Pre-departure checklist: your last 30 days in Bangladesh

The visa is stamped and the ticket is booked. The last month is where most avoidable problems happen, so we hand every student the same countdown.

Four weeks out: make three photocopy sets and one scanned cloud folder of your passport, visa, offer letter, tuition receipts, transcripts, birth certificate and medical reports. Carry one set in your hand luggage — never all of them in the checked bag.

Three weeks out: finish the money plan. Open the student file at your bank, understand the yearly remittance limit, and carry only the cash your destination allows on arrival. Bring proof of payment for tuition and hostel; immigration officers ask for it more often than people expect.

Two weeks out: book accommodation in writing and confirm your airport pickup. Arriving in Kuala Lumpur or Moscow after midnight without a confirmed room is the single most stressful mistake a new student can make.

One week out: pack for the climate you are going to, not the one you are leaving. Russia and Bulgaria need real winter gear, but buy the heaviest coat there — it is cheaper and warmer than anything you will find in Dhaka. Bring prescription medicine with the prescription attached, a universal adapter and any spices you cannot live without.

The last 48 hours: recheck the baggage allowance, keep the airline's app installed, and message your AREC counsellor your flight number. Someone from our team is reachable on WhatsApp while you are in transit, and a local contact meets you at the other end.