Part 1: Everything you need to know before departing India

By Aravindha Thiagarajan on October 11, 2020

Wondering what to do after getting your dream admit? Overwhelmed with all the herculean number of tasks you need to do before getting on the plane to Germany? Then you have come to the right place. This is a series of five blog articles titled “Everything you need to know” which will attempt to provide you an idea, touching all the essentials covering major topics from packing list to accommodation to surviving your initial days in Germany, specifically Munich. But, before that, some disclaimers!

  1. I have decided to pen down my experiences during this past 12 months of what I would call it as an extraordinary and fun-filled roller-coaster journey, which would serve as a survival kit at the best, during your testing times.
  2. There might be frequent touches of sarcasm (which you would know now :P).
  3. All these are based on my own experiences and not everything would be relevant for you. Take what you might feel relevant with a pinch of salt and leave the rest.
  4. Made for students from other countries too and not just India although the Indian perspective stands out.
  • You might find these often next to content. These are:
    1. Refer their webpage - kindly check the official website for the relevant information as info changes from time to time
    2. Recommended - personal recommendation

This blog, Part 1 in the series, looks at all the things that you might need to do right after getting your admit. Part 2, looks at the things which you might need to pack for Germany. Part 3, provides some tips and do’s & dont’s for your accommodation search. Part 4, touches upon the initial steps which might be beneficial for you as soon as you land in Munich and finally part 5, provides details regarding all the important processes which one might need to complete for a smooth student life. Without much ado and self-flattery, let’s get right into it.

1. Get the visa

It’s the most obvious thing to do after getting the admit. If done already, move on to the next step.

2. Book the tickets

Again a most obvious thing to do after getting the admit in some cases they might ask for the tickets too in the German consulate/embassy. Check with your country-specific rules.

If you are travelling in Air India: Air India has a student policy where you can bring in additional baggage of 23 Kgs (Total 3 bags X 23 Kgs = 69 Kgs) plus a laptop bag and a piece of hand luggage. This is also applicable under the Vande Bharat mission (verified). You need to visit the nearest Air India office to get your ticket vetted to avail this offer. Precious Kgs, don’t miss on it. [Refer their webpage]

If your destination is Frankfurt:? If your potential airline travels only to Frankfurt, there are (overnight) buses to Munich. Alternatively, trains work too but booking in advance will be a good thing to do as dynamic prices are applicable. And the third option is getting a flight ticket to Munich, but kindly check the luggage limit as budget airlines have their own sweet rules regarding baggage even if you are a student. For buses refer: Blablabus or Flixbus. For railways use the DB website or download the DB app. Also, download the Frankfurt airport app to get around the airport.[Recommended]

If you have 3 pieces of baggage (read Air India) or don’t want to drag them with you till Munich: DHL has an option where you can send away your luggage to anywhere within Germany or abroad too. For up to 31.5 Kgs it was around 17.5 EUR (during 2019), they have different slabs and different categories but this slab would be the relevant one for you. Have a look into their webpage and offerings here.

If your destination is Munich? (Bless you :P) [Recommended]

  1. Lufthansa operates buses from the Airport to the city centre costing around EUR 10.5. Refer their webpage here.
  2. Also take into account the timings of the Metro/Underground, called U-Bahn and Sub-urban trains, called S-Bahn services respectively. There are night buses and night trams during off-normal service times, but with baggage, not a good idea to travel late nights during your first visit.
  3. If you travel with the city transportation system, you might need to check what ticket type you need to purchase and how many zones you might need it for, based on your place. Download the MVV app for checking the prices, validity and zones. Also, you can purchase the ticket on this app. [Recommended]

Submit all those missing docs listed in the TUMOnline if you can provide and take a note of your admit and the location once again (don’t ask why just do it :P; I experienced a nightmare). Also, make enough photocopies of the relevant documents.

Go with a mixed strategy of hard cash and forex card combo. You will never go wrong with this strategy. I cannot comment on the amount which you might require but it is usually better to have the amount equal to the blocked account amount which is 853 EUR per month at the time of writing. Check for the specific rules regarding the limit on the Euros you can carry with you while travelling. It is always better to have it in the form of a forex card due to security and safety reasons but forex cards have their downsides too.

General expenses to look forward to in the first month before unblocking the blocked account: (all prices in EUR, approximated and highly personal)

  1. Deposit for accommodation - 3 X monthly amount payable at the start
  2. Rent for the first month - 1 X monthly amount payable at the star
  3. Groceries - 100 Euros
  4. Initial ticketing costs - 20 Euros
  5. ISAR ticket - 200 Euros
  6. For SIM cards - 15 Euros(debatable)
  7. For winter clothing - 100 Euros (highly personal & debatable)
  8. Essentials - 50 Euros
  9. Other misc. - 50 Euros

For people from India, IndusInd was the better option w.r.t Forexcards and Bookmyforex was the better one for cash. Although things might have changed, I would personally recommend caution with IndusInd forex card and apply for it as soon as possible.

That’s it for this blog. See you in the next one! Aravindha.

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