What’s it really like to live in Yerevan, Armenia for a semester? Staying long-term in a city is much different from just vacationing there. You’ll need to navigate more of the practical, everyday services of the city and budget to include more miscellaneous and long-term expenses. Thus, this guide covers everything from haircuts to pharmacies […]

I spent eight weeks in Yerevan, Armenia with SRAS and another eight with a US-government run program in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (SRAS also hosts programs in Bishkek). Afterwards, I was surprised by how similar the two cities felt despite being thousands of miles apart. That said, each city also has characteristics that make it unique which […]

SRAS is not in the business of selling plane tickets, with the exception of group educational tours and domestic flights not available for purchase outside of our program host countries. We do, however, continuously monitor flight pricing and travel logistics routings for our study destinations and we travel a lot ourselves. As such, we are […]

Eurasia today is quite affordable. Students are often surprised how far their dollars will go even in major cities like Warsaw – and very surprised at how far they go in places like Bishkek. However, students can also be surprised at how easy it is to run into troubles – like blocked bank cards or […]

I spent 3-months backpacking as a solo female across the Caucasus, visiting each of the three republics there. In this article, I’ll cover how I spent my final three weeks in the Republic of Armenia. If you are interested in the other parts of my trip, you can check out my intro page or my […]

Summer of 2023 – a summer I spent as a solo female budget backpacker traversing across the three Caucasus republics of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. My trip focused on hiking and meeting locals in these three very different countries. It was arguably the most ambitious and most rewarding undertaking of my life so far, and […]

This itinerary will take you from Yerevan to Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, and Symphony of Stones. You can take a car the full way or combine hiring a driver with a moderately challenging hike of 3-4 hours. Logistics for Garni Temple – Symphony of Stones – Geghard Monastery The furthest of these sites is only […]

This itinerary will take you from Yerevan to Dilijan National Park with a stop to see Lake Sevan. Within Dilijan National Park, you can see Haghartsin Monastery as well as take a two-hour medium-difficulty hike to see the remains of two other monasteries within the park. Logistics to Dilijan National Park The furthest of these […]

This free Russian MiniLesson will help you learn the vocabulary need to get a SIM card in Russia. If you are on a regular SRAS study abroad program, SRAS will help you to obtain a local SIM card. In many locations, SRAS can also supply you with a “burner” phone for use while on the […]

A semester or year stay abroad requires considerable planning. You will need to consider the season and location as well as what you need to bring and what you should find abroad. If you will be spending winter months in most SRAS locations, luggage can quite easily become unwieldy, which can mean airline charges for […]