Summer students have just descended upon the streets of Paris, and the fall semester and year-long students are on their way.

If you’re coming to study in Paris, you’re sure to have an amazing time in the City of Lights. Here are some tips to make your time away from home the best it can be.

Tips for studying abroad in Paris

1. Plan ahead

You may have heard of the famous perils of French bureaucracy. Before you board your plane, make sure you have EVERYTHING in order—from your administration forms to your French visa. You do not want to deal with French administrative details when you could be enjoying a perfect afternoon at a Paris cafe. Trust me.

2. Get all your finances in order

You may want to check with your bank about fees while you’re abroad. You’ll be shocked by the international fees you can incur if you use your debit card at an ATM here. There may be a French sister bank to your bank (for example, BNP Paribas and Bank of America), or a special travel credit/debit card for you to take advantage of. Related: How to avoid ATM fees while traveling in Paris

3. Pack light

You may feel like you need to bring two or three suitcases with you, but you’ll never wear most of those clothes. Living in Paris is all about having a few classic items, like your favorite pair of jeans, a blazer and a leather jacket. And save some room for your new purchases!

4. Learn some French!

Seriously, learn at least a bit of French before arriving in Paris. A lot of people do speak English, but why waste this great opportunity to develop your language skills? Before you arrive, you’ll want to know some basic French so that you can get by. While in Paris, do language exchanges! There are many great services in Paris to practice French with francophones, such as Franglish, an informal meet-up in a bar.

5. That being said.. make some French friends!

The best way to practice your French is to make friends. It might be a little hard at first, but talk to your French classmates, or the people you meet out and about. You’ll be surprised how much your French will improve, and how much you’ll learn about French culture.

6. Think about alternatives to dorm living

There are so many great apartments around Paris, and so many wonderful flat shares to take advantage of. Why not rent a room in an apartment with French students? Or get an apartment with some friends? You’ll be able to have a real kitchen and host parties, as well as explore different areas of Paris. You can search for flat shares on websites such as Paris Craiglist, WelcHome.com, and Erasmusu.com. There are also several good Facebook groups for Expats where members often post ads for flat shares.

7. Take advantage of fantastic public transport

Paris has a great Metro, bus and bicycle rental system. Most of the time, you can get wherever you need to go within 2o minutes! Learn the basics of the Metro and experiment with the bus—you won’t regret it. And if you like biking, definitely check out Velib, Paris’s bicycle share. You can rent a bike for a day, a week, or even a year. There is no better feeling than returning from a party at night en vélo with the Seine as your guide!

Related: Tips for riding Velib bike share in Paris

8. Nutella is the new peanut butter

Forget about all those anglo food stables. A loaf of sliced whole wheat bread? Nope, the baguette replaces all forms of bread in Paris. You’re in Europe now, and Nutella is the king of spreads. Put Nutella on pretty much everything, but mostly baguettes—it will probably become your breakfast, lunch and dinner at times.

9. Don’t go searching for iced coffee.

On a recent trip back to the States, I noticed that America seems to have become obsessed with iced coffee. I saw signs everywhere for it! Don’t get me wrong, I, too, enjoy them when its hot outside. But in Paris, iced coffee isn’t really a thing. Most cafés don’t even have ice. Ordering a café glacé will probably get you an ice-cream filled, super-sweet treat, rather than the classic drip coffee over ice with a splash of milk you were probably looking for. So, either make your iced coffee at home, or get used to sipping on hot espresso in the summer like the rest of us.

10. Happy hours and cheap spots to drink.

If you didn’t already know, alcohol is pretty expensive in Paris. A cocktail can cost anywhere from €8-16 depending on where you are. So, if you like drinking at bars, get ready to hunt for the cheap ones, and the ones with good happy hours. If you’ve got a good nose, you can find bars in Paris with €4 pints and €5 cocktails.

Cheese fans can get a true taste of Paris at the local markets. Photo: The LEAF Project

11. Instead of supermarkets, try the local markets!

France has many supermarkets offering all the basics as well as prepared food. You’ll come to know these places as Monoprix, Franprix and G20. While these are great every once in awhile, try not to rely on them. Paris is full of incredibly fresh markets offering amazing fruits, vegetables and more and great prices. Take the extra time to support local farmers, and practice your French!

Related: 10 tips for budget shoppers at the outdoor markets in Paris

12. Have some patience and get out as much as you can

Living in Paris as an ex-pat is not easy. At times, you will surely feel alienated and like a total idiot abroad. But, it will also be an amazing experience and a great opportunity to grow. Have some patience when the going gets rough, because you’ll always remember this exciting time in  your life. You may be tempted to sit at home on Skype talking to your friends and family back at home, or binge-watch Netflix when you don’t have plans. On those days, just get out of the house and walk around. Paris is yours to discover, and you never know what you might find!

The post 12 tips for studying abroad in Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

We had plenty to ask Andy about what makes Weekend Student Adventures special, as well as his own experience with studying abroad. And of course, what it was like to growing up on the road as the son of “travel guru” Rick Steves.

How did you get the idea to start Weekend Student Adventures?

The idea grew organically when I studied abroad in Rome during my Junior year at Notre Dame. It became quite apparent there just wasn’t information geared specifically for the students abroad in Europe; plenty of guidebooks existed, but none took an angle focused on  students tight on both time and budget.

Andy Steves

I returned to Notre Dame to finish my undergraduate degrees (Industrial Design & Italian Language and Literature) overflowing with fresh ideas and incredible intercultural experiences. So I got to work on a free online resource for students abroad at andysteves.com.

With graduation on the horizon in May of 2010, I took advantage of Notre Dame’s annual business plan competition to vet my business idea: weekend trips for students abroad in Europe. We came away in first place (out of 101 teams competing), so I took that as an indication that this concept was viable. Over the summer of 2010 I transformed our online resource into weekend tour packages and hit the ground running that fall semester.

Why did you feel you needed to start WSA?

WSA is for students who feel there is more to experience in Europe than the inside of bars and pubs. I wanted to focus on creating trips that I would love to go on myself, with the perfect balance of sightseeing, interacting with locals and free time to find your own corner of the city. I am passionate about bringing these cultures alive for others, and that’s what has kept me going!

What advantages are there in booking a WSA trip over doing it on your own?

As in many things in life, it may be cheaper to do something on your own; less expensive to make your own spaghetti than going to a restaurant for dinner; less expensive to make your own coffee than purchase your daily Starbucks.

But on our weekend excursions, it’s the intangibles built in that turn a ho-hum weekend into an incredible experience that creates lifelong memories. In Prague, Prince William Lobkowicz Jr. walks us around his family’s palace located in the castle there. In Barcelona, we enjoy a Flamenco show and a Paella- and Sangria-making class. My friends traveled with me while abroad because I was able to connect them with locals and unique cultural experiences they wouldn’t otherwise find on their own. And that’s the foundation of WSA’s travel philosophy–that’s what differentiates us.

Then there’s the practical differences: efficient, skip-the-line sightseeing, great hostels, fun local guides, delicious restaurants, no time wasted being lost and more. All around we believe we’ve found the right formula for great weekend student travel.

Andy and his father, travel author and TV star Rick Steves.

As the son of Rick Steves, did you always assume that you’d eventually work in the travel business, or did you want to get away from it?

Growing up, my mother, sister and I went to visit my dad every summer in order to meet up with him during his four-month-long trips around the European continent. As many will agree, traveling with family can be a pressure-cooker experience. And our family trips were no exception. If Rick Steves is in Europe, he’s working and it doesn’t matter who he’s with. Like any youngster, missing friends’ birthday parties and end-of-school-year celebrations to go to stuffy museums and eat unfamiliar food wasn’t a dream come true. But it did teach me how to travel, and travel well.

In terms of business advice, I’ve developed WSA independently. Oftentimes he wishes he could help more, but we launched business in very different eras; him with manual bookings, mini-vans and scratch calling cards compared to us with all online bookings, budget airlines and Skype. His Social Media IQ is improving nicely though…

Are you ever able to meet up with your dad on the road?

We’ve occasionally met up while in Europe—me running a tour, while he’s updating guidebooks or making TV shows. Most recently, my dad was in Barcelona when I was leading a tour there myself. It was fun to have him tag along, and I think he was reliving his glory days of leading backpacking tours himself.

Andy with a WSA group in Rome.

I see that you studied abroad. How did this experience help shape WSA?

I did! After traveling to Europe every year until I was 18, I went there for the first time independently with my best friend after we graduated from high school. This was also the first time I can truly remember realizing that I could grow to love travel. Exploring on my own and making my own decisions really allowed me to explore personal interests and open my mind to new ideas.

Not being able to stay away from the European continent for long, I went back over in January of 2008 to start a semester in Rome through Notre Dame. This is when I quickly noticed that my summers spent traveling in Europe really allowed me to understand how to get around in an efficient way during our short weekend trips. Many of my friends started coming with me to places like Prague, Venice for Carnevale, Switzerland, Dublin for St. Patty’s Day and Sicily.

Did you have a favorite trip that you took as a study abroad student?

Hands down, the best trip was when I convinced a group of six friends that it would be a good idea for us to charter a 42 foot sailboat with a skipper off the coast of Greece. I crunched the numbers and realized the cost of chartering this boat would be comparable to staying in a hostel for seven nights in Athens. This really showed me the value of thinking outside the box while making travel plans!

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Andy. Keep thinking outside the box, and best of luck with Weekend Student Adventures!

The post Q&A: Andy Steves, creator of Weekend Student Adventures appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.