We review the useful information to know before you go abroad. We look at your purpose, SMART goals, and ways of thinking about logistics like: should I choose to live in a homestay, an apartment, or a residence hall?

We explore the all-important idea of cultural autopilot. We define the word “culture” and begin to understand the importance of culture using a new verb: to iceberg. We learn to sharpen our observation skills and dive deeper, to learn more about why people do what they do.

One of the most important growth lessons is how we change our mindsets to start reframing failure, and see problems as powerful learning opportunities.

Although it seems odd at first, going abroad helps us learn as much about ourselves—our own cultures and identities—as the places that become our new homes.

With lessons from Experiential Learning Theory and true anecdotes of my former students, we realize that, although this journey abroad will be challenging, there are so many benefits that make it incredibly worthwhile.

We outline practical tips and strategies to get to know your new home city even better than a local.

Our national cultures have an incredible impact on who we are and why we act the way we do. This chapter helps you learn more about your national culture and provides valuable activities to help you understand the national culture you are studying in.

If one of your goals is to increase proficiency in a second language, here you receive over twenty tips—conventional and unconventional—to help you do that while helping you immerse and adapt.

We debunk the popular myth that just knowing a language is enough for you to communicate effectively. Even if you are studying abroad in a country where you already speak that language, there will be plenty to learn and plenty of room for cultural mishaps.

Nonverbal communication comprises the majority of our communication. That means that a lack of understanding of nonverbal cues can cause massive confusion and make it harder to adapt. This chapter gives you a different perspective on communication and tips to help you communicate more effectively without even saying a word.

Whoever thought you could grasp cultural knowledge through food? This chapter converts what every single person in the world does every day—eats—into a lens for cultural understanding.

And what’s food without drink? From hot drinks to cold drinks to alcohol consumption around the world, we use drinks as another prism to understand why people drink the way they do and what that means to your experience abroad.

Absorbing all of this information, and allowing yourself to grow abroad, greatly depends on your ability to stay of sound body and mind. This chapter describes that importance and provides strategies to achieve it.

How can close-talkers, PDA, and waiting in line have such a huge impact on your study abroad experience? What can you do when that makes you feel uncomfortable? We discover several strategies to guide you through the differences in personal-space perspectives.

This chapter gives us frameworks and examples to comprehend how different cultures view time, what that means to how we schedule our days, and why we might get upset when someone cancels a meeting, last-minute, or cuts in line.

Your experience is over, and you’re working on getting a job, an internship, or acceptance into grad school. This chapter shows you how to put it all together, on your résumé and cover letter, and how to nail your next job interview; and it provides top networking tips.

Just when you thought going “home” would be the easy part, you’re smacked in the face with reverse culture shock and difficult challenges when you return to your home country. This chapter shares strategies other students have employed to get through those challenges and use them to their advantage.