Thinking about studying abroad? Kauffmanites who have studied abroad offer some advice and comments on their experiences all over the world. Below are some highlights from the information they provided.

To see all the comments submitted by Kauffmanites, download the Study Abroad Responses [pdf].

• Oxford, England
• Bilbao, Spain
• Various Cities, India
• Vina del Mar, Chile
• Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil

• The accommodations were quite nice. In Fortaleza we stayed at a beachfront hotel for 3 weeks. -Kyle
• I stayed in a hostel in Madrid; it was fairly nice and secure. The only problems were that we had to drag big suitcases up these rickety old stairs that I was afraid would break, and we had to be back before 1 am because the owner locked the door then and we would have to wake them up to get in after that. You had to pay extra if you wanted hot water in your shower. But the owners were really nice, and the others staying there were pleasant. -Meagan
• The private dorm room at Oxford was small but nice. -Nila
• My dorm room in Spain was very comfortable. Once I was there, I realized that I would have liked to stay with a family because most people in the dorms weren't comfortable speaking in Spanish so everyone spoke in English and wasted opportunities to practice their language skills. -Meagan
• I lived with 2 other students from the United States in an apartment in Chile. It was tons of fun since we had no curfew and could have people over whenever we wanted, but cooking for yourself can get old after a month or so when your friends living with familes have their meals prepared for them. It's the difference between having someone do things for you and having the freedom to set your own schedule without reporting back to someone. -Meagan

• Email and blogs are a cheap and easy way to keep in touch with people back home - Nila & Meagan
• Travelblog.org worked nicely -Nila
• A cell phone is very handy and well worth it if you are staying for 2 months or longer. -Meagan
• I called home occasionally with a calling card. Don't buy one in the US even if they tell you it can be used for any type of international calling. - Kyle & Meagan

• I used credit cards almost everywhere in Europe, but ATMs were also available everywhere. -Nila
• In Europe I used my ATM card the most for cash and paid for as much as I could with my credit card to save the cash for souvenirs. -Sarah
• I used my ATM card pretty much everywhere. Only a few banks in Brazil accept American credit/ATM/debit cards so do your research and beware of foreign transaction fees from your local bank or credit union. -Kyle
• No credit cards, all traveler's checks converted at banks in India into cash. -Amar
• I went to the ATM about once a week. But it was annoying that Wells Fargo charged me $5 each time I withdrew cash. -Meagan

• An extra water bottle would have been very convenient. -Amar
• I thought that I wouldn't use my camera enough or that it would be stolen or lost. That was definitely a mistake. -Kyle

• When we were in the foothills of the Himalayas, there was this ancient fortress at the top of a hill with a winding, stony path leading up to it. The standard way to get to the fortress was to take an elephant. So our group rented a few elephants, and the group of four-five kids I was with ended up getting on the last elephant. We offered our elephant driver some extra money if he would beat all the other elephants to the top. We passed the first couple drivers easily, but eventually the other kids caught on and we ended up in a little bit of an elephant race. We won by passing the first elephant at the last minute. -Amar
• My cab ride from the airport in Rome to my hotel (it was the first country, and I was NOT prepared for the death-defying drive that is "normal" in Rome). -Nila
• The running of the bulls and the festival around it was crazy. -Meagan
• Skiing in the Andes and horseback riding through the Hills of Pisco Elqui are amazing Chilean experiences. -Meagan

• In Chile: Santiago, Zapallar, Pisco Elqui, Andes Mountains
• Salzburg, Austria
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Tripadvisor.com was a great source. Small, family-run hotels are hard to find, but relatively cheap and always really nice. Flights and hotels are a lot cheaper if you book them in advance. I wish I would have packed fewer clothes. -Nila
• Consider places that aren't the usual Paris or Madrid. Chile is amazing; go there. I loved doing an internship in another country; it proved my competence in a business and technology situation where everyone spoke Spanish. -Meagan
• Start planning early. Make a budget. -Sarah
• Get out of the USA and see the world. It's amazing how closed your world view is until you actually go somewhere else and see it for yourself. -Kyle
• Be careful about the water, be open-minded, bring a good stock of granola/power bars, and don't expect air-conditioning. When you're deciding where you want to study abroad, consider that the real point of the experience is to try out something new. Try to go somewhere where the principal language isn't English, the conditions aren't all first-world, and that you haven't necessarily spent your whole life learning about. You can always take a vacation anywhere in the world; for a study abroad, try to go somewhere where the study aspect of the study-abroad will be most beneficial. Whenever someone says "I'd like to go [some place you've never been]" GO. If you're tired, suck it up, drink some water, eat a power bar, and GO. Don't miss out on going anywhere. -Amar

• Nila: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Nila/
• Sarah: http://www.sadyebabi.com/weblog/archives/cat_europe.html
• Kyle: http://nishu.smugmug.com/
• Meagan: http://unl.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034540&l=29bf3&id=17219373, http://unl.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035345&l=25c33&id=17219373, http://unl.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039041&l=38696&id=17219373