dublin/Ireland and she SWEARS by Hostels.com. She said that the information they provide on this website is invaluable and that it's worth the small booking fee to book through them.
Has she ever traveled to Europe before? If not, she needs to understand that although everyone speaks English - everything will be different (starting from how you cross a street - look the Other way).
Also - she needs to understand that everything will be more expensive - sometimes a lot more. (Local beer and wine are usually inexpensive, but hard liquor and mixed drinks are often VERY expensive due to taxes.)
I suggest she get hold of a Let's Go guide for Ireland and Europe and have a look at the Thorn Tree section of the Lonely Planet website - to get the important info from a student point of view.
Take a look at STATravel.com. It is geared toward students traveling abroad, and offers some group tours.
A friend's daughter was in Dublin for a semester, and she was a bit disappointed that other students were not especially interested in traveling. Most of them spent a lot of time in the pub scene in Dublin. Your daughter might want to look into some weekend trips and activities.