Handy Smartphone Apps for the Well-Prepared Traveller

It seems like one can't go anywhere these days without hearing the familiar ring of an iPhone...!

For those of you with a Smartphone (and this includes everyone in the AIM Overseas office!), there are some awesome apps out there that can help simplify your study overseas experience. Here's a great list of handy Smartphone apps from BootsnAll (article by Greg Banecker).

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/11-12/50-of-the-best-apps-for-indie-travelers.html

Happy travelling!

Photo taken by one of our Intensive Spain in Spain participants whilst travelling in Barcelona

Great travel advice from World Nomads

Hey AIM Overseasers, check out this awesome article from World Nomads on 9 Tips for Soaking up Culture on the Road: http://journals.worldnomads.com/travel-tips/story/81339/Worldwide/9-Tips-for-Soaking-up-Culture-on-the-Road

We can't wait to hear about your travel adventures!

This photo, taken on the European Marketing and Management Program in France, was a finalist in our Facebook photo tag competition earlier this year.

Passport to hassle-free transactions: Sydney Morning Herald article by John Kavanagh

Published in the Sydney Morning Herald on November 30, 2011
Article by John Kavanagh
Access original page here: http://www.smh.com.au/money/passport-to-hasslefree-transactions-20111129-1o3sb.html

Unclouded … buying foreign currency, travellers cheques or a travel card locks in your exchange rate. Photo: Louie Douvis

Should you take credit cards, debit cards, travel cards or travellers' cheques? John Kavanagh does the homework for you.

Australians are flocking overseas in record numbers thanks to a strong Australian dollar. The growing trend has prompted banks and financial institutions to upgrade their travel money services and offer more competitively priced products. It's not surprising given Australians are the biggest travel spenders worldwide.

Each month the Australian Bureau of Statistics calculates what it calls short-term movement resident departures; that's us going overseas for holidays and business trips.

More than 600,000 people a month have hopped on a plane or a boat so far this year. The number was 665,100 in September. That number has been rising steadily over the years. In 2007, a year when people were feeling very prosperous, about 450,000 a month were going overseas. A decade ago the number was about 290,000 a month.
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Australians spent an average of $US3636 during their last overseas trip, making them the biggest travel spenders worldwide, according to a Visa survey published in September.

Australian respondents to the Visa Global Travel Intentions Survey say they are planning an average of three international trips in the next two years, spending an average of 16 nights on their next holiday.

In the financial world, the providers of specialist travel money products are competing hard to capture a share of that fast-growing market.

It has lowered the costs of buying foreign currency and making transactions abroad.

Specialist travel money products and services are also finding their way into everyday transaction and credit card accounts, giving consumers the option of setting up a permanent banking facility that will also cover travel needs.

AMEX BOOTHS

American Express, which has a long-standing agency arrangement with Australia Post for the sale for foreign currency, travellers cheques and travel cards, is now putting its own staff into Australia Post outlets to operate stand-alone Amex service counters.

The first of the new Amex booths opened in the Brisbane GPO this week and the company plans to open 200 of them over the next two years.

Last year Amex launched its GlobalTravel Card, a rival to the Travelex Cash Passport and similar cards offered by banks. Its card has no expiry date and no inactivity fee. There is no commission charge if it is bought at a post office.

Commonwealth Bank has upgraded its Travel Money Card to allow travellers to load multiple currencies on one card.

At the same time, a number of banks have incorporated a wider range of travel and foreign exchange services into everyday transaction and credit card accounts, with the aim of allowing customers to use those accounts when they travel overseas.

EXTRA SWEETENERS

In October, Citibank removed fees for overseas ATM withdrawals, overseas point-of-sale transactions and overseas funds transfers (to other Citibank accounts) from its Citibank Plus Transaction Account.

Citibank launched a new credit card, Signature, which includes international and domestic travel insurance and two airport lounge passes each year.

The card's rewards program includes four points for each dollar spent overseas, compared with 1.5 points for each dollar spent in Australia.

HSBC Bank Australia has launched a 24-hour foreign exchange trading service with live pricing. The service, Get Rate, is for retail and small-business customers. HSBC is claiming its 24-hour live pricing service is a first in the retail and small- and medium-enterprise markets. Available via mobile and online banking platforms, Get Rate offers access to 19 currencies.

In August HSBC launched a Platinum Qantas Visa Card, offering two points for each dollar spent overseas (compared with one point for local purchases), complimentary passes to the Qantas Club, travel insurance and purchase-protection insurance.

The question for travellers is whether they should shop for travel money products or find an everyday transaction account and credit card that will also meet their travel needs.

MIXED WALLET

The head of transaction services at Citibank, Sarah Black, says: "We have a transaction account that you can use anywhere. The proposition we would put to customers is that you don't need other products for travel."

The head of foreign exchange services at American Express, Nick Dinopoulos, says: "When considering a choice of bank transaction account and credit card versus travel money products, a big issue is certainty.''

When you buy foreign currency, travellers cheques or a travel card you have locked in your exchange rate.

"Having the foreign currency locked in allows you to budget and gives you peace of mind,'' Dinopoulos says.

"We recommend a mix. We are the largest wholesaler of banknotes in the Australian market and we can report that cash is king for travellers.

People like it for acceptance and liquidity. And it is cheap - once you have the cash there are no transaction fees.

"Our card product is growing share of wallet. Cheques are declining but are still a powerful product."

One of the significant changes that will result from Amex's move to have its own staff operating sales booths in post offices is that customers will get "instant fulfilment". Under the current agency arrangement, customers order their travel money product and come back a few days later to pick it up.

Now they will get their currency, cheques or card without any delay.

"Customers feel inconvenienced if they have to come back to pick up their travel money," Dinopoulos says.

There is no commission when any of those products are purchased through post offices and that aspect will continue under the new Amex arrangement.

COSTS

The head of retail banking and wealth management at HSBC Australia, Graham Heunis, says he understands that some travellers want the security of knowing exactly how much spending money they will have when they travel.

"For some people, having certainty and the ability to budget is a valid issue,'' Heunis says. ''But others prefer to be able to use their own transaction account and credit card wherever they are. That gives them a lot of flexibility and convenience.

"When I travel, I take a little cash, my debit card and my credit card. We see a growing number of our customers doing it that way."

The head of savings and investments at HSBC, Michael Danby, says customers use the service as part of their travel planning and overseas shopping.

"Customers like the fact that it is the same type of account as their Australian dollar account, with the same online access. You can use it to send foreign currency wherever you like," he says.

Comparison site RateCity says another important issue to consider when choosing from among the various travel money options is the cost of the service.

For travel card users, costs can include a purchase price of as much as $15, reload charges, ATM fees and inactivity fees.

For users of debit cards, costs include currency-conversion fees of as much as 3 per cent (ANZ and Commonwealth Bank) and ATM withdrawal fees of as much as $5.

Users of credit cards also pay currency-conversion fees and ATM fees. However not all card issuers apply these charges.

Travel money tips

❏ Notify your bank before you go.

❏ Some countries have moved to chip technology that requires a PIN, not signatures, for transactions.

❏ Keep a copy of the customer service numbers of your service providers.

❏ Check for daily withdrawal restrictions in your destination.

❏ Do not keep all cash, cards and cheques in one place.

❏ Ensure if you are robbed or lose your wallet you don't lose all your travel money.

❏ Keep a copy of all receipts to check against your statements.

Different countries require different approaches

University student David O'Brian, 22, made his first trip overseas two years ago, when he travelled to England and Europe. Last summer he visited South America and this summer he will be holidaying in Thailand and Cambodia.

For his first trip, O'Brian used a Travel Money Card from the Commonwealth Bank. When he left Sydney he had pounds for his short stay in England and euros for his stay on the Continent.

He found he could use the card everywhere without problems.

For his trip to South America he took US dollars and a travel card. But he took a lot more cash on this occasion because he had been advised that ATMs might be hard to find.

He is still considering how he will organise his money for his trip to Asia. He will visit rural areas in both Thailand and Cambodia and expects that he will need a fair bit of cash.

"I have read some guides that say it is best to have a combination of US dollars and Thai baht,'' he says. ''I'm worried that Asia could be an iffy place as far as security goes, so I don't want to carry a lot of cash.''

But he's not sure about taking a travel card. ''In Europe I probably spent close to $100 on transaction fees,'' he says. ''Unless I'm taking a lot, I don't know if I want to go through the hassle and the expense of a card. I forgot my PIN code a couple of times in Europe.''

O'Brian does not have a credit card. He doesn't like the idea of spending borrowed money. In any case, travelling with friends means if he runs short, one of them can help out.

Different options: fees and features

❏ American Express Global Travel Card. Three currencies available. Costs up to $15 to buy and up to $10 to reload. ATM fees are $US2, €2.20 and £1.25. A distinctive feature of the card is that it does not expire and there are no inactivity fees. Emergency card replacement and cash are available worldwide for peace of mind.

❏ Travelex Cash Passport. Five currencies available. Costs up to 1.1 per cent to buy and 1 per cent to reload. ATM fees are $US2.25, €2.20 and £1.50. Funds may be forfeited if the card expires and there may be monthly inactivity fees. A distinctive feature is the card can be reloaded via SMS. Emergency assistance is available.

❏ ANZ Travel Card. Six currencies available. Costs $11 to buy and 1.1 per cent to reload. ATM fees are $US2.20, €2.10 and £1.25. Funds will be retained by ANZ 12 months after card expiry and there are inactivity fees. Limits apply for daily spending. A replacement card is available at a cost of $35 but there is no other emergency assistance.

❏ Commonwealth Bank Travel Money Card. Nine currencies available. Costs $15 to buy and 1 per cent to reload. There is a $60 card-replacement fee. ATM fees are $2.50, €2.20 and £2. Funds may be forfeited if the card expires and there are inactivity fees. But there are no fees for closure. There are ATM balance inquiry fees and SMS alert fees. Emergency assistance is limited. A feature of the card is that it can load multiple currencies.

SOME GOOD DEALS

❏ The Citibank Plus transaction account has no fees for overseas ATM or point-of-sale transactions.

❏ Other debit cards with no overseas ATM or currency conversion fees include NAB's Gold Banking account, Hume Building Society's All Purpose account and ECU Australia's Access Plus account.

❏ The GE Money 28 Degrees MasterCard credit card has no ATM charges or currency conversion fees.

❏ ING Direct's Orange Everyday transaction account, which is fee-free for local banking, has a low $2.50 charge for international ATMs.

❏ ANZ is developing foreign exchange ATMs that will issue US dollars, New Zealand dollars, pounds and euros.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/money/passport-to-hasslefree-transactions-20111129-1o3sb.html#ixzz1fELjd0LQ

Don't believe everything you hear about Mexico - Chris Regan on studying Spanish in Mexico City

Chris O'Regan did the Intensive Spanish Program in Mexico this January. Chris is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, majoring in Spanish, at the University of Canberra. Chris spoke to us about what it was like studying Spanish in Mexico.

Hi Chris! So tell me about why you chose this program?
I chose this program to add to my experience and also to count to wards my 2nd year of Spanish. I’ve been overseas before but I hadn’t been to Mexico and I wanted to go to a Latin-American country so this seemed perfect. Before going to Mexico, I’d heard people say that it was a dangerous place but it didn’t really faze me too much.

What was a typical day like for you during the program?
You woke up and your Mexican parents had breakfast sitting on the table for you. Then you’d have your breakfast, the host family would join you and you’d chat for a bit. Then you’d walk to school. The first class was Intensive Spanish class for 2 hours. And then you had a little break, followed by a culture class in the afternoon or sometimes a museum visit.

On the weekends we did day trips to other cities or we’d go to museums. If we had time to ourselves we would look around Mexico City itself.

What was the highlight of the trip for you?
I guess the highlight would have been the day-trips – it was great to have the opportunity to see Mexico and to travel around a bit. That was pretty good. I especially loved going to the pyramids as they were very historical. The guy who showed us around was actually a teacher at the university so he had a lot of information on Mexican history and culture. We even got to climb the pyramid – the view was pretty good from up there!

Do you think your Spanish improved much?
It did – I think it improved considerably. It's a lot easier when you’re in an environment where you can actually practice your Spanish and you’re hearing it on TV, on the radio, your teachers are talking in Spanish and everyone around you is interacting with each other in Spanish, instead of English.

Do you have any tips for students thinking of doing this program?
I’d suggest that, if you’re going straight to Mexico, to leave a couple of days to settle in; I got there around 10 o’clock at night so I got to bed after midnight and had to start school at 8am the next day… it was a bit painful!

What kind of insights did you gain into Mexican life and culture?
This program has opened me up to a different culture and different cultural practices. For example, my family in Australia wouldn’t necessary put my breakfast out for me every morning! They really look after their kids in Mexico – kids stay at home with their parents until about 25 and then they get married and their partner moves in with their parents. This experience has really opened my eyes to see that we have a lot of freedom here in Australia compared to what they do in Mexico.

The Mexicans do drink a lot as well! They love their tequila! You can buy tequila from the local supermarket for about $2 – and Corona is really cheap. You can buy a litre of Corona for about 10 pesos or something.


What would you say to someone who’s thinking about doing this program?
Don’t believe everything you hear about Mexico – it’s not as dangerous as what people say it is. It’s more the border cities with the US that there are a lot of problems, but Mexico City isn’t a dangerous place. Especially in the area where the university is and where your housing is, it’s a really middle class place, so it’s not scary at all. It’s a good experience – just go for it!

Thanks Chris!

Learning geography the painful way – Kirra Loh talks about studying International Business and Advertising in France

Kirra (centre) with fellow AIM Overseasers

Kirra Loh is currently completing her final semester of a Business and Commerce degree at the University of Newcastle. Kirra recently chatted to us about what it was like to experience French culture and hospitality whilst studying AIM Overseas’ International Business and Advertising Program as well as sharing a hilarious story highlighting the importance of paying attention in geography class!

Hi Kirra! Tell me a little about yourself and what you’re doing at the moment.
I’m currently studying a bachelor of Business and Commerce at the University of Newcastle, majoring in marketing and accounting. I’ve got this semester to go and then I’ll complete my degree. I’m hoping to find a marketing job once I’ve finished.

Congratulations on almost finishing your degree! Could you tell me about the AIM Overseas program you completed earlier this year and why you chose it?
I completed the International Business and Marketing Program in Tours, France. I chose this program because another one of my friends got accepted into AIM Overseas’ Health Care in Mexico Program and she suggested that there might be a program for me. So I looked up the website and saw the International Business and Advertising program and I thought, “This looks really good!” I think I ended up applying really close to the cut-off date but luckily I got accepted – so it was all really exciting!

Was this your first time overseas?
I’d been to other countries before but not Europe. Also, I’d never travelled without my parents before so it was a little bit daunting when I first left the airport in Sydney, but it ended up being fine.

What was a typical day like for you during the course?
We got a schedule at the beginning of the program and at first we were all like, “Oh yeah, no problem!” but actually it was really demanding and we didn’t have that much free time! We had different modules to complete with different teachers so it was not boring at all because it wasn’t as if we were doing the same thing everyday from 9 to 5.

On a typical day we’d go to ESCEM [the business school] and the school would provide us with lunch. We’d have our classes: half the class would be the AIM Overseas students and the rest were French students, so we’d mix with them. We’d usually do heaps of group work with them and the mix of Australian and French students meant that we got a wider perspective of marketing. In addition to the classes, ESCEM also organised cultural activities for us such as a cooking class, field trips and some survival French lessons, so it wasn’t all just academic stuff.

We had a few free weekends during the program as well. One weekend I went to Bordeaux with two of the guys on the program. Then the next weekend I went to Geneva in Switzerland with the girls from the program. I think most of the others went to Paris and a few of the boys went to Lucerne in Switzerland one weekend as well.

What was it like working with local French students?
It was a bit challenging at times because of the language barrier. I mean, the classes were all in English, but sometimes we’d have difficulty understanding the other students! The French students in our group were quite good and I discovered that some French people don’t like to speak English because they don’t think that they speak well enough. I found this really surprising, and of course we reassured them that it didn’t matter! So I think it was good for us to work with them as it gave us a wider perspective on marketing, and it was good for them as they were able to improve their English by speaking with us.

Did you gain any insight into French culture?
I guess a lot of people think that French people are rude – but in my experience they weren’t at all! Everywhere I travelled, the French were really friendly and it really surprised me. I’ve studied some French before in high school but I’ve forgotten most of it and I was too embarrassed to try to speak it; but it turns out I didn’t even need to speak French because everyone had really good English and was extremely helpful! And as I said before, I found out that the reason why a lot of French people don’t like to speak English is because they think that their English isn’t good enough.

I liked how the French really enjoy their food and their cooking and lunchtime is always a massive, drawn-out affair. They just seem to enjoy life and take it at a slower pace. No one is in a huge rush. Even in Paris, I had expected to see more hustle and bustle, but they had a really relaxed lifestyle. And of course, France really lived up to the hype of having beautiful food, wine, and so on!

Do you have any funny travel anecdotes you’d like to share?
Well during the trip we planned a trip to Geneva, Switzerland. At the time, we didn’t realise that Geneva was so close to the border with France. So we got off the train in Geneva and there were these two signs: one sign for ‘France’ and one sign for ‘Switzerland’; we were a bit confused but we just walked on anyway and had lunch. After lunch, I asked the waitress, “How do we get to our hotel?” She replied, “Ummm... it’s in France. You have to go back over the border.”

At this point we’re all panicking and thinking, “WHAT??!!! We got a train all the way to Switzerland and we’re in the wrong country! Oh my God, WHAT DO WE DO???!!!”

We were so stupid, we didn’t realise it was that close to the border! It didn’t end up taking that long at all, we just had to walk over. *laughs*

So your knowledge of the geography of Europe has definitely improved through this program then?
Ooooh definitely! *laughs* I really love how the countries in Europe are so close to each other and it’s great to go travelling anywhere!

How has this program has changed you?
It’s been really good – I’ve made some great friends and we’ve stayed in contact. Some of the girls from Adelaide have come and stayed in Newcastle and a bunch of us are going to spend a weekend in Melbourne together as well. There was one girl on the program from my uni and I didn’t really know her before but now we’re really good friends and hang out a lot. I think it was a great experience to stay in one country for a longer period of time. In one month in France we were able to truly experience the culture and get a perspective of marketing that I found really different to what we usually learned at uni. We also got to work with French students, which was great.

Lastly, what would you say to someone who’s thinking about participating?
I definitely think it’s a great experience: you meet so many people; it’s a different form of learning compared to just a normal tutorial or lecture in university; it allows you to work with students from a different cultural background; and, you get to experience the culture by living there for a month.

It’s also sparked some interest from employers; for example, I had a job interview recently and during the interview they mentioned, “Oh, you did a short program in France! What was that like?” – so doing a program like this is something you can add to your CV. I think that this was a really good experience and I tell everyone about it!

Thanks Kirra!



In Cheverny doing a wine course (for educational purposes, of course!)


Doing a French cooking course


Just your average, run-of-the-mill building in Tours, where Kirra lived for a month


Kirra and the AIM Overseasers at the conclusion of their farewell dinner

La Vie Francaise: Cynthia Makokha on life in France and embarrassing moments in French bakeries

Cynthia Makokha is an international student from Kenya, currently completing a double degree in Business and Commerce from the University of Newcastle. Cynthia chats to us about accomplishing something on her Bucket List… doing AIM Overseas’ Intensive French Program in France!

Hi Cynthia! Tell me why you chose this course. I chose to do the Intensive French Program in Vichy, France because I’ve always wanted to study French in France. Although French was being offered as a subject in our university, I thought it would be great to do it in France. I was introduced to AIM through a leadership program in my school called iLEAD. AIM Overseas helped me with all aspects of getting there – they were very helpful!

How long had you studied French prior to this program? I had studied it in high school in Africa for five years. I didn’t study French for A levels though because I had to take other subjects to help me get into university. I only managed to get a new fresh start again with my French studies when I went this year in January.

Was this your first time in France? Yes, this was my first time in France. I had always wanted to go there – it was on my Bucket List. Through this course, I got to go and travel and I also got to learn French at the same time – it was like killing two birds with one stone! And I got to meet new people and learn so much about French culture – it was more than just an experience!

What was a typical day like for you on the program? I don’t think I had a typical day because every day there was something new and different! I guess I’d start the day by going to classes from 8 to 12, then there’d be a break for two hours, then classes would continue from 2 to a quarter to 4. After that I’d get a coffee with some friends, we’d chat, then I’d go back home and go on Facebook and catch up with people back home. Then I’d have dinner with friends. During the week there were also all sorts of excursions that the school organised, which was great!

Tell me about something that you discovered about France or French people that you found interesting or surprising.
The fact that they were all so friendly! I mean, you often hear people saying things like, “French people are mean,” or “French people don’t like English-speakers.” But I found this to be a big lie because, from the moment I arrived, I felt very welcomed by the French people.

I had some problems at the beginning of my trip: my flight had been delayed so I didn’t end up leaving home the day that I was supposed to. I couldn’t get in touch with CAVILAM [the French school] because it was the weekend, so I sent an email to Jooliet from AIM Overseas who passed onto CAVILAM that I’d be late. Then when I got to France, it turned out that the workers at the airport were on strike and my bags had not arrived! So I had to contact the lady at CAVILAM to let her know that I’d be late again! And then I didn’t know where to go to take the trains – it was all so crazy! But every single person I asked helped me out. At one point, someone actually helped me carry my bags to the train station. Even on the telephone, when I was trying to fix my SIM card, the lady on the phone was talking to me in a really friendly way, asking me how long I was going to be in France and so on.

That’s when I just realised that a lot of what you hear about countries are just rumours. You have to experience it on your own. I think, so far in my life, French people have been the most polite people I’ve ever met!

Do you have a funny story about your time in France? Well, during my first week in France, I went to a French bakery and I was trying to buy a sandwich. I said to the guy behind the counter, “Okay, I’ll have this sandwich,” and he replied, “Okay, that will be 1 euro and 50 cents.” But I couldn’t understand him because he was speaking French so quickly, so I assumed that he was saying, “Do you want the sandwich toasted?” So I replied, “No.” And he didn’t understand what I was doing, so he kept saying to me, “1 euro and 50 cents,” and I kept on responding, “NO. Thankyou.” This went on for quite awhile; until finally I understood what was going on… and it was so embarrassing!!! *laughs* I turned around and saw all these people looking at me, probably wondering why this girl was refusing to pay one euro and fifty cents for the sandwich. To make things worse, I realised that there were these really good-looking guys to my left who had seen the whole incident as well! After getting my sandwich, I went and hid in the corner for awhile… *laughs*

So did you French level improve a lot by the end of the course? Oui! It really made my French a lot better. If I’d stayed for another six months I’d probably be very fluent by now. The teachers were very good and very specific on what they wanted you to learn. When you’re in class, you’re not allowed to talk in English – you’re not even allowed to ask questions in English, you have to do it all in French. If you don’t understand something, someone else in class can help you – in French. We were all learning together and teaching each other – with the teacher correcting us when we were wrong. C’etait tres tres bon! [It was very very good]. I’d really like to go back to CAVILAM one day and stay for a longer period of time to improve my French.

How has this program changed you? It really made me appreciate different cultures. I had to learn to adapt to a different culture and a completely different environment. Some people [in English-speaking countries] get so frustrated with other people who don’t speak English; but I think going to a foreign country and having to speak a foreign language really teaches you to be patient and makes you understand that it takes time to learn a foreign language.

What would you say to someone else who is thinking of doing this course? I can only say one thing: you should go and experience it yourself. You shouldn’t listen too much to what somebody else says about it as everyone is going to have a different experience of how France is. For me, it was great! It was fantastic! It is a place I would go back to! So I would say – go for it!


Cynthia with her French teacher and her classmates from around the world at CAVILAM


Cynthia congratulating herself after a hard day's work [note: Soldes is French for 'Sales'.]


A photo taken in Clermont, France

From Melbourne to Maastricht - Patrick Hannan talks about living and studying in the Netherlands

Patrick Hannan, a 21 year-old Bachelor of Legal Studies student from LaTrobe University, participated in AIM Overseas’ International Relations in the European Union program in the Netherlands. Patrick talks about his first trip abroad:

Hi Patrick! Tell me about why you decided to apply for this program?
I applied because I fitted the criteria for being eligible and it looked great as I could take this program as an elective and take off a second year subject. I liked the idea of being able to travel to Europe and study whilst I was there.

Was this the first time you’d travelled internationally?
Yeah. I’d never travelled outside of Australia before and hadn’t planned on doing so prior to finding out about this program. I’m not a fan of long flights – that’s the main reason why I never really considered going as far away as Europe or the US. I had friends who’d done long-terms exchanges overseas and it sounded amazing, but I had thought I might as well stay in Australia and think about travelling afterwards, if at all.

Did doing this program change the way you view things?
Yeah, absolutely! I’m completely open to travelling more and can’t wait to go again whenever the chance arises. My fear of flying, or what I thought was a fear of flying, is pretty much gone. I ended up being in Europe for two months in total and I can’t see why I was fearful in the first place.

Tell me about a typical day in Maastricht during your program.
Usually we got up early and we had class from 8.30 until about 1 o’clock. Early on in the program, a couple of others and I invested in bikes because it seemed like the most popular thing to do in the Netherlands. Typically, we’d wait until everyone else had left because it was about a 15 to 20 minute walk to class from the place we were staying, and we’d try to race down and beat everyone else – which some times happened, and sometimes not!

After class we’d usually be free to do what we pleased – we rode around, explored and found stuff to eat. We also did some really cool activities organised by the uni such as exploring these ancient tunnels outside of Maastricht – the “St. Petersburg Tunnels,” I think they’re called. It was really spectacular to see the history and culture in Europe and to see streets that hadn’t changed in hundreds of years. Coming from Melbourne, where most areas are quite new comparison, this was pretty remarkable.

Our short study trips to Brussels and Belgium and Amsterdam and the Hague were another really awesome aspect to the program.

Tell me what was the highlight of the trip for you?
Umm… I can’t pick out one specific highlight but the combination of studying this course and being with a really great bunch of people was great. We were from all different parts of Australia and we all got along really well. I also liked the climate – it’s quite odd, I know, but I like the winter. The overall experience of learning how to live in a new culture all added up to a really beneficial experience.

What did you enjoy learning about as part of the course?
We learnt about how the EU has developed their different pillars – like the European Commission and the European Parliament and the High Court of Justice. Learning this was very exciting because, coming from Australia, we’re just one nation; we’re part of Oceania but we don’t have the same access as countries within the EU do. Learning about the laws and the free movement of people between the different countries within the EU really opened my eyes to the benefits of being part of a supranational economy, unlike Australia.

The in-class discussions were also great; everyone in the class was really engaged. Even outside of class, we had some really great political discussions.

Our lecturer was very thorough in the way he lectured which helped me learn some pretty hard economic concepts, as I didn’t have any background in economics at all.

Do you have any funny travel stories you’d like to share?
The night we spent in Den Haag, a majority of the group of us, maybe 16 or so, went out to look for a place to eat. Anyhow I came across an Italian restaurant, and we went in to enquire on prices. The little old owner spoke rough English and was completely delighted with me bringing him in 16 or so customers after we decided to go in. We were given a couple of tables upstairs, and the owner kept coming back and forth quite excitedly seeing if our needs were being met. At one stage he (I thought) offered me a beer for free which I started to drink but then realised he wanted it back, haha. Anyway he then came back up and started singing in front of us with a microphone in Italian, to all of our surprise, with an accompanying backing track. Then one of the girls in our group said to him that it was someone in our groups birthday (Patryk's, however it wasn't at all) which then led to him getting so excited he went and got an impromptu birthday cake with a sparkler stuck into an orange, turned the lights down, lit the sparkler and sang an impassioned happy birthday to him in Italian... putting us all in hysterics!

Do you have any tips for future students thinking about doing this course?
In terms of travel, definitely plan well ahead. I mean, the program itself is very well-structured and the coordinators are very helpful. But I didn’t plan things well and ended up arriving a day early and leaving a day late. But it you pay attention in the pre-departure session with AIM Overseas, which I found really helpful, then it’s fine. Even for me, as a first time traveller, I didn’t have any problems with not bringing the right thing or anything like that – which is better than how I usually am in Australia!

AIM Overseas were really helpful before we left; I was especially impressed that they came to Melbourne and there was a bit of run-down on how things were going to go.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
Coming from my experience, if you’ve got no plans on going overseas and you’re slightly curious, then definitely look into any of AIM Overseas’ programs because there’s something covering most academic backgrounds.

Or even if you’re thinking of doing long-term study overseas, then I think one of these programs are a great way to get a taste of what five or six months would be like, which is the insight that I got. I decided after I finished that I wouldn’t have been able to do six months, but for one month it’s great! You get a taste of everything – living day-to-day, learning a new culture and getting outside your comfort zone. And in the space of a month you can knock off an elective in your degree. So I think if you’re considering doing it don’t think twice. If you don’t know anything about short-term programs then you should look into it because it’s quite easy to do if you commit yourself.

Thanks for speaking with us Patrick!


Patrick and the AIM Overseasers on a group excursion


Just one of the many historic buildings and monuments one is able to stumble upon when travelling in Europe


Patrick and friends enjoying dinner and drinks after a long day of sightseeing... what a tough life!

"You will develop a love of beer" - Stefanie's 3 weeks in the Czech Republic

Stefanie (centre) with friends in the midst of acquiring a palate for Czech beer

Stefanie Dziadkiewicz is currently in her penultimate year of a Business/Law degree at Victoria University. Stefanie did AIM Overseas’ International Law and Human Rights course in the Czech Republic in January this year. Stefanie took some time out between exams to speak to us about her time living and studying in Eastern Europe:

Hi Stefanie! Tell us why you chose this program.
I chose this program as it appealed to me to knock out a subject overseas and I thought that three weeks in Europe was just perfect – and then I spent a month afterwards travelling around Europe, which was awesome!

What was a typical day like for you during the program?
We got up at about 7.30-8 most days. We had classes from Monday to Thursday from 9 until 12.15, with a short break in-between. I was fortunate enough to share my room with a lovely girl from the University of Canberra and we’ve become really good friends since. We started walking around the local neighbourhood a couple of times a week to burn those eastern European calories! We were fortunate enough to have a little supermarket across the road so we would go and buy some fresh pastries before class.

After class, everyone met in the cafeteria – we all got along really, really well – and we’d discuss the afternoon activities together. Then we’d do some shopping, we’d go to the ballet, go ice-skating… Brno’s a great town with lots to explore and so much to do!

Every Tuesday, Masaryk University planned some activities for us: for example we visited the Ombudsman’s office and the Constitutional Court. The university also planned some traditional Czech dinners for us a couple of times a week, which was really cool.

Thursday nights always consisted of packing because every Friday, Saturday and Sunday we had our weekends away, which were just amazing! [As part of the program, the host university organises weekend trips away for AIM Overseas students] On our first weekend, we went to Prague; the second weekend we went to Budapest; then the third weekend we went to Vienna to visit the United Nations, which was a definitely highlight for me.

Why was it a highlight for you?
I love the United Nations and just love the organization as a whole. We did a tour and we had some lectures on human trafficking and it was just amazing to see the organization from an internal perspective. I’ve been to the United Nations in New York before so I wanted to see even more, I guess!

How was doing this program different to learning about the same things in a classroom in Australia?
It was totally different! We had three fantastic lecturers who were so knowledgeable and very, very experienced in all of their fields. I found the content really interesting. We had lectures as we do back home in Australia but I just found the content to be so much more interesting and coming from a more worldly perspective with respect to topics such as genocide and human rights, instead of presenting only an Australian perspective. It wasn’t all just textbooks and lecture notes – we engaged in really interesting discussions and I found it to be a very open environment.

What was it like living in the Czech Republic?
We lived in Brno for the 3 weeks and I absolutely loved it! It felt like home to us; whenever we came back from our weekends away it was like returning to our comfort zone.

We lived on campus – literally about 3 to 4 minutes walk from where the Law faculty was. I was really impressed with the student residence and where we were living – it was a 12 or 13 storey building with all these Masaryk University students. There was a pizza place downstairs as well where we’d all congregate. I had always wanted to live on campus so it was my dream come true I guess!

Do you have any funny anecdotes from your trip?
I wasn’t actually there but I heard about this happening to one of the girls in the group: she was on a tram in Brno and she was commenting on how cute another passenger’s dog was; she was saying that she wanted to buy the dog and asked another student jokingly about how to say in Czech, "How much is your puppy?" The owner of the puppy then turned around and said in English, "She's not for sale." Everyone had a joke about how it should be assumed that lots of people speak English in the Czech Republic.

Do you have any travel advice or tips about living in Brno for future students?

I would tell students to seize everyone opportunity! As soon as class is over, maximise your day. Study, of course, but really maximise your time in Eastern Europe. It’s just such a fantastic opportunity and I would highly recommend it to any Australia university student.

Do the study prior to classes and look through the lecture notes – that will really help you in the class discussions.

Pack light because everything’s cheap and shopping is amazing over there!

You will develop a love of beer! I didn’t like beer prior to this trip but, I mean, it’s 80 cents for a really big pot of beer so you will definitely come to like beer, so get your palate acquired to beer!

What would you say to someone who’s thinking of doing this program?
Definitely, definitely do it! It’s such an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine travelling with undertaking such an interesting course in a European city, especially in winter and being surrounded by beautiful mountains and snow… it was just amazing! You get to immerse yourself in Czech culture and Eastern European culture, meet great people and learn some really interesting concepts. You get to learn some new languages. You get a grant from the Australian Government* and possibly from your university and you get to knock a subject out so it’s definitely a win-win situation all-round!


During a weekend trip to Prague


Masaryk University, Stefanie's home for 3 weeks this January


The view from Stefanie's room in Brno, Czech Republic


*Some students might be eligible for a $5611 OS-HELP loan from the Australian Government. Email info@aimoverseas.com.au or go to the OS-HELP website for more information.

Temporary Accommodation

Most students like to arrive at their program city a day or two before their program begins. This helps to adjust to a new timezone and gives the chance to get oriented in a new city.

Many programs will have accommodation arranged for you just before and just after the course begins (check with us for details), but you may need to book some temporary accommodation either before or after your program.

We recommend that you book accommodation through Hostel World who's booking engine allows you to book one of 20,000 hostels in 170 countries. Great for your post-program travels too!

Frequent Flyer Points

When you fly it is normally possible for you to accumulate frequent flyer points.

Definitely sign up for the frequent flyer program of the airlines you fly! The cost of the program is calculated in your airfare, so you should make the most of it!

Frequent flyer points are points that you receive for each mile you fly (normally you get 1 point for each mile you fly) as long as you have booked an airfare that is eligible for frequent flyer point accrual. These days, many of the super special airfares don't accumulate points, but then again you are getting a great price!

The more you fly with a particular airline, or airline network, the more points you earn which can then be redeemed for free flights. Trust us, this is worth doing! We have earned free flights to Europe, New Zealand, Asia and New Caledonia over the years!

Airline Networks
Most airlines these days are part of airline networks.

Airlines in these networks have agreements so that if you have your frequent flyer points with, say, Singapore Airlines (Star Alliance network) and fly with another airline in the network, you will still accumulate points towards your Singapore Airlines account.

The major networks are:

Star Alliance: Our preferred network which includes the best airlines and most destinations worldwide.

Airlines include: Singapore Airlines, Thai Airlines, United Airlines, Scandinavian, Lufthansa, Swiss, South African Airways, US Airways, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Air China and many more.

One World: The One World network includes Qantas, British Airways, LAN Chile and Japanese Airlines (JAL) amongst others. Not a bad network.

Sky Team: The much smaller Sky Team network includes Air France, KLM, Delta, Aeromexico, Korean Air and China Southern. The network does not have good links into Australia.

Useful Frequent Flyer Point Resources

Webflyer: Mileage Calculator to help work out how many points you'll earn for certain flights and lots of other forums and tools.

Flyer Talk: Lots of forums and information about Frequent Flyer programs.

How to Book Flights

Everyone likes to find the best price on their airfare - that's totally natural! Here is how we go about booking our flights when we travel internationally.

1. Work out the dates you want to travel
Check out our post about working out when you should arrive at your host institution.

2. Check out a couple of sites online to get an idea of prices
Online sites are getting easier and easier to use in order to search for international airfares.

The two sites that we use are:
Expedia.com.au
and
Zuji travel

These sites are great because you can search as much as you like and it is very easy to book. They are very powerful in that they can search multiple airlines (and sometime multiple destinations) at once.

3. Choose your preferred airline and search their website
Once you've used the search engines to identify suitable airlines, go directly to the airline's webpage and check the price they offer for the same flight.

Usually the price will be the same or similar as the online travel search engines (see step 2). If so, we will often book using Expedia or Zuji just to have the support of another organisation behind us if something were to go wrong with our travel plans (i.e. you can ask them to sort out changes for you instead of having to deal with the airline yourself).

4. Finally, go to a travel agent to compare prices
A good travel agent may be able to find other flight routings, airlines or dates that help make your flight cheaper or easier. However, if the travel agent doesn't come back with a better price we always book online.


AIM Overseas' recommended airlines
Finally, here are the airlines that we usually fly. Of course, it all depends where you want to go!

To Europe: We fly Singapore Airlines whenever possible.
The cheapest way to fly to Europe is to fly Air Asia X to London via Kuala Lumpur. Note this is a discount carrier, so your flights will be efficient and no-frills.

To North America: We recommend V Australia. New planes and great service make this the best way to get to the USA. You may need to book onward flights separately.

To Asia: Lots of airlines fly to Asia, so who we fly depends on where we need to go.
Singapore Airlines is our choice carrier, though we've also had great experiences on Thai, Asiana and Cathay Pacific.

Air Asia X is most often the cheapest way to fly to Asia cities, connecting via Kuala Lumpur.

To South America or Africa: There aren't many direct options from Australia to these destinations and you'll most likely end up on Qantas.

Round the World: The beautiful round-the-world option is a great way to see heaps for a great price. We strongly recommend the Star Alliance network which incorporates many of the world's best airlines and gives you access to the widest range of destinations on a single round-the-world itinerary.

Also check out our post on frequent flyer points.


Other Useful Online Tools

Here are some other tools that you'll find very useful when booking flights:

Seat Guru: A MUST to check out EVERY TIME YOU TRAVEL. Seat Guru has reviews of every seat on every type of plane for every airline. This allows you to check if you have been given a good seat or a crap seat by your travel agent or when you check-in online.

Seat counter: For people who know what they're looking for - find how many seats are still available in particular booking classes for flights.

When should I arrive at my host institution?

A common question is 'When should I plan to arrive at my host institution?'

Here is a guide.

1. Check what day your program begins

Most often, programs actually begin on a Monday with classes, meaning that the arrival day for the program will be the Sunday before classes begin. For some programs, however, the arrival day is either the first Monday of the program or even the Saturday before, so read your program information carefully.

2. Plan how much time you want to allow for pre-program sightseeing and adjusting to time difference
We normally recommend that students arrive in the correct time zone at least 2 days prior to the start of their program. This allows for plenty of time to adapt to the rhythm of being in a different country, culture and time zone - your body will definitely appreciate having the time to adjust to the new sights, sounds, smells and sleeping pattern!

Most students also like to plan on some time to do some travelling before or after their program. Remember that you'll definitely meet people on your program, so travelling at the conclusion of your program allows you to plan trips with new friends.

3. Ensure you know when you are able to move into your accommodation

Finally, make sure you've checked when you are able to move into your program accommodation and that you've got the address with you. In the case that you'll be brought to your accommodation as part of a group, make sure you've noted the meeting place for the group and know how to get there. Google Maps is a great way to be able to find locations in Australia and abroad.

4. Book your flights accordingly

Book your flights according to what you have worked out to be your ideal date to arrive. If you want further advice, you can always contact AIM Overseas and we're happy to help!
Check out our post on booking flights here.

Arriving in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur International Airport is located about 75km from the city centre - quite a haul as international airports go. The airport itself has three times won 'World Airport of the Year' in the definitive annual Skytrax poll.

There are two main ways to get from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to downtown Kuala Lumpur: train or taxi.

A train will set you back about 35 Malaysian ringgit, about AUD$14, and the express service takes you all the way to KL Sentral station in about 35 minutes with no stops. See the KLIA Ekspress website for more information.

Once you get off at KL Sentral you'll then either need to connect onto public transport or take a taxi to your final destination in the city.

A taxi will cost you roughly double the train but will, of course, take you right to where you want to go.

Taxi tariffs from the airport to the city centre are fixed according to 'zones'. It currently costs about 70 MYR (AUD$30) for a taxi right to your destination. As soon as you pass through customs you'll find a desk selling tickets for the taxis. Pre-purchase your taxi ticket here. Make sure you get the 'budget' option ticket as they have a tendancy to automatically sell you the 'luxury' option if you're not paying attention (which costs more than double!)

The taxi ride will take about an hour to cover the 70km, all depending on the state of traffic as you get into the centre of KL. Taxis in KL are safe and you should have no issues from the airport. Tipping is not required.

Tipping in America

An intro to tipping in the USA

Like many before me, by the time I finished uni I was absolutely hanging to get on a plane and get the heck out of Australia. Not that we don’t love our great suntanned country, but travelling just gets in your blood and makes you want to go…

I decided partway through my last year that I was going to bail over to the USA to do a working holiday. I planned that I would go and work in a bar in the little town of Knoxville, Tennessee, where I had a couple of good drinking buddies that I’d met when they were studying in Oz.

After arriving in Los Angeles on a group flight with about a hundred other Aussies, we were promptly loaded onto buses and taken to a hostel located in Inglewood, one of LA’s main ‘ghetto’ areas. I could tell you lots of stories about that particular stay, but the one that’s most relevant was that it was where I got my first introduction to tipping in the USA.

So here goes….

Americans love to tip. It’s part of the culture and any cultural ‘orientation’ to the country will certainly cover the topic. You can just imagine 100 of us Aussies all crammed into one little hostel in an LA ghetto, too afraid to go outside on the streets, deciding we’d just drink at the hostel bar.

And you can also imagine the sheer pleasure of a bartender, absolutely stoked to be over-tipped by 100 Aussies all wanting to look like they knew what they were doing.
We didn’t and they were, if you get my meaning.

For the uninitiated, tipping in the USA can be a complex, counter-intuitive process, carefully linked to percentages of the bill, quality of the service, type of the establishment and your future intentions.

I worked in a restaurant/bar for 5 months and came to understand the system well, so let me try to explain.

General Rules

Minimum wage in the US in some service industries (waiting, bartending etc) is absolutely crap and these people rely on your tips to make a living.

Here are some of the services you should expect to tip for and an indicative amount:

• Restaurants – 15% tip required
• Bars – Tip of a dollar or two per drink, depending on the cost: More expensive = Higher Tip
• Taxis – Round upwards up to 10% of the fare.
• Hairdressers – Up to 10%
• Anyone carrying your luggage/bags/groceries - $1-2

Remember – the more expensive the establishment, the more you are likely expected to tip (in % terms).

Restaurants

When you go to a restaurant, ‘service’ is not included in the cost of your bill i.e. the waiters basically aren’t being paid by the restaurant but directly by you. You should always tip 15% of the bill to the waiter unless they were genuinely rude, terrible or truly diabolical….and I do mean truly diabolical. Tipping less than 10% will probably see you chased out of the restaurant, so if you do leave less than 10% be sure to make a quick, discrete exit!

If you get great service then consider tipping more – 20% is a good tip, 25% is very generous and 30% is awesome. Tip service accordingly. Yes, it’s painful to begin with but you do get used to it – just bear in mind when you’re ordering that everything on the menu is at least 15% more than what you see.

The easy way to work out 15%? Round the bill to the nearest dollar, divide by 10, then halve that amount and multiply by 3 and round up or down according to taste. Sound stupid?

1. $26.80 - Round up to $27
2. Divide by 10 = $2.70
3. Divide by 2 = $1.35
4. Multiply by 3 = $4.05 or rounded to a nice $4 tip

Bars

When I was in New York I met a couple of Aussies who had been out boozing all afternoon and well into the evening. I remember asking them how much they tipped after each drink and they told me,
‘Nah we didn’t do that – we just left a couple of bucks on the bar at the end of the night!’

Tipping in bars can be the most difficult of all, so here’s my advice.

Tip as you go
Unless you are running a tab, you need to tip after each drink. Drinks less than $10 you generally round up to the dollar, or extra dollar.

If it’s busy and you don’t tip, or don’t tip well, you might find it difficult to get your next drink.

Be generous upfront
If you are likely to go to one place many times (i.e. it’s your local bar), be generous! Bartenders will always reward the best tippers with the best service. On a crazy busy Friday night at your local joint this cannot be underestimated!

My favourite tactic when I knew I was going to be drinking in the same bar all evening was to hit the bartender with an awesome tip when I bought my first drink.

I would give them a $10 tip on a $10 round – at which point any bartender would raise their eyebrows when I refused their change. I then would say ‘Keep it, but just keep an eye out for me tonight’. Guaranteed that bartender would spot me even if it was 5 deep at the bar.

You still need to tip on each subsequent drink, but just leaving the standard dollar or two is fine.

It might sound like heaps of cash, but over the course of a long evening, you’ll save plenty of time and hassles at the bar – guaranteed. And if you’re ever back, you’re guaranteed first class service from that bartender.

If you want to play it even smarter, pool with your mates for a great tip at the start of the night with one of the roaming waiters/waitresses that work the floors of busy nightclubs. Tables at bars mean big money for them – tip big at the start of the night and you’ll always be well looked after.

Taxis

I always found tipping taxi drivers the most irritating, since they already do okay from driving and you don’t always get great service. Taxis are one place where if they weren’t a good driver they got a crap tip – let’s be honest, unless it is a very small town you’re in it’s unlikely you’ll ever get that driver again.

Less that $5 – round it up to the nearest $ or 50c.
$5-10 - $1 tip
$10-20 - $2 tip
$20-30 - $2-3 depending on how friendly they were
$30+ leave up to 10%. More if they were really great or if you’ve asked for special assistance (i.e. they had to wait for you, helped you with bags etc).

Final words

Tipping takes a bit of practice and a little bit of maths to get right. Consider it like a tax that’s not written on the menu or meter but that has to be paid – nobody likes a tax cheat and a good tip is the best reward for good service.

Health and Safety in Mexico City*

When it comes to safety and security, Mexico City has traditionally gotten a pretty bad wrap but, having just spent more than a week in the capital city, this seems more than a little unfair.

Before the time I first went to Mexico City in 2008 I had heard horror stories of tourists being mugged, falling victim to dodgey taxi drivers and other scams. On that trip, as on this trip, it became very clear that whilst that may have been the case in Mexico City 10 years ago it is certainly not the case now.

Over the past week we have wandered extensively around Mexico City, from the tourist areas to the backstreets, from early in the morning to late at night. We've taken taxis, buses and the metro, and done a lot of walking and at no point at all did we feel unsafe.

In fact, we felt very safe.

The Mexican Government has done a great job in cleaning up a lot of the problems that existed in the past, especially in the main tourist areas. You will always see plenty of police around, including at night, as well as private security contractors. In addition, there are always so many people around that normally one's greatest worry is a talented pickpocket.

The Mexican people's no. 1 election issue: Seguridad (Security) - so there has been a lot of political will to make people feel safe!

Like any big city anywhere in the world, there are areas of the city that you shouldn't go. That's fine, because they are areas you've got no reason to go to or that would be unusual just to wander into. And like any big city there are certain things you should do to increase your safety and security - and these rules apply anywhere in the world, not just in Mexico City.

A few tips to increase your safety and security when you're travelling:

1. Travel in packs - particularly at night.
2. If you're heading for a night out, look out for one another, don't get plastered and think ahead to work out how you're going to get home.
3. Phone for taxis, pick them up at official cab ranks or ask hotels/restaurants to call them for you. Don't hail taxis off the street.
4. Don't take the green VW 'beetle' taxis in Mexico City.
5. Don't carry large sums of money and carry a 'throw' wallet - one with a little money and some useless ID (like that expired library card you've been meaning to get rid of anywhay) that you can just hand over in the unlikely event you do get into trouble.
6. As much as possible, leave your real valuables - passport, that expensive-looking watch, or bling-bling ring - at your accommodation....as long as your accommodation is secure of course (i.e. not a backpacker hostel)
7. Don't take the metro late at night, especially not alone.
8. Be aware of your personal space, particularly in crowds or on a busy metro or bus - pickpockets operate all over the world. Your wallet sticking out of your back pocket in a busy place is an invitation - carry it in your front pocket and try to be aware if anyone is in your 'space'.
9. Don't carry valuables overtly (like laptops, expensive jewellery or cameras) - put them in a backpack.

As I say, these are just general rules that you can follow anywhere in the world.

We've got a couple of friends who have been living in Mexico for the past few years and when I asked them about health and safety they told me the following:

"You're probably more safe in Mexico city as a foreigner than as a Mexican. If Mexicans saw something happening to a tourist they would most likely react very strongly against the perpetrator because tourism is such an important industry for the country. A local wouldn't necessarily receive the same support"

It was also easy getting around just in English, or with just a few words of Spanish (like hello, goodbye, thank you and counting from 1-10).

The long and short of this is don't let outdated stereotypes put you off Mexico - this is a wonderful country to visit and Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico City) is a great place to visit and study.

Health Care in Mexico

There is a range of health care facilities in Mexico City - including doctors, public and private hospitals.

The Australian Embassy has a list of English-speaking doctors in the city who are available for consultations. These doctors also cover a range of specialities if one needs more than a General Practitioner.

The private hospitals in Mexico City are some of the finest in Latin America or North America. As travel insurance is mandatory for students taking AIM Overseas programs, students should never have a problem in having access to world-class care whilst living and studying in this city.

Most medications are available over-the-counter at local pharmacies, without a prescription, although there are a range of 'restricted' medications that require a script from a doctor.Not-prescription medications, such as painkillers, cold and flu tablets etc etc are readily available and much less expensive in Mexico than elsewhere in the world.

If you have a regular medication that you take, it is always best to bring a supply of it with you that will last long enough for the duration of your stay (along with a note from your doctor explaining what the medication is for if you need to explain to local authorities). Having the packaging of your medication with you will allow local medics/pharmacists to issue you with an alternative medicine if your exact medicine is not available.

Health and Safety at La Salle University

AIM Overseas runs a number of programs at La Salle University in Mexico City - here are a few comments on Health and Safety at this fine institution.

La Salle University's main campus is located in the fantastic 'La Condesa' area of Mexico City. This is one of the best areas of the city - crammed full of restaurants and bars, tree-lined streets and activity.

Students on programs in Mexico City at La Salle will stay in homestay accommodation in La Condesa, within about 10 minutes walk of the university. The reality is that since the area is so funky, students will most likely end up eating and going out close to home - eliminating a lot of the headaches related to getting home at night.

La Salle has worked with their host families for many years - and during this time they have identified and retained the best possible families so the chances of you having a negative experience with your homestay family are very slim.

The University itself is incredibly secure. Other than being located in a very safe area, students need to have their student card in order to pass through security and enter the campus - there are always security personal on the campus, as well in the surrounding streets (including motorcycle patrols), ensuring that the area is totally secure.

The campus is wonderful - inside students will not only find all the facilities they need to study (such as library and computers) but also many of the facilities that make life more comfortable: they have a first rate gym, swimming pool and places to eat - all accessible to students on AIM Overseas programs. Most importantly, they also have a bank and ATM machine inside the campus itself, probably the most secure place in Mexico City for students to conduct their banking transactions.

La Salle University is amazing and people will feel right at home there. They also have an English-speaking doctor on call 24 hours a day - so you will never have to worry about not having access to the best possible attention or about having to explain your problem in a foreign language.

All students also get given the 24 hour contact details for staff at La Salle if there is ever a health or safety issue day or night.

So do it! Go there! Mexico City is an amazing place, full of history, culture, stunning architecture and great places to see - be prepared, but don't be put off by outdated rhetoric.

For opportunities to study overseas in Mexico, visit www.aimoverseas.com.au

_____________________________________________

*Note: this blog entry does not constitute official health and safety or travel advice. For this you should always seek official government advice - see www.smarttraveller.gov.au