Having learned from my own lack of experience and many mistakes, I realized that organizing a stay in a foreign laboratory involves much more logistics and planning than I initially expected. After visiting seven different countries and making numerous mistakes along the way, I developed my own protocol of preparation, common errors, and ways to avoid them.
In my case, these opportunities usually arose through programs in which supervisors arranged student visits. If you do not travel frequently through these kinds of exchanges, you will quickly realize that you rarely receive all the information you need. Sometimes people forget to mention important details, and sometimes they simply assume you already know them.Over time, I noticed that there are several things that should be clarified before arriving to work in another country.
Before the visit
1. Define the purpose
Five to six months before departure, discuss the purpose of the visit with your project leader or professors. Are you primarily going there to learn a technique, or are you expected to independently perform experiments? This distinction is crucial because it determines expectations on both sides. These discussions may happen during a conference visit, an in-person meeting, or an online call. Once the purpose is clear, define the duration of the visit. Duration is often limited by funding and visa regulations.
At the same time, determine:
• the source of funding,
• the amount of financial support,
• visa requirements,
• estimated living costs,
• transportation options.
If you are traveling to a country you know little about, websites such as Numbeo can help estimate living expenses compared to your home country. Be cautious when project leaders encourage you to extend your stay while providing only fixed funding. A longer stay can create unnecessary financial pressure.
2. Identify the people you will work with
Once the project is defined, ask who you will be working with directly. Do not assume (like me☹) that someone will automatically guide you through laboratory procedures, safety regulations, or administrative requirements.
Ask:
• Who will supervise me?
• Who will train me?
• Who should I contact if problems arise?
• Will I have office space or a desk?
This last question may sound trivial, but many institutes are overcrowded, and lack of workspace can significantly affect productivity. If you visit the institution beforehand, kindly introduce yourself to as many people as possible. It helps them understand who is joining the laboratory and makes future communication easier. Also, check whether someone from your institution has already visited the same laboratory. A coffee conversation with a former visitor can save you weeks of confusion.
3. Collect every relevant contact
Gather:
• emails,
• phone numbers,
• WhatsApp contacts,
• Viber contacts,
• LinkedIn profiles.
You never know who you may need when something unexpected happens. Also ask for administrative contacts responsible for your registration and arrival paperwork.
4. Find accommodation
Three to four months before departure, begin searching for accommodation. The most important factor should be proximity to the institute. Some institutions can assist with accommodation, so contact their administration and ask. At the same time, plan transportation. If flights are required, book them several months in advance, but before that, clarify who is responsible for payment.
Short-term accommodation for one to three months can be surprisingly difficult to secure. In Slovenia, I found accommodation through friends and Facebook groups. In Turkey, I stayed in a flat where colleagues had previously lived. In Costa Rica, a colleague helped me find a room directly across from the institute. This is where your laboratory contacts become valuable. Politely ask whether they know someone renting a room or apartment.
Stay as close to the institute as possible. During the first weeks, everything around you will be new, and reducing commuting time significantly lowers stress.
6. Prepare culturally
If you are moving to a country with a different culture or religion, spend time learning basic social expectations, because preparation prevents many avoidable misunderstandings.
Understand:
• local customs,
• dress expectations,
• behaviors that may be considered inappropriate,
• regulations that may affect daily life.
7. Shift from logistics to science
About two months before departure, logistics should largely be resolved so you can focus on scientific planning. Confirm whether there have been changes regarding your collaborators and establish direct communication with them while keeping both principal investigators informed.
8. Plan experiments thoroughly
Start from the scientific question: What hypothesis are you testing? And understand it well! 😊
Read review papers and publications from the host laboratory. Make a list of methods they commonly use and evaluate your familiarity with them. If the laboratory uses techniques such as PCR, Western blotting, sequencing, or other molecular methods, be honest about your level of expertise. Nobody benefits from pretending to know a method, and it is much better to say: "I understand the theory, but I need practical training."
Learning periods should be incorporated into the visit plan because, regardless of whether you are a Master's student, PhD student, or postdoctoral researcher, when learning something new, you are a beginner.
9. Plan reagents and consumables
Once methods are defined, prepare a detailed list of everything required. Everything means everything, form an antibody to an each and every flask, and don’t (like me 😊) assume the host laboratory has all necessary materials available. If not, you could be very unpleasantly surprised and maybe there is not an easy way to obtain missing reagents or consumables.
Make a list with volumes, quantity and cataloge number of the products, and send the complete list to the host laboratory at least two months before arrival. If items must be ordered, check who will be paying them, home or host supervisors and plan that delivery can take weeks.
For example, mine list should contained:
• media,
• sera,
• antibodies,
• supplements,
• plastics,
• flasks,
• Petri dishes,
10. Design the experiment and communicate the plan
After confirming reagent availability, design the experiment in detail, and the discus it first with home and then host supervisors.
Pay special attention to:
• controls,
• sample numbers,
• replicates,
• required reagent quantities.
Prepare at least one or two backup plans in case experiments fail. Create a tentative calendar of activities. One month before departure, organize a final planning meeting to confirm that everything remains on track.
11. Don't forget the reagents
Important: Before transporting any reagent, chemical, biological material, or research sample, verify the relevant regulations with your institution, airline, and customs authorities. Requirements vary widely depending on the material and the countries involved. Transporting certain materials may require special permits, documentation, packaging, or certified shipping procedures.
Prepare a list of all reagents, antibodies, samples, and materials that need to be brought from the home laboratory and then:
• Verify every item against the list before departure.
• Bring slightly more material than you estimate you will need.
• Check storage requirements and maximum time materials can remain outside a refrigerator or freezer.
• Plan how materials will be transported (carry-on, checked luggage, courier, dry ice, cold packs, etc.).
• Obtain all required documentation from the home institution.
• Carry an official letter describing the materials and authorizing their transport.
• Verify import, export, airline, customs, and institutional regulations before traveling.
• Inform the host laboratory about any materials you will be bringing, stating that the chemicals or reagents you are carrying are not toxic, infectious, or otherwise harmful to people or the environment..
• Confirm your arrival time at the institute and be there at the agreed time.
Bonus tip: If you are visiting somewhere, where is completely different culture, food and customs, my advice is to bring something sweet or a specific drink from your home country. For example, when I was visiting Costa Rica, a country with such amazing coffee culture, I was trying to explain how people from Balkans prepare coffee differently and regretted not bringing some with me.
During the Visit
When you first arrive, take photos of anything you may not be able to remember later, such as procedures for entering and leaving the institution, general rules of conduct, and any other important information. Ask for an access card, and, pay attention to when the colleagues you will be working closely with, arrive at work and what their usual work schedule looks like. Do they come in early and leave early, or do they tend to arrive later and stay later?
This is important because, at the beginning, as a guest, you will need to adapt to their schedule. It is therefore best to understand their routine right away and discuss whether they would prefer to work with you in the mornings or in the afternoons.
After all, you are the one coming to their institution, and they will have to adjust part of their routine because of your arrival. So, put your ego aside and focus on adapting. 😊
Before Returning Home
Before leaving:
• complete a lab notebook,
• transfer all files and create multiple backups,
• thank everyone,
• discuss future collaborations.
Once you begin working and keeping records, ask whether there is a standard way of reporting your laboratory notebook to supervisors or the administration, and follow that framework. With every experiment, write down exactly what you did that day, including as many details as possible. You will quickly forget them because of the large amount of new information you will be expected to absorb in a short period of time.
As your departure approaches, transfer all files, microscope images, analysis files, protocols, and experimental designs to a USB drive and create at least two backups: one online and another on physical storage, such as a USB drive or an external hard drive.
At some point during your visit, possibly before you leave, you will likely be asked to give a presentation about your work. For that reason, keep your results updated regularly and prepare a basic presentation in advance so that you are ready when you are invited to present. Ask how frequently your host and home supervisors expect progress reports, and try to maintain a reasonable reporting schedule. Once per week is usually sufficient. If you need assistance or have uncertainties, do not hesitate to arrange an online meeting with them.
Before you leave, say goodbye to everyone you worked with and thank them for the opportunity to learn, collaborate, and develop professionally.
After Returning Home
Returning home often produces a small reverse culture shock, so avoid scheduling demanding experiments immediately.
Spend one or two weeks:
• organizing data,
• completing administrative tasks,
• writing reports,
• presenting outcomes,
• discussing future collaboration opportunities.
A successful research visit does not end when you leave the host laboratory. It ends when the knowledge gained becomes part of your future work.
Below is a practical checklist you can follow, and for the end:
Fully enjoy the chance to work and live differently! 😊
6–4 Months Before the Visit
☐ Define the purpose of the visit
☐ Clarify expectations with home and host supervisor
☐ Confirm funding and duration
☐ Check visa requirements
☐ Estimate cost of living (Numbeo, etc.)
☐ Collect contacts of supervisors and collaborators
☐ Ask about accommodation suggestions
4–2 Months Before the Visit
☐ Find accommodation close to the institute
☐ Arrange transportation and flights
☐ Learn about local culture and regulations
☐ Contact previous visitors for advice
☐ Confirm administrative procedures
2–1 Months Before the Visit
☐ Confirm project plan with home and host laboratory
☐ Review relevant literature
☐ Define hypothesis and methods
☐ Prepare consumables list with catalogue numbers
☐ Check availability of reagents and equipment
☐ Create experimental design and controls
☐ Develop backup plans
1 Month–Departure
☐ Hold final planning meeting
☐ Prepare materials from home institution
☐ Arrange transport documentation for reagents
☐ Organize travel logistics and packing
☐ Prepare preliminary presentation slides
During the Visit
☐ Learn local laboratory procedures
☐ Keep detailed laboratory notes
☐ Communicate regularly with host and home supervisors
☐ Back up all files and data
☐ Update results continuously
Before Returning Home
☐ Copy all data to multiple locations
☐ Thank collaborators and laboratory staff
☐ Discuss future collaboration opportunities
After Returning
☐ Organize data and analyses
☐ Complete administrative requirements
☐ Write a visit report
☐ Present results to your home group
☐ Discuss next steps and future collaboration