The Costs They Forgot to Tell You About

I'm super excited to study abroad in East Sussex, England but there are a lot more costs that cropped up after I decided to go officially. It comes in that 80 page book they expect you to read...okay okay I may have read most of it!

Some of them may be pretty simple and you may think"well, duh..." but here is what I found going through the process.

1) Passport

As you may have guessed, I didn't have a passport before November and I needed to go and get one (can't fly to England with an enhanced driver's license!). I had to get the works. First you pay for the passport, $140.  Then the execution fee, another $25.  The picture, $10. And finally, the money order to be able to send the money to the government, I think this was about $5. This brings the grand total to $180.00. Wow.

Renewing it alone is $140!

2) Luggage

A good set of 3 piece luggage for a new traveler is around $90 from JCPenny (which is rebranded itself! I'm loving their new logo). Be careful about your allowed size for your flight too! I have a piece of luggage that came in the set that is too large!

3) Cell Phone

Don't EVER bring your own cell phone over. I thought I would just add the international plan and be done with it. NOPE. It was about $30 per month ON TOP of my regular bill and then add 99 cents per minute. How about just getting data? THINK AGAIN! That was an additional $20 to the data plan you are currently paying for and you only have access to about a megabyte.  Go for a disposable phone when you get overseas for emergency purposes only . Much cheaper, $20 - $50.

4) How much your University will actually pay for the program / Deposit
My study abroad program is through Queens University, RIT didn't offer a program that allowed me to stay in England for the amount of time I desired or at the right time.  I thought cool, going through a Canadian University will be a bit cheaper because of the conversion. I also looked at what my University gave me in scholarships and the scholarships themselves could pay for it.  When I was going through the whole business with Financial Aid however, they told me they could only pay for a percentage of my scholarships. Even if I went on co-op during the Spring.  (The Financial Aid is different than the academic year, beginning in the summer and ending in the Spring).  I had to pay the $1000 deposit by myself and then they added another kicker to the equation... they would only pay for tuition, not room and board.  So it was an uphill battle to get the money.  I ended up taking out my government loan for the Spring so I could pay my room and board and the remainder of my tuition for England. Total cost out of pocket: $1000 and applying to as many scholarships as I possibly can.

5) ATM fees. Obviously, overseas will not have the same banks as we do, so there will be withdrawal fees. Take out large amounts of money if you are taking out of the ATM to avoid paying the fee each time. HSBC is in England but they just sold all of their banks in NY and CT off (just my luck) to First Niagara...Yes, HSBC they defiantly have the same services, thanks for screwing over your customers. Watch out for foreign transaction fees on credit cards too!

This is just to name a few. There are a ton more.

My advice?  Always plan to spend more than you do and look for little money savers.  Though it may be stressful now, get as many jobs or work as many hours as you can to help pay for the extra costs.

Remember to pack lightly!

19 more days and I am so terrified and excited!