Student travel is becoming more and more common every year. Every year, students from all over the world take trips to other parts of the globe that they had so far only dreamed of. Some go during regular semester sessions, others during school breaks and a whole lot more during the summer vacation. It is an exciting way of exploring our world.
However, sometimes these trips can turn out to be a little nightmare for them, especially if they are journeying to places with totally different cultures as them. But here are five tips to help you get the best out of your student study abroad programs.
Student Travel Tips
Choosing the Right Program: Your school’s study abroad or exchange office will have a list of a wide range of programs that you can take up. Some programs are mainly cultural exchanges; others are more like intensive studies of certain subjects like languages, while others are a combination of some of these. There are however, some differences in how they may benefit you as a student. Depending on your preferences, you may want to opt for one that will also give you some degree credits, whether or not taking classes is the main part of the program.
Destination Research: It is always a good idea to do some personal research of the geography, politics, economics and social system of the host country. These will help reduce the extreme “strangeness” of the local way of life. You will also be better equipped to easily ‘fit in’ and be less of a naïve tourist.
Follow Health Procedures: Student travel to certain places may require them to be immunized against certain diseases. Where this is the case, it is advisable to do it in order to avoid the possible backlash in the form of falling sick, etc during your trip.
Get Health Coverage: Some health plans that you already have may cover your health insurance during your student travels; others may not. It would be best to confirm these withavailable health insurance providers and choose the one that best suits your needs. It is not a good experience to be stuck in a foreign country with no health insurance of any sort, when you need it the most.
Learn the Local Language: Another fun way of making your trip very enjoyable is to try and learn the language of the natives that you will be visiting before you even take your trip. You don’t have to be very fluent in it, just understand the most basic words and phrases and you are good to go. You may also make some time to study the language during your stay if that is not already included as part of the study abroad program requirements. This gives you an edge over everyone else. Nothing beats the fun of being able to converse with the locals in their own language.
Student travel could be as enjoyable and memorable as it could be if only certain pitfalls can be avoided, some tips taken into consideration and acted upon and some pre-departure preparations done properly and early enough.
Leave a Reply