Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with exchange and travel

Home Exchange Websites Filter

silsurf — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:36:04 -0800

Home Exchange Websites? I am looking for recommendations on home exchange websites. I live in Venice, CA with a small 2-Bed house in a attractive, convenient neighborhood to the westside of LA.

We are looking to travel mostly on short, spontaneous weekend get-awasy in the US, but also want to use this service for longer European vactions as well.

There are so many exchange websites, and most, if not all, have fees. I figured there must be one or two that are better suited to my needs.

Thanks,
Henry

What is there to do in Pforzheim?

comfortinsound — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:09:33 -0800

What is there to do in Pforzheim, Germany? I am an exchange student living in a small village outside of Pforzheim, Germany. I have been here for 1 1/2 months, and so far I have been feeling a little at a loss for what to do around my town. I have lived my whole life in a city, and to me, Pforzheim seems a little small and depressing.

What is there to do in Pforzheim besides going to the ugly mall and the Schmuck museum? I do not drink, but I like coffee, art, music, etc. I also have no friends, so I need suggestions for solitary activities (no bowling, for example.)

Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

International Home Exchange Advice?

dougiedd — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:55:43 -0800

As part of a sabbatical leave, my wife and i are considering looking into a home exchange program. Can anyone recommend good programs or reviews of programs? This would be for international destinations, possibly Europe, possibly Asia. We would want something LT, perhaps 6 months to a year.

What type of courses in Japan are taught in English?

jord — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:07:30 -0800

I'm investigating doing an exchange with my university here in Australia to study in Japan for 6 months. I will only have learned a semester of the Japanese language before I go over, however there are some exchange courses offered in Japan taught in English. Does anyone have any experience with these courses, and are they limited only to some majors? I'm studying Mechanical/Electronic Engineering and Cognitive Science, with a minor in Japanese.

Specifically I'm looking at going to Kyoto, I hear about 10% of the population there are international students.

The university looks after most of my academic paperwork, I study in Japan as though I was studying here at home. Also wondering what temporary life there is like - eg part-time job, finding a place to live etc. Is knowing Japanese important, or can I get by and study it in Japan?

To Exchange or Not To Exchange

divabat — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 06:31:08 -0800

Should I go on exchange next year? I am an international student (Bangladeshi passport, Malaysian PR, considered Malaysian for all purposes except immigration) studying in QUT in Brisbane, Australia. Currently I am doing a Bachelors in Creative Industries (Interdisplinary), submajoring in Creative Writing and Creative Industries Management.

My university offers students an opportunity to go on an exchange for a semester-a year with their partner universities worldwide. I'm thinking about taking up the opportunity, but I'm not entirely sure if I should.

Now I'm an exchange nut. I've always wanted to be an exchange student in some fashion. One and a half years ago I travelled around the world on a global education program and had the time of my life. I should be jumping for joy at this opportunity, but there are some things that are making me second-guess it.

PROS:
1. It's exchange! Travel! Learning! New experiences! Just my thing!
2. I can obtain an "International Exchange" minor from this, which may actually help with my career goals.
3. I don't have to pay the overseas uni; I just pay my usual uni fees. I'm on a scholarship (which covers half my usual fees) so that helps.
4. There is a system in place and I will get credit transferred.
5. It fits with my visa guidelines (as long as I am here for my final semester I'm fine - I'm planning to go in early 2008).
6. I have a semester full of electives, which I can use to study just about anything - I'm hoping to do something related to education or social work.

CONS:
1. The partner universities don't seem very appealing. I'm quite the "alternative nontraditional education" girl (think Hampshire or Semester at Sea) and the unis they have there are more on the traditional side. (It was telling when I asked people for recommendations, listing my preferences and the unis available, and I got so many recs for UC Berkeley - which is NOT a partner uni.)
2. The more interesting countries have a language requirement, which I can't fulfill. Or they don't quite have the courses I want. Which leaves me with UK, USA, Ireland, or Canada. There is one uni in the US (The College of New Jersey) that has piqued my interest, HOWEVER...
3. ...the US is weird in that I have to go back to Malaysia to get a student visa (I already have a tourist visa). Other countries let me get visas at the Australian embassy. I don't know if I'll have the time or resources for that.
4. I'm not sure I'll be able to support myself or be supported financially. I still depend on my parents to a large extent (my part-time job doesn't pay all that much) and they already paid for my round-the-world trip, so this would be a hard sell.
5. I have a boyfriend, whom I loathe to leave behind. He's actually encouraging me to go on exchange, he thinks it'll be good for me. But it'll still be hard. We spent 3 months apart for hols and it was still hard!

One complicating factor is that my friends are adamant about going to South America during the summer/end-year holidays - fun idea, but between getting the visas for everywhere and getting my paperwork sorted, it is a logistics nightmare.

Mainly, though, it's the lack of any super-interesting partner universities that's bumming me out. There's none there that make me go "OH I MUST GO". I would much rather travel on a program like The Scholarship or Semester at Sea or wherever, or do an internship for a semester, but that involves taking a Leave of Absence, which can be really iffy on my credit transfer and with my student visa. Also, I'll have to pay full fee, which could suck.

What should I do? Any suggestions? There's gonna be an exchange fair in the next couple of days, but what other options do I have?

what to do with leftover foreign currency?

thumpasor — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:20:24 -0800

What do you do with leftover foreign change? I found a five-pound note left over from a trip to England about three years ago. I don't think I'll be going there again in the near future (sorry, guys) and I don't know anyone else who is.

This note is worth almost ten bucks! What do you usually do with leftover change / bills when you return home? I'd consider just exchanging it but I'm sure I'll lose a lot on the commission - seems like there should be a better way.

British Airways used to have a great program where you could leave leftover change in an envelope on the plane, and they would get it exchanged at no cost, then donate it ("change for good", I think). Unfortunately I didn't fly BA on the way back last time - but does such a program exist elsewhere? Any other suggestions? What about coins? Thanks!

Need Some Pesos?

antifreez_ — Sat, 21 Feb 2004 15:58:51 -0800

Hey, are there any MeFites planning a trip to Mexico soon? I just found a few pesos while cleaning up (not much, only 96), and I'd much rather give them to someone than exchange them for what's probably barely enough to buy a cup of coffee.