Travel agencies can provide advice on special student flights and discounts, student tours, accommodations, and rail passes. If you are arranging your own transportation, check with several agencies to compare fares. Compare the price of an open-ended ticket, in which you return at any point within a specified length of time, with the price of a ticket bearing a stated return date. Foreign government tourist offices, consulates, and embassies provide a variety of free literature about travel to their particular countries. Rail passes, such as the Eurail and Britrail, offer unlimited train travel for periods of one week to three months.
Student housing is difficult to find almost everywhere.
Often the choices are few. Many universities have strict quotas for the number of rooms allotted to foreign students. Generally, foreign students live in apartments, pensions, student hostels, or with families. Be sure to find out from your study abroad program representative whether securing housing is the student'sresponsibility, then check on the available alternatives. Apply early for a U.S. passport.