Traveling to a different country requires more than packing and buying travel books. It also requires research and planning.The ISU Study Abroad Center holds seminars to help students before they leave the United States. “Our goal is to make sure people go well-prepared, safe and happy,” said Michelle Szabo, study abroad adviser. Alicia Kaiser, senior in anthropology, attended the Tips for Travelers seminar before she studied abroad in Spain. “The predeparture speakers were all experienced in overseas adventure and had lots of helpful advice for me and lots of anecdotes about their own mishaps to make the meeting fun,” she said.Heather Patterson, senior in Spanish, also attended the seminar in the spring of ’99 before she studied abroad in Spain. “The seminar was helpful, but I found out even more once I went,” she said.Patterson recommended relying mostly on credit cards if there is someone at home to pay the bills before the interest accumulates. She said she was charged an extra $200 for all the travelers checks she used and was also charged extra money for using her ATM card. However, she said students should bring two or more credit cards in case the cards demagnetize.Patterson also suggested using a large camping backpack when traveling because it holds more and is much easier to carry than two large suitcases.Genevieve Johnson, sophomore in English, studied in Germany and the Czech Republic last summer. She suggested packing things such as toilet paper because many places charge for toilet paper and then only give a small piece. The seminar also gives helpful information on common toiletries to pack such as dryer sheets, contact solution and even condoms, Szabo said.Health issues are another area for concern when going to another country. Szabo said students should have a physical, get the immunizations needed for the country and go to the dentist before leaving. She also said students need to keep in mind that sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS are bigger problems in some countries than in the United States.Szabo said in other countries, a women who offers a man a drink or dance could be perceived very differently than in the United States. “The predeparture seminar also brought up a lot of cultural issues that I would soon find myself confronting head-on in a new environment,” Kaiser said.