Ask most students who have studied abroad why they did it, and you’re sure to hear, “For the travel opportunities!” as a popular reason. So, it was only natural for us to identify travel as one of the many benefits of study abroad during International Education Week.
Travel not only exposes you to new sights, sounds, cuisines, and people, it broadens your entire perspective on the world and your place within it.
Sure, you might have opportunities to travel during other times of your life, but there will seldom be another occasion to be a student traveling abroad.
Here are five perks to being a student traveler:
- You can easily travel with friends. After all, you’ll be on the same academic schedule.
- You don’t have to travel far to see something amazing. Just take a walk to the bakery or hop on a bus to a nearby town. Everything is exotic when you’re far from home.
- You qualify for student discounts on airfare and other transportation, hostels, museum entrances, and more!
- Your “home base” is wherever you happen to be studying abroad—how cool is that? If travel is important to you while you study abroad, make sure to factor that into your study abroad location. For example, our European Union Program is based in Freiburg, Germany, because of its accessibility to so many other European countries.
- You are more likely to be an immersed and invested participant, instead of just a tourist or observer. You’re not just visiting a country, you’re living and learning there.
Regardless of how much travel you pack into your time abroad, one thing is for sure: studying abroad is a great way to see the world. And while we wholeheartedly encourage spending some weekends in your host city, travel is an undeniable perk.
