While Abroad

While the Study Abroad Office is available 24-7 via Loyola’s Campus Safety 24-hour line at 773.508.SAFE (7233), your best resource while abroad will be the on-site staff at your affiliate or exchange/direct-enroll program partner or the faculty leader and in-country support. 

It’s important to do adequate preparation before studying abroad by reviewing your CISI Medical Insurance and other resources, reflecting on your identities abroad, and understanding general emergency procedures and safety precautions abroad.

Studying abroad presents an exciting opportunity for you to learn about and participate in a culture which may differ significantly from your own. You may think of someone’s culture as the foods they eat, the languages they speak, or the clothes they wear. These surface level markers of culture are some of the first things you are likely to notice when you are abroad. However, the more time you spend in your host country, the more likely you are to notice the less obvious signs of its culture. Things like attitudes to personal space, tolerance for uncertainty, attitudes surrounding time and punctuality, body language cues, and more can have strong roots in a person’s culture (PBS Learning Media, 2025).  

One of the first things you can do to facilitate your adaptation to this new culture is to become aware of some of the differences that you are likely to face. For further learning about culture: 

• The Cultural Iceberg Model is a great representation of examples of cultural elements you might experience abroad. 
• This Cultural Comparison Tool allows you to compare multiple countries’ cultures side by side. 
• Your local program staff or your study abroad advisor can provide additional support as you learn about your host country. 

Your views and experiences in your host country are likely to change as you journey throughout your time abroad. It is common for you to experience “ups” and “downs” and even for these highs and lows to follow patterns over time.  

Your journey to cultural adaptation might look something like this 

Honeymoon – Initially upon arriving abroad, you may experience high levels of excitement and curiosity. What is new and different may be perceived with positivity and enthusiasm. You may find yourself idealizing your host culture and embracing the differences it presents (State.gov, 2025).  

Struggle – Navigating language barriers, coping with unfamiliar systems, and establishing new relationships and routines can cause feelings of frustration and disorientation to emerge. You may have heard of the phenomenon known as “culture shock,” however this term may not fully describe your experience. Instead of facing a single or particularly dramatic “shock,” you may find yourself facing a smaller series of events in which you expect one outcome but are faced with another. You might think of these as cultural misunderstandings or cultural “bumps” (Archer, 1991). Experiencing these cultural bumps can make you acutely aware of the challenges of living abroad. If you notice persistent and concerning changes to your baseline mood or experience other signs of distress, please seek guidance from your program staff or the Study Abroad Office. 

Cultural Adaptation – In time, you may find a more balanced perspective on your life abroad. With this comes an ability to maintain awareness of the cultural differences you experience, but to view them objectively, without attaching value judgments to them. In this stage, you may still experience challenges but now find yourself equipped with the knowledge and skills to confront them effectively (State.gov, 2025). 

While it can be instructive to break the process into distinct phases, your journey may be more nuanced. You may experience highs and lows within each phase or find that no single phase perfectly describes your experience at any given time. As you journey through the cultural adaptation process, consider the following strategies to support your wellbeing:  

• Keep in touch – Maintaining connections with loved ones at home can be a powerful source of support. 
• Take care of your body – Adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition support not just your physical health, but also your mental health and resiliency. 
• Challenge your comfort zone – Meeting new people, practicing new languages, and maintaining an openness to new experiences can fuel your learning and connect you to new support systems.  
• Allow yourself to make mistakes – Mistakes can serve as learning experiences and powerful catalysts for growth. 
• Notice your feelings – Excitement, joy, frustration, anger, and everything in between are normal responses to this complex process. Give yourself permission to feel all of the emotions, even the uncomfortable ones. 
• Cultivate patience – Remember to be patient with yourself and others during this time. 
• Remember your support resources – Your local program staff and the Study Abroad Office can help connect you to resources supportive of your health and wellness, including your CISI Medical Insurance.

While abroad, be prepared for differences in currencies, costs of living, and other matters pertaining to finances.  

Money Matters 

To successfully navigate a new financial environment:  

• Research the costs of living in your destination city. Here is a helpful tool which allows you to compare cities around the world.  
• Familiarize yourself with the exchange rate. You may wish to download a currency converter app to facilitate quick and accurate currency conversions.  
• Take out some local currency before departure. It can be expensive to convert currency in the airport. 
• Familiarize yourself with payment methods common in your host city. Do locals tend to use credit cards? Cash? Payment apps? Your local program staff can be a valuable resource in helping you learn more. 
• While abroad, you may use local ATMs to take out local currency. Alert your bank and credit card companies to your travel plans to prevent any disruptions in accessing your funds.  
• Aim to have multiple ways of accessing your funds (e.g. credit card, debit card, and cash) and do not carry them all together. 
• Do not carry large quantities of cash. 
• Review your budget. 

Depending on which study program you choose, you may have different housing options ranging from homestays, field sites, residence halls, or apartments. Some programs may offer only one option for housing, whereas others may allow students to select from a few options. Make sure that you consider costs associated with your housing as you plan your budget abroad.  

Students are required to live in university or affiliate arranged housing if available. Only on select approved programs where independent housing is the only available option will private apartment arrangements be permitted. Only in select circumstances, students with family members living near their host program will exceptions be granted. 

Homestays  

In homestay-style housing, you have the opportunity to live with a local family in your host city. Although living with a new family abroad can feel intimidating, homestays are a great way to achieve an immersive experience. Adapting to the local lifestyle encourages you to explore the intricacies of your host culture. All programs offering homestays thoroughly vet host families to ensure your safety while abroad. In addition, your program will gauge your living preferences before assigning you to a host family to facilitate a comfortable experience. Homestays can also be an excellent way to enjoy the local cuisine, as the cost of most homestays includes several meals a week. Homestays are particularly beneficial if you are seeking to learn a foreign language.  

Residence Halls  

If you are hoping to integrate heavily with your peers and/or other international students, you may consider programs offering residence hall accommodations. Residence halls or other forms of student housing are often on or near campus, and many offer meal plans for use at nearby cafeterias. Providers will consider your living preferences when assigning roommates, who may or may not be students from the same program. Residence halls may occasionally facilitate opportunities to connect with other students in a social setting. These types of accommodations are most often offered by direct-enroll programs and exchanges.  

Apartment  

Many programs offer shared apartments as the main living arrangement or permit students to make independent arrangements for a private apartment through an affiliated or vetted third-party housing vendor. It’s in your own best interest to only utilize approved or vetted housing as navigating a relationship with an individual landlord can be problematic or potentially financially risky.

Students responsible for securing their own accommodations should consider proximity to public transit to ensure a reasonable commute to campus. Students with apartment-style living arrangements will likely not have a meal plan and be responsible for budgeting for their own meals.

**Please note that while study abroad providers will take students’ living preferences into account when assigning them a roommate or a host family, students requiring formal accommodations will need to register with the Student Accessibility Center. 

Phone Service 

You are required to maintain cell phone service while abroad. Depending on your host location, you may have some or all of the following options:  

• Purchase a physical local SIM card with an unlocked phone. Note: you may need to work with your current carrier to ensure that your phone is unlocked.  
• Purchase an international plan with your current carrier.   
• Use an eSim such as Nomad, HolaFly, or Airalo. U.S. carriers and many international carriers also allow you to purchase an eSim instead of a physical sim for calling and data abroad. Note: you must ensure that this option includes calling functionality.  

Communication With Locals 

Depending on the location of your study abroad program, you may find that some of your typical communication, payment, or transportation tools are not available. Helpful apps might include:  

• WhatsApp 
• WeChat 
• Google Voice  

Your local program staff may also have specific recommendations based on your destination.  

Communication With Home 

It is important that you communicate with your loved ones back at home. Upon your arrival in your host country, please contact them and let them know that you’ve safely arrived. It can be helpful for you to set their expectations about when and how often you may be able to check in. Remember, some destinations may have significant time differences or inconsistency in Wi-Fi services. Take this into account when you establish your communication plans.