Figure out the money

Financing this expedition is more art than science. First, you will want to make sure that the cost of the program matches what other programs require. Skip programs that are run on a dime because steep discounts can mean big trouble for your son or daughter abroad. Pay attention to financial deadlines. Often, you can put deposits down on your student's study abroad or youth exchange program in advance of the travel itself. This really helps you and your student budget accordingly. Weeks before your student leaves town, figure out how much money your student needs to carry on the airplane. A nice combination of local exchange and US dollars is the best way to go. The student can always exchange the US dollars upon arrival in the host country. Skip Travelers Checks and invest in a debit card that can be used overseas. This may mean you will need to open up a savings or checking account especially for this card and overseas trip, but its well worth it in the end. Do not bother with international debit cards you can load and re-load. We tried this and had nothing but problems. The fees are excessive. Re-loading the card is problematic. And, many of these debit cards restrict use outside of the US. Stick with a US bank debit card and you'll be glad you did. Give your student a number of checks to cash along the way. Small denominations are best and are more likely to be accepted by host hotels and study abroad programs. Create a set of envelopes that will help your student organize his or her cash (or debit cards) on hand. Seal and label them according to their purpose (Departure Flight,Location 1,Location 2 Return Flight,Emergency Funds,Spending Money,Books,Meals, whatever applies) so that your student doesn't spend all this money at once.