"Increasing international understanding through the promotion of travel and exchange opportunities
among students, young people and the academic community" ISTC mission.

As an ISIC holder, you become part of a worldwide community of over 4.5 million students who share a passion for travel, adventure and discovery.
The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is the only internationally accepted student ID card. Since its launch in 1968, the ISIC has helped over 40 million students to get the most out of their travel experience.

With access to a global network of affordable and specialised student services, the ISIC is your passport to more than 41,100 discounts and benefits in 106 countries worldwide.

The Benefits of Being an ISIC Holder

You can travel further, stay longer and experience more with an ISIC - take advantage of the following benefits worth USD500 million worldwide:

· Internationally recognised proof of student status
· 1,200 discounts on flights, buses, trains and ferries
· 2,800 discounts on entrance to the world's leading museums and cultural sites
· 2,700 discounts on entertainment and attractions
· 2,400 discounts on youth hostels and hotels
· 21,000 discounts worldwide on bars, restaurants and shopping!
· Access to a free 24-hour, multilingual ISIC Emergency Help Line
· ISIConnect an all-in-one discount communications package including phone, SMS, email and voicemail
· Access to a global network of 5000 travel organisations that specialise in the needs of student and youth travellers in 106 countries
· Access to a personalised trip planner and travel guide - save all the useful travel advice and destination information you find on this website on your personal web page to check out while you're travelling or to email to a friend

Not a Student?

If you are not a full-time student, but aged under 26 or you are a full-time teacher or professor, the International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) or International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) could be for you. The IYTC and ITIC offer similar benefits, services and savings to the ISIC card.

Make a Difference

You can make a valuable social and economic contribution to the countries you visit. The exchange of ideas and values is key to the international student travel experience and creates respect and understanding between different cultures, beliefs and traditions. To find out more go to Travel Advice.

ISIC and UNESCO

UNESCO endorses the ISIC and recognises it as the unique document for student travel and cultural exchange, as well as the only official internationally recognised proof of student status. Since 1968, the ISIC Association has maintained a close relationship with UNESCO and together they promote student travel, cultural exchange and international understanding.

ISIC InternationaL

, ISIC India

Nous en avons regardé quelques unes, et nous nous sommes finalement arrêtées sur l'assurance de voyages proposée par ISIC: ISIC ASSUR

Le + de cette assurance: Sur place, un correspondant ISIC ASSUR vous prend en charge et vous oriente sur les lieux de soins (médecins, hôpital ...). Toutes les dépenses sont réglées à 100% directement par ISIC ASSUR. Il n'y a donc rien à faire, rien à régler!

Les tarifs: ils dépendent de la formule choisie et de la durée du séjour. Dans notre cas, pour 3 mois, et parce qu'on a la carte ISIC (cf. ancien post), l'assurance "médicale" coûte 89€ et l'assurance "tous risques" 113€. L'assurance "tous risques" permet d'avoir un plafond de remboursement plus élevé ainsi qu'une responsabilité civile dommages aux personnes et dommages aux biens couverte.

And there were seats! But it was $2104 per pax, about $200 more than KLM's direct bookings. Slight problems with loading one of KLM's booking pages though.

We'll get the ISIC card on Monday, so all we have to do is:

• fill in the form
• bring our original IC? passport? and matriculation card
• photocopies of matriculation card and IC? passport?
• SGD15 each

Our original plan was to head down to J3 Travel after pharmacotherapy lecture and enquire about air tickets, Eurail passes etc and head back for biotech lecture, but we decided to ring up J3 Travel and P2P Travel (recommended by Miao Juan - Thanks muchly!) to check out via phone instead.

So we camped outside LT24 at the soccergame thing table; Jingwen tried calling J3 while I rung up P2P.

No response from J3 Travel even after several tries. No one answered the phone.

Enquiries at P2P Travel was much more smooth sailing; we could get the seats (refer to Flight Details, KLM) on our selected dates and the price quoted ($1754 per pax) was much more reasonable, though it was the exact same flight as STA recommendations.

Minor hiccups when we decided to purchase out tickets through P2PTravel:

• Couldn't book online through P2PTravel's website as the flight option wasn't stated, and decided to call to reserve seats
• The lady on the line told me to call back later (and didn't after 30 min)
• So called the agency again, this time we had this very helpful lady, Ms. Sindy Koh who advised us to send her an online enquiry. And so we did!
• Prompt reply from Ms. Sindy, but the price quoted turned out to be $1995 instead of the other price quoted by her colleague.

Ohwells, the prices would be comparable to direct booking online through KLM, but decided to go ahead and reserve tickets with P2PTravel, and we'd have to confirm our booking and payment by 1st April.

Decided to get the Eurail Select Pass (Youth): 15 days for 463 Euros from STA instead, as they had a promotion (1 day free when purchased before 31st March). But we'll have to pay in full before 1pm on Monday. So it's down to STA on Monday again!

. . .

To Do:

P2PTravel:

• Call before heading down (tentatively tomorrow) to make payment of air tickets 

STA on Monday, meeting at 11am to:

• Cancel seat reservations
• Purchase ISIC
• Purchase Eurail Select Pass (15 Days)

. . .

Still have much planning to do!

Nous vous faisons ainsi partager notre "To Do" liste!

-         Photocopier et scanner les papiers importants : Passeport, Visa, Carte d'identité, Permis de conduire français, Papiers d'assurance, Carte de groupe sanguin, Photos d'identité (et mettre sous clé USB)

-         Inscription à la carte internationale ISIC (réductions notamment pour Greyhound)

-         Trouver une complémentaire santé valable en Australie et pas trop chère

-         Faire le passeport

-         Mettre les adresses des copains et de la famille sur notre boite mail pour leur envoyer des cartes postales !!! Bon, pour ça, on a encore le temps!!

-         S’informer sur les banques qui ont un partenariat avec notre banque en France (BNP et Caisse d'Epargne sont celles qui nous concernent)

-         Numéro à composer pour faire opposition, noter le numéro de notre carte bleue

Vous pensez à d'autres choses ?  Dites-le nous !!!!

the international student identity card

           Neviem čím to je – asi tým dlhým pobytom v zahraničí – že som dokázal zabudnúť na naše typické Slovenské porekadlo: Na Slovensku je to tak. Stačila však jediná návšteva doma a všetko sa bezpečne vrátilo naspäť do poriadku. Postarali sa o to naše slávne Slovenské železnice – firma to známa ponukou "adekvátnej kvality" prepravy za vysoké ceny. Ale nechcem sa sústrediť na staré, do šrotu súce komunistické vagóny, otrasné toalety, skoro nulový rozdiel medzi prvou a druhou triedou aj napriek vysokým príplatkom – chcem vás oboznámiť s ich novým produktom – Kartou NISIC (Non International Student Identity Card). Bude to asi nejaká novinka, pretože som sa o nej v Bratislave minulého roku prvýkrát dozvedel. Veľa detailov o nej neviem, Google nepomohol, hádam mi niekto z vás pomôže...            

           Keďže študujem na univerzite v Spojenom Kráľovstve, párkrát do roka navštevujem Slovensko v rámci dovolenky, nebolo tomu inak ani minulý rok. Priletel som teda do Bratislavy z Manchestru, vzal som si predražené taxi z letiska s cieľom stihnúť posledný vlak do Spišskej Novej Vsi. Úspešne som dorazil na hlavnú stanicu obklopenú kopou podozrivých indivíduí, vošiel som dnu a poslušne som sa postavil do radu ľudí čakajúcich na zakúpenie cestovných lístkov. Konečne som sa dostal na rad, vytasil som vyblýskanú študentskú kartu ISIC (International Student Identity Card) a vypýtal som si študentský lístok do Spišskej. Počul som totiž od známych, že študenti majú na cestovanie vlakom zľavu, tak som sa rozhodol ju využiť. Postaršia pani za okienkom si teda kartu vzala, začala ju obzerať a asi po minúte múdro skonštatovala: “ale veď Vy neštudujete na Slovensku!“ ... Sarkastickú poznámku, ktorú som mal v tom momente na jazyku (teda uistenie panej, že ja som si ten fakt už dávno všimol) som prehltol a pritakal som. A dostal som odpoveď: “ale Vaša karta u nás neplatí!“ ... Zamrzol som na pár stotín sekundy a slušne som podotkol, že je to predsa ISIC, ktorá presda platí po celom svete. Odpoveď, ktorá nasledovala, ma totálne dorazila – vraj na uplatnenie zľavy potrebujem ISIC slovenský. Z toho som si vydedukoval, že teda u Slovenských železníc uznávajú iba akúsi Nemedzinárodnú Študentskú Kartu – NISIC. Čo som mal robiť, takú mi na našej univerzite žiaľ neposkytli, odchod vlaku sa blížil a tak som bol nútený zakúpiť si lístok v plnej cene...            

           Nechápem, prečo musí byť u nás doma všetko iné. Podľa železníc teda ISIC vlastne ISICom nie je a kto je študentom na zahraničnej univerzite, ten je automaticky nahraný a k žiadnej zľave sa nedopracuje. Musím podotknúť, že ak hocijaký študent zo Slovenska navštívi Anglicko a má so sebou študentskú kartu, nárok na zľavy (ktorých je tu fakt požehnane) si uplatní absolútne VŠADE bez výnimky a to bez rozdielu, či študuje u nás, v Angole, alebo v Anglicku. Môj ISIC som neskôr dokonca použil aj v jednom kníhkupectve v centre Žiliny oproti obchodu W&W a žiaden problém som s tým nemal. Slovenské železnice by sa konečne teda mohli zaradiť do medzinárodnej siete prepravcov (ak už nie kvalitatívne, tak aspoň takto) a začať poskytovať študentské zľavy adekvátne a bez rozdielov aj na MEDZINÁRODNÉ študentské karty. Cestovaniu zdar.