Feature photo by black_coffee_blue_jeans. Photo above by powerbooktrance.

I’ve heard it all before: “I don’t have enough time,” “It’s too much work to plan,” “It costs too much money,” “I don’t see what benefit it will have on my life.”

As an alumnus of multiple study abroad programs, I’m passionate about helping others take the big international leap. But it seems no matter what I say, no matter how much I assuage fears and offer sound advice, some students are still not convinced.

There’s always something (real or imagined) holding them back from what most former study abroad students will say was the best thing they’ve ever done.

Not one to be easily discouraged, I’m giving it a final shot: If you’re one of those students who still hasn’t gotten up enough gumption to give it a go, here are five reasons why you must, finally, once and for all, say “yes” to study abroad.

Photo by stevecadman.

1. Someone will plan the trip for you.

Planning is a huge component of international travel. You have to think about visas, plane tickets, lodging, on-the-ground logistics, and creating an itinerary. But when you study abroad through a university or study abroad agency, many of these details are taken care of for you.

When I went to France in 2001, my university’s international education office organized nearly everything, from my visa application to sightseeing weekends. We still had plenty of time for independent activities, but many of the big-picture details were already arranged. Take advantage of it now; traveling abroad will never be this easy again.

2. Funding is readily available.

Worried about the cost of study abroad? Don’t be. Not only are good, federally funded student loans available if you need them, but many abroad programs don’t cost any more than studying at your home university. For the same price you pay to spend a semester in the U.S., you could spend a semester overseas.

A few things might cost extra, such as the plane ticket and any spending money you wish to have on hand, but this money can easily be obtained through a summer job or loans. I’ve never regretted a single dime I spent to study abroad, and neither will you.

Photo by Hector Garcia.

3. It’s all about you.

No one returns from a long-term overseas trip as the same person they were before. It’s impossible to not have been so deeply affected by the things you’ve done, seen, accomplished and overcome that it transforms your entire being.

In fact, I think it’s safe to say you’ll learn more about yourself in one semester than you did during the entire length of your pre-study abroad existence. Many students who complete trips abroad find that they are more confident, more self-aware, more independent, and a heck of a lot more knowledgeable once it’s done.

They also have a lot of interesting things to talk about at dinner parties. The new you might take any number of forms, but I guarantee you’ll be pleased with the results.

4. You’ll avoid regrets.

As a student worker for my university’s alumni office, I made regular phone calls to former students. Mostly this was to ask for donations, but we would inevitably spend time chatting about their experiences as a student. The most frequent comment my colleagues and I heard was “I wish I had studied abroad.”

The number of alumni who held this regret about their time in school was staggering. They had let the opportunity pass them by (often for no good reason) and now can only listen as their friends from college rave about their semesters abroad. A visit to your school’s study abroad office is all it takes.

Photo by malias.

5. Studying abroad is fun.

There’s a dirty little secret: your university doesn’t want you to know about studying abroad. Don’t tell them I told you, but in general, your academic load will be much lighter overseas than it is here at home. Everything depends on where you go and what you study, but you will probably have less homework, fewer commitments, and possibly even less class time.

Your newfound freedom leaves plenty of time for exploring, traveling to nearby countries, mingling with attractive locals, and – if you’re an American who’s under 21 – taking advantage of the much lower legal drinking ages that exist in foreign countries.

There are a lot of things your school doesn’t show you in the official trip pamphlet. Trust me when I say you don’t want to miss them.

Community Connection:

Still need some financial planning help for studying abroad? Check out Evan Miller’s article “How to Get Your School to Pay for Your Travel.”

Share your study abroad experiences–or regrets– in the comments section below!

Living Routes students in Israel. Photo courtesy LivingRoutes.org

These days, learning firsthand about practical solutions to the challenges of the post-carbon age looks more and more like a vital part of a college education.

I recently enjoyed a conversation with Matador member Daniel Greenberg, founder of Living Routes, a remarkable study abroad organization that runs programs in eco-villages on six continents.

Living Routes programs are highly regarded for both quality of life and academic integrity, and students earn college credit through the University of Massachusetts.

Tim: Sustainability is a mainstream buzzword, but I feel eco-villages still suffer from a certain stigma among much of mainstream society. I lived for a time at an eco-village in Thailand where people are remarkably serious and diligent about building a better world, but my dad dismissively refers to it as “the hippie commune.”

How do you counter the perception among parents and teachers who see study abroad in eco-villages as a frivolous, radical or ‘hippy-dippy’ concept?

Daniel: Eco-villages are not your parents’ communes. While some can trace their roots back to the counterculture of the ’60s and ’70s, few today identify with the “hippie” stereotype. Members are generally hard working, environmentally and health conscious, and family oriented.

Anyone who believes eco-villages are marginal or irrelevant is not aware of current global trends.

Just look around. Given today’s realities of climate change and peak oil, what do you think life will be like in a coming “carbon-constrained” world?

How will we get around? Where will our food come from? What kind of work will we be doing?

Essentially, eco-villages represent humanity’s best research and development laboratories for how we can learn to live well and lightly; for how we can think globally and act locally; and for how we can recreate fulfilling, sustainable communities.

We need eco-villages more than we can imagine. They are not utopias, but they are trying, and that makes them the best “campuses” we have for people to learn about living sustainably by actually doing it!

Tim: What are some of the practical skills Living Routes students learn in eco-villages that they can apply to their lives and careers back home?

Photo courtesy LivingRoutes.org

Daniel: I like to think of our programs as journeys into community, ecology, and spirit. On the community level, students learn about such topics as conflict facilitation, non-violent communication, consensus, fair trade, and local economies.

On the ecological level, students learn about ecological design, permaculture, reforestation, organic farming, appropriate technologies, [and] renewable energies.

On the spiritual dimension, while our programs are not religious, they do encourage students to ask big questions such as “What do I believe?”, “How did I come to believe this?”, and, perhaps most importantly, “What are my options?”

Whether they are engaging with shamans in Peru or radical sustainability folks in India, students are challenged to step out of their own comfort zones and engage with holistic, integrated solutions to today’s biggest issues.

Alumni of Living Routes programs can never again say “It can’t be done.” because they have witnessed people fully dedicated to Doing It!

What’s left is for students to ask themselves, “How can I best make a difference?” “What is my ‘purpose” or ‘vocation’?”, which Frederick Buechner has wonderfully defined as “the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

The world is hungry for change and I am grateful every day for the opportunity to be living in this time where our actions are so vital and needed.

Tim: Living Routes has programs on 6 continents. What does each program have in common, and if you could only recommend one program, which would it be?

Daniel: All Living Routes’ programs are about sustainable community development and leadership for a post-carbon world.

Our primary vision is to immerse future leaders into communities that are creating new cultures that are living more sustainable “stories” about who we are in relation to each other and the planet.

You can only really hear and absorb these stories through being a part of them and that’s what makes these programs such transformational experiences.

And you can’t ask me to recommend only one. That’s like asking which is my favorite child!

Tim: One thing I struggle with as a world traveler is the fact that foreign travel, and air travel in particular, is an extremely high-impact activity. I often feel like a hypocrite, writing about sustainability and promoting low-impact lifestyles while flying from continent to continent.

Photo courtesy LivingRoutes.org

Is foreign travel compatible with the basic philosophy of eco-villages? How does Living Routes reconcile the environmental impact of travel with the values it attempts to instill?

Daniel: This is perhaps Living Routes’ biggest dilemma. How can we truly be advocates for sustainability when our programs produce over 200 metric tons of CO2/year, mostly from air travel?

The general answer is that we believe the transformation that happens on our programs and the change that ripples out from our students more than compensates for these impacts. And we’re not just taking that on faith.

In mid-2007, we started surveying students about their environmental beliefs and practices – just before, in the last few days, six-months after and two-years after each program – to examine what kinds of impacts our programs really make over time.

If, in a year or two, it becomes clear that our programs do not really change people, we are going to be hard pressed to continue running them.

More specifically, Living Routes started instituting a comprehensive carbon strategy in 2005, which to my knowledge, made us the first study abroad organization to do so. This involves measuring, reducing, and offsetting all of our office and program-related greenhouse gas emissions.

This has also been a great way to educate students about their impacts and support eco-village-based renewable energy projects.

Photo courtesy LivingRoutes.org

We’re now developing a Carbon Commitment Calculator, which will allow our students (and others!) to commit to lifestyle changes that result in a reduction in CO2 in order to offset the impact of particular events (such as our programs).

While we believe major changes in governments and corporations are a necessary part of any “great turning” towards a more ecological age, they are not sufficient.

As an organization, we are now moving beyond being “carbon neutral” towards being “carbon conscious” because it is becoming increasingly obvious that individuals and communities will need to be at the core of any lasting change. And this is where eco-villages and Living Routes are leading the way.

Community Connection

For more information on Living Routes, check outwww.livingroutes.org. To find out the location of Daniel’s favorite spot to watch the sunrise, check out his Matador profile.

Photo by nattu

Here are seven reasons to fall in love abroad in 2009.

1. You can serve as an ambassador for your country.

Making a good impression on people in foreign lands by using your romantic dexterity is the most positive grassroots PR effort there is. Just don’t cheat. Your country is depending on you.

2. Falling in love is the best way to learn a language.

Your desire to communicate in a foreign language will be heightened dramatically when the person staring at you alluringly across the table invites you to meet their family and friends. Or did they say farm and frogs?

Photo by Edwin Dalorzo

3. You can be a sort of cultural anthropologist.

When you date someone abroad, you get an inside look at gender relations and familial customs that the average tourist could never fathom. Dating is the ultimate cultural immersion. Bonus points for getting invited to family holidays.

4. If you end up getting married, you’ll have awesome passport privileges.

It will be much easier to find work abroad if you earn dual citizenship. If Europe is one of your favorite travel destinations, then a passport from an EU member country would be particularly advantageous.

No more visa issues, no more work permits. And, you don’t have to stand in the “foreign passport holder” line at customs! Score! More reasons to marry someone who lives abroad are as follows:

Photo by pedrosimoes7

1. If you end up moving back to your home country, then your in-laws are really far away.

2. Same goes for (sniffle) if you break up. Not a chance you’ll run into him at your local coffee shop or have to suffer through walking by “your restaurant” or “your park bench.” They’re literally out of sight, out of mind.

5. A foreign accent whispering seductively into your ear.

Need I say more?

6. You can develop a vague, Madonna-esque faux accent of your own.

When you spend a lot of time with someone who doesn’t share your native tongue, you’ll find yourself picking up the cute little mistakes they make, even though you’ve been speaking the language since birth.

Suddenly, instead of saying “people” you say “peoples,” and you’ve purloined their curse words. I’m known for still sneaking in a “joder” from time to time.

7. Finally, do you ever really need a reason to fall in love?

Awww.

Photo by *L*u*z*a*

Feature photo by kool_skatkat. Photo above by .craig.

When living abroad, communication is the biggest obstacle. Loneliness in a strange land can be truly depressing, and a lack of communication skills may compound your sadness.

So why not kill two birds by learning a new language with a new love?

First and foremost, you will learn much more quickly when you and your partner’s happiness depends on it. There is an added incentive to decipher facial expressions, strange sounds, and frantic hand-waving, if a correct interpretation might lead to a fine meal, good kisses, or a wonderful night under a full moon.

Photo by FranUlloa.

Second, who wants to spend time in a classroom reciting the ABCs, learning how to say “Where is the shoe store?” and other such vital information when an pillow talk and strolls through the park could be the alternative?

The tedium of going back to school for a language is completely washed away when mistakes become opportunities for laughter and inside jokes told years later to friends and family.

Third, the breadth and depth of you language ability will surprise you. If you are dating a native, you will learn words and expressions that no other foreigner in the Greek as a Second Language class is learning. The language becomes not only a mode of communication, but also a living connection to the world around you.

In this way, the country becomes less foreign and its people more accessible when you are able to spit out a few colloquialisms gleaned from your lover-teacher.

Photo by heartarcade.

Fourth, you will have a cuddle companion for trips that you might not have taken if you were alone with your phrasebook. You will see more of the country and be able to find the best places to stay, the cheapest modes of local transportation and eat local cuisine at the right mom and pop shop, because your lover knows these things.

Last and most important, finding a person to share your experience is the whole point of traveling. The connections you make with people is exactly why people pack up and leave home for a few years. In fact, finding a native lover should be the first goal of any person going to live in another country.

All of the above reasons for using love to learn how to communicate revolve around the central theme for traveling: connecting. Have fun.

Community Connection:

So where are the best places to find your new lover and teacher? Check out Sascha’s companion piece: The Love Tour: World’s Best Cities for Singles.

For more on the ups and downs of love on the road, check out Why Sex is the First Real Connection in Foreign Relationships, or How to Travel with your Fiance and Come Back Together.

Photo by Wrote

Americans have a reputation for being ignorant of world history, and perhaps with good reason. When your country is the most powerful and wealthy in the world you expect other people to learn about you.

But when you’re a traveler that tendency tends to hamper your understanding of foreign cultures. US culture is unique in that it places relatively little importance on history. It can be a bit of a shock to discover that people around the world still care very deeply about events that transpired hundreds of years ago.

Learning the history of the country you’re visiting enriches your experience and helps you connect with people more easily. You endear yourself to others when they can see you’ve taken time to learn about their culture before visiting. It’s a sign of respect.

Here are five ways you can give yourself a crash course in foreign history.

1. Get a university library membership.

Non-students can frequently acquire university library memberships either for a small fee or by proving their local residency. Even if you have money to burn on books, it’s hard to beat the convenience and ease of a massive library with experienced staff.

A halfway decent library will also offer foreign newspapers, academic journals and historical archives that would otherwise be very difficult to acquire.

Photo by Helder da Rocha

2. Network with experts.

Going with blind library searches can be surprisingly successful if you know how to shape your terms and pick books efficiently. You can also save yourself considerable labor by just contacting an expert.

History professors are generally very willing to field questions from both students and the curious. Even if they don’t have time for a conversation with you or to field your emails, ask them to send you a copy of their syllabus.

You can pick books up off of it easily and bulk up your knowledge without having to worry about picking up out-of-date books.

Foreign correspondents and authors are also good resources. Don’t be shy – people are generally flattered to receive questions from curious knowledge-hunters.

If no one wants to talk to you, try identifying yourself as an independent journalist conducting research. It works!

3. Use bibliographies as springboards.

If you find a particular article or book interesting, follow the footnotes. If you like the work of a particular author, and they liked another work enough to cite it, there’s a good chance that you’ll derive some significant value by following footnotes.

The only potential pitfall with this approach is that you’ll likely only develop deep knowledge of one side of the issue or only learn about the perspective of a particular academic clique.

Photo by cstrom

4. Learn the language.

You can pick up a lot from only reading English-language publications, but your knowledge will be very limited if you can’t converse in the native language of the particular culture you’re learning about. It is much easier to learn how to read a language than it is to learn how to speak or write it well.

Learning the language also opens up foreign newspapers to you. Staying abreast of current events in your target country will enable you to understand the context of the history that you’re studying much more effectively.

Photo by umjanedoan

5. Specialize fast.

The faster that you specialize in your studies, the quicker you’ll derive value from them. You can spend forever trying to get the general sweep of history in your target country and then forget most of it within a week or two.

If you’re particularly interested in one aspect of a country’s history – or that of a particular locale, cultural group or period in time – follow that interest.If it excites you, there’s probably a good reason for it. Listen to your own passion.

Community Connection

Beyond the history, it can be great to learn about your destination’s music, art and literature, too. Click over to Julie Schwietert Collazo’s Before You Go Guide to Cuba, chime in on the Before You Go Guide to New York City in the forums, or check out Eva Holland’s South Africa Reading Guide.

Got some advice to share? Sign up for the Matador Travel community today and post some blogs of your own!

Goods:

Specialization is great before a trip, but a little general knowledge never hurt anyone either! Give travel writing legend Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything a try, or check out Norman Davies’ monster classic, Europe: A History.