Why Experiencing Culture Shock is a Good Thing for Young Adults

Sizing up culture shock experiences

Your formative years are the time that you start figuring out who you are and what you want out of life, which makes it the perfect time to participate in travel abroad programs for young adults. Traveling or studying in another country in your younger years (and well, anytime of life!) often has the side effect of Culture Shock: a feeling of disorientation that occurs when someone is immersed in an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. Experiencing culture shock as a teenager or young adult is a lot like growing pains (but with less awkward body hair or blue makeup phases). It’s a little uncomfortable, but it will ultimately shape you into a much more interesting, well-rounded person, and goal-oriented individual—a perfect recruit for your dream college or job.

9 benefits of experiencing culture shock

1. A New Everyday Routine

In a culture other than their own, almost anything in your day-to-day life can be different: how often people watch television, what time people wake up in the morning, or how much food is served at each meal. Summer and travel abroad programs often arrange for student housing with a host family, which is an incredible opportunity for young students to see the everyday life in another country. Although details such as when grocery stores open what hand you should eat with may seem insignificant at first, experiencing diverse cultural norms can open perspectives to a whole new way of life.

High schoolers and college students will learn to adapt quickly to new situations and environments both abroad and when they return home because of how they’ve had to acclimate to the challenges of living abroad. This kind of easy adjustment will set them apart when approaching the world of college or even further into the future, in the work field, when success is dependent on a student or employee’s ability to adapt to situations dictated by conventions or people different than what they are used to.

[Recommended program: Study in New Zealand with ISA]

2. Personal Reflection

Travel in your early years encourages students to appreciate the value in different cultures. When faced with the opinions, beliefs, and lifestyles of another country, travelers will be forced to reevaluate their own social, economic, and cultural values. In doing so, they will be able to define what they personally believe in, as well as come to appreciate parts of both their home country and the country they are studying in.

Having a grounded sense of values and beliefs increases self-awareness, which ultimately helps in developing soft skills like conflict resolution and empathy.

3. Confidence Booster

Faced with an environment that is not their own while apart from family and friends, young adults and teens will be forced to overcome obstacles and problem-solve on their own. At an age where self-confidence is too often determined by peer-approval, this independently-developed autonomy gives teens a sense of confidence built by personal accomplishments.

4. Language Learning Op’s Abound

When traveling to another country, you’ll typically find that your native language is not the predominant language spoken in the country you are studying in. Travel abroad programs often focus on language immersion. This typically means that classes are taught in the language of the country that the teens are studying in; it also could involve homestay accommodations, with a local family, so that participants can practice their language skills outside of the classroom as well. Programs may also arrange for extracurricular activities with local students of the same age, so that young travelers and students can participate in sports teams or language buddy programs in order to practice the language with their peers.

By fully immersing themselves in the country’s native language, travelers not only learn a new language, but a new way of thinking and communicating. The effects of culture shock when navigating language barriers teaches young people crucial lessons in communication and cultural sensitivity.

5. Ready for the Resume

Only a very limited amount of young adult travelers and high school students travel or study abroad independently and by doing so, you are setting yourself apart from the rest of college and job applicants. Having traveled and experiencing another culture is the new de-facto desired skill set! The skills and global awareness teens will acquire while abroad will make them far more desirable for future university admissions and future employers. Students who go abroad are not afraid to challenge themselves, to take risks, or to navigate unfamiliar waters successfully, not to mention, they learn to work with people from diverse backgrounds, making them excellent team players and, thus, perfect candidates for undergraduate or graduate schools, as well as employers. 

According to a study conducted by QS Global Employer Survey, approximately 60 percecnt of employers stated that value international experience in a candidate. Meanwhile, studies conducted by IES Abroad showed that 85 percent of study abroad alumni claimed that studying abroad had prepared them with skills necessary in the job market , while 90 percent of those who had studied abroad got into their first or second choice graduate school.

Traveling or studying abroad as a high schooler? You’re even already ahead of most college students and job applicants!

6. College and/or "Real World" Prep

Going abroad is the perfect test run for high school students to experience life outside their often sheltered and comfortable bubble of home, so they can see what they want and what they are capable of when it is time to go to college. And for college students working closer to graduation, it can be a serious "reality pill" about the way the world works. By going so far from home, travelers experience much of the same disorienting loneliness and forced independence that freshman in college or new hires go through, but on a much larger scale, as the added cultural differences are even greater.

After going abroad as a young adult, travelers might find themselves compelled to explore the option of schools or jobs farther from home, out of state. Culture shock pushes everyone to their limits and teaches them what they’re capable of handling and adapting to, making them far more ready for college or far flung employment in the future. Not to mention, going abroad makes for an incredible application essay or interview topic!

7. A Whole New World

Disney jokes aside, going on a travel program for young adults gives students the invaluable realization of how much of a great, big world there is to explore out there. As this grand epiphany usually takes place when older, you could almost say that by going abroad as a young pup, you’re getting a head start on a lifelong love and passion for travel and general curiosity about the world. 

[Recommended program: Volunteer in South Africa with Kaya]

8. Incomparable Educational Experiences

Learning abroad is entirely different from learning in a classroom at home, as students learn not only in class, but in their everyday interactions with the world around them. The beauty of studying abroad is that the subjects studied will be intrinsically linked to the world around the students, the city, the country, and the culture teens have adopted during their time abroad.

Many travel abroad programs incorporate day trips into their schedules, so that students can actually see the ancient ruins or sea turtle populations they are studying. However, while the subjects that students learn in the classroom are important and crucial to the experience, culture shock is the true educator for students going abroad. Learning is not limited to the classroom. Students will learn on the streets, in taxi cabs, at the dinner table of their host family; each time they are interacting with a culture that is not their own, they are learning more about this new environment and about themselves.

9. Passion for Very Real Social Issues

Nothing can make a college or job app sparkle quite like community service. Volunteer abroad programs thrust students into environments that they could have never imagined. As most volunteer work abroad is either community-based, missionary work, or eco-conservation, many of the countries that students travel to are less-developed than their home country, or have drastically different lifestyles than what they are used to (or both).

Volunteering to help the less fortunate can be truly shocking for teens who are used to a comfortable lifestyle, and can bring forth deep reflection on their lives and the lives of others.

This reevaluation of how they live will ultimately help participants grow and make better, more people-oriented choices in the future. There is no better humbling experience nor a better way to build a global community by encouraging young students and teens to spend their time abroad by helping others. These experiences will put their lives in perspective, and give them a greater appreciation for them, as well as for the communities they are helping. This can affect everything from how they interact with people on a daily basis, to their choice of study or career in the future.

Next steps to finding travel abroad programs for young adults

Now that you agree that culture shock is good for you, it's time to high-tail it overseas and find travel abroad programs for young adults! Here are a few items on your study abroad to do list you should check off first.

Our How-To Guide

1. Figure out what you wanna do. There are heaps of meaningful travel options—intern, study, volunteer. What do you wanna do? Explore the types of travel and settle on one.

2. Decide where to go. Figuring out where to travel isn’t easy. The gorgeous highlands of Scotland? Somewhere in Latin America? Don't let your nerves hold you back—choose a place that's right for you.

3. Choose from the best programs. Pay attention to past participants’ reviews, program/university reputation, location, and your ease of getting credits. Some schools or providers may even provide contact info for student ambassadors or past international students if you want the REAL dirt.

4. Plan your finances. Sort out funding before you go to afford daily essentials and splurge in travel (in addition to program costs and airfare). Do your research and learn how to fund a trip abroad.

5. Talk to your home university or high school counselor. Getting all your ducks in a row is largely dependent on what your home university or high school requires. Talk to a study abroad advisor or the equivalent at your school to see what choices are available to you.

Culture shock experiences shouldn't be avoided

You're about to embark on one of the most incredible and challenging experiences of your life.

Culture shock is something that affects almost everyone who travels in a country or culture that is different from his or her own, and its side-effects can definitely leave you spinning and a bit confused. However, the difficult parts of culture shock are what make it so rewarding; without it, there would be no personal growth. As clichéd as it might sound, some of the most important and exhilarating parts of traveling and studying abroad is not seeing historical monuments, but getting to see yourself in relation to the diverse world around you.

Be willing to shock yourself—Go abroad and see where it takes you! Watch below for some more tips on how to rock the shock!