Flight and Luggage

The next step on your Erasmus jorney is to find an airline that flies to your destination, preferentially a cheap one and with good luggage allowances - an almost impossible task if your host university isn't within a major airport.
In my case, I flew from Porto - Lisbon with TAP Airlines, then Lisbon - Istanbul with Turkish Airlines and to finish Istanbul - Izmir also with Turkish Airlines.

Aveiro, Portugal from a flight Porto - Lisbon

The bay of Izmir, Turkey

The cheapest airlines probably won't have a direct flight to your destination, hence you'll need to do a connection (or 2 in my case). If you're fortunate enough to get a good price in such airlines, be sure to pay attention to the luggage allowance. Since you're an Erasmus student you'll need clothes for at least 3 months - and I'm sorry to say that 15 kg isn't enough! Here's a small list of some airlines and their baggage allowances for the economy class as of 2012:

• EasyJet - 20Kg of Checked Baggage Allowance, there's no weight limit Carry-On Allowance, but it must be just one piece 
• Lufthansa - 23kg Checked Baggage Allowance and 8kg Carry-On Allowance
• Pegasus Airlines - 15kg of checked baggage on domeestic and 20kg on international flights and 8kg Carry-On Allowance
• Ryanair - 15kg or 20Kg of Checked Baggage Allowance and 10kg Carry-On Allowance
• TAP Air Portugal - 23kg Checked Baggage Allowance and 8kg Carry-On Allowance
• Turkish Airlines - 20kg Checked Baggage Allowance and 8kg Carry-On Allowance

For a full list check out Airline Luggage Regulations.

Nice meal for a 1 hour-long flight from Istambul - Izmir - Turkish Airlines

 The carry-on baggage won't probably be checked for the weight (except maybe in the low-cost companies), so fell free to add those extra pants there! For that heavy leather jacket, just wear it onto the plane and then take it off. Nobody said you wouldn't have to make some sacrifices!

Don't expect much comfort if you didn't pay for it. Meanwhile, I was pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the Turkish Airlines domestic flights. You even have an on-board interactive TV screen where you can see your favorite tv-series or play a game to make your trip more pleasant - of course you've payed for all of those. =)

Interactive TV-Screen on a domestic Turkish Airlines flight

Some good websites to search for cheap flights are Rumbo, Skyscanner or eDreams.

That been said, have a nice flight and I hope your baggage won't be lost in all of those connections.

The paperwork

So you've decided to go on Erasmus. Congratulations - you have made the first step into an unknown world. First of all you should know that the process and the bureaucracy takes a long time, specially if you go to a country outside the European Union such as Turkey. But nevertheless, you'll find the endless meetings and the shocking amount of paperwork will compensate once you're on your destination!

There's a list of the main points you should pay attention to:

• Erasmus Exchange Agreement - as the name says, a document with the main points of the Erasmus programme signed at your home university, witch states your duties and rights while studying abroad, the duration of your studies, your host university, etc
  
  
  "Each ERASMUS student will be given an ERASMUS Student Charter by their home university or higher education institution before departing on their study or placement period abroad. The Student Charter provided in the form of a leaflet highlights the rights and obligations of students participating in ERASMUS. It informs ERASMUS students about what they are entitled to and what is expected of them during their secondment for studies or for a placement. In particular, the ERASMUS Student Charter outlines the basic entitlements of the ERASMUS students, such as free tuition and full recognition of studies or placements abroad." 

As an Erasmus student, you are entitled to expect: Your home and host universities to have an inter-institutional agreement. The sending and receiving institutions to sign with you and before you leave a Learning/Training Agreement setting out the details of your planned activities abroad, including the credits to be achieved. Not to have to pay fees to your host university for tuition, registration, examinations, access to laboratory and library facilities during your Erasmus studies. Full academic recognition from your home university for satisfactorily completed activities during the Erasmus mobility period, in accordance with the Learning/Training Agreement. To be given a transcript of records at the end of your activities abroad, covering the studies/work carried out and signed by your host institution/enterprise. This will record your results with the credits and grades achieved. If the placement was not part of the normal curricula, the period will at least be recorded in the Diploma Supplement. To be treated and served by your host university in the same way as their home students. To have access to the Erasmus University Charter and Erasmus Policy Statement of your home and host universities. Your student grant or loan from your home country to be maintained while you are abroad. As an Erasmus student, you are expected to: Respect the rules and obligations of your Erasmus grant agreement with your home university or your National Agency. Ensure that any changes to the Learning/Training Agreement are agreed in writing with both the home and host institutions as soon as they when they occur. Spend the full study/placement period as agreed at the host university/enterprise, including undergoing the relevant examinations or other forms of assessment, and respect its rules and regulations. Write a report on your Erasmus study/placement period abroad when you return and provide feedback if requested by your home university, the European Commission or the National Agency. If you have a problem: Identify the problem clearly and check your rights and obligations. Contact your departmental coordinator for Erasmus and use the formal appeals procedure of your home university if necessary. Source: European Comission

• Erasmus Scholarship - an amount of money granted by the European Union and managed by your country's national agency. It varies a lot, depending of your destination, your university, and even your faculty - two persons from the same university and different faculties going to the same destination can receive different scholarships. As I said, it depends of the system that your national agency and university adopts - for example, as of 2012 University of Porto has established that everyone going to the same country receives the scholarships equally, regardless of their faculty.
• Learning Agreement - a list that states the courses you'll have in your host faculty. It can be changed once submitted but involves a lot of paperwork though. Be sure to fill this properly with the help of your eramus' faculty responsible because this paper guarantees you'll have full recognition of studies or placements abroad!
• Statement Period of Studies - To be filled once you arrive at your host instituition and must be sent to your university's international office. It's the proof that you arrived and departed on the days you declared.
• Aceptance Letter - once all the papers have been sent, you'll receive a letter from your host institution - this is the living proof you were officially accepted as an Erasmus student =)
• Contact your host institution - make sure to tell them when you arrive and double check your period of studies.
• European Health Insurance Card - if you need healthcare, this card will be your best friend. Except of course if you go to Turkey! In this case you'll have to make a private health insurance or contact your international office.When you show your EHIC, you will receive treatment under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country. Be aware that each country’s healthcare system is different. Services that cost you nothing at home might NOT be free in another country.
• Nominate a person to represent you in academic and financial matters while you're out. Depending of your country's laws, you may need to go to a notary.
• Learn a few basic words of your host country's main language - greetings, food names and how to order a beer are specially useful!

Erasmus - the beginning

Thinking about joining the Erasmus programme? This blog is aimed to help you understand about the whole process and my personal experience about it as a portuguese Erasmus student in Turkey.

But first things first, you should know a bit more about the Erasmus programme:

Overview

ERASMUS - (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) dates back from 1987. More than 2.5 million students have experienced what it means to do an ERASMUS term in one of more than 4 000 higher education institutions in 33 participating countries. These include all the EU Member States as well as Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.

Periods abroad – both for studies and for placements – can last from 3 to 12 months each, for a combined total of 24 months.

ERASMUS student mobility is open to all students studying in a participating country and enrolled in at least the second year in their home institution.

To participate in ERASMUS student mobility, you should first contact the international office of the institution where you study at home. The office will be able to tell you about possible host institutions and host enterprises, the selection procedure and financial support.

Students taking part in the programme may be eligible for grants to cover part of the additional costs for living abroad and travelling. In all circumstances, tuition fees at the host university are waived. In addition, students with special needs, such as physical disabilities, may get extra funds to help them cover additional expenses related to their stay abroad.

The added value of an Erasmus experience

Many studies show that a period spent abroad not only enriches students' lives in the academic and professional fields, but can also improve language learning, intercultural skills, self-reliance and self-awareness. Their experiences give students a better sense of what it means to be a European citizen. In addition, many employers highly value such a period abroad, which increases the students' employability and job prospects. Staff exchanges have similar beneficial effects, both for the people participating and for the home and host institutions.

What are the objectives of student mobility for studies?

To enable students to benefit educationally, linguistically and culturally from the experience of learning in other European countries;
To promote co-operation between institutions and to enrich the educational environment of host institutions;
To contribute to the development of a pool of well-qualified, open-minded and internationally experienced young people as future professionals.

Who can benefit?

Students registered in a higher education institution holding an ERASMUS University Charter.

What are the preconditions?

 ERASMUS students are selected by their home higher education institution in a fair and transparent way. This will depend of your faculty's rules - even inside the same university the selection criteria varies a lot.

The EILC

Included in the Erasmus programme, you have the EILC - the ERASMUS Intensive Language Courses, these are specialised courses in the less widely used and less taught languages organised in the countries where these languages are used as teaching languages at higher education institutions. Notice that the languages English, German, French and Spanish (Castilian) are not eligible for EILC.

Apart from the ERASMUS grant, a supplementary mobility grant for participating in EILC may be awarded and paid by the respective sending higher education institution. ERASMUS students may not be charged a study fee for participation in an EILC course. However, fees may be charged for excursions and similar optional events and for other charges that ERASMUS students normally may be asked to pay.

The EILCs take place in the following countries for the eligible languages in brackets: Belgium (Dutch), Bulgaria (Bulgarian), Croatia (Croatian), Cyprus (Greek), Czech Republic (Czech), Denmark (Danish), Estonia (Estonian), Finland (Finnish and Swedish), Greece (Greek), Hungary (Hungarian), Iceland (Icelandic), Italy (Italian), Latvia (Latvian), Lithuania (Lithuanian), Malta (Maltese), the Netherlands (Dutch), Norway (Norwegian), Poland (Polish), Portugal (Portuguese), Romania (Romanian), Slovakia (Slovak), Slovenia (Slovenian), Spain (Catalan , Valencian, Basque and Galician), Sweden (Swedish), Switzerland (Italian) and Turkey (Turkish).

Organising institutions and course descriptions can be found on the website of the National Agencies of the countries where ERASMUS Intensive Language Courses take place.
Source: European Comission

Unfortunately since I wasn't able to participate in a EILC, I can't really share my experience with you - but from the feedback of all the people that have participate, it's definitely a must! Besides learning a new language (or at least try to do so) you'll be taken to a lot of historical/touristic places.
To apply for a EILC (generally the courses start about 2 months to 3 week before your classes) ask your international office about it.