Start Now:

• Make sure you have a valid passport. If not, apply for one immediately at a post office. If you have a passport, make sure it is valid at least 3 months AFTER your return to the States. http://www.usps.com/passport/
• Decide if you will travel before and/or after the program dates. If you will be staying in Schengen States (most of Europe except UK and Croatia) longer than 90 days, you will need to apply for a long-stay visa.
• Buy additional medical/health insurance for any overseas travel beyond or prior to the program dates at the Study Abroad Office for $1.25/day. Print out your HTH registration card and carry a copy with you.
• Research airline tickets and book early to get a good price. You can use the internet ( www.kayak.com or other trusted travel websites) or call Travelcraft (1-800-777-2723), or any other travel agent.
• Prepare for being away: Fill out forwarding mail forms at the Post Office, arrange to pay bills via internet, let your friends know you’ll be gone.
• Decide how you will communicate with your family and friends. For example, have them download Skype on their computers. If they want to call you on a cell/mobile, prepare to buy one in Prague, and they need to be sure that their telephone service provider has a deal or good rate for international calls to cell phones.
• Contact your credit card company and let them know how long you'll be in Prague and your itinerary of other travels. Make sure that your credit card company is a participant in the Emergency Replacement Program (meaning that they will immediately send a replacement to Prague if the card is lost or stolen).
• Get in good physical shape: walk a lot, break-in a pair of good walking shoes, eat healthy, drink planty of water.
• Put all important documents (passport, ISIC/student ID, Driver's License, HTH insurance card, copies of prescriptions (eyeglasses and medicines), important telephone numbers (both from home and for the Prague Institute), instructions on how to get to the hotel in Prague and the Prague Institute) in a safe place so that you will have them ready to go.