The 411 on College Abroad Trips

Ready to jet off on college abroad trips? Here’s what you need to know first. ☆ Just as much as college has become a sort of cultural rite of passage, so has seeing the far reaches of the world before graduation. Especially with the rise of social media, even the most obscure global adventures are now at our fingertips, making something so seemingly far closer than ever.

Here’s a pro tip on college abroad trips: Use the dang sidewalk!

However, for the first time college traveler, the thought of planning an international journey from start to finish can be overwhelming. (Not to mention the fact that you have to convince the parents that you’re a *responsible* young adult worthy of their trust.) From lining up a smooth travel itinerary to figuring out which ATMs to use, trips abroad are no walk in the park. Luckily, some genius individuals realized these challenges long ago and a beautiful solution was born: college abroad trips.

Trips abroad for college students include a colorful medley of trips in all flavors. Thrill-seeking, but pressed for time? A week-long adventure trip may be for you. If traveling with a mission is more up your alley, then perhaps you’ll find more meaning in service trips. No matter what kind of global trip you choose, you’re guaranteed to come out of it with more than lifelong memories and a posse of new world-traveling homies.

Dreaming about an exotic life outside the classroom? Here’s everything you should probably know about college abroad trips before packing up and bidding adieu to your roommates.

13 things to know about trips abroad for college students

1. College abroad trips range from days to months

While you can opt to take off for a few days during a fall, winter, or spring break, the majority of short-term travel options for students will be over the summer. Across the board, summer trips for college students have tons of flexibility in terms of length and departure dates. This means that no matter your home university’s calendar and your own needs, chances are you’ll find a trip that works for you.

So, what travel length is best? It all comes down to you! As you’re grappling between juicy month-long itineraries on the Mediterranean Coast and service trips in Costa Rica over a few days, consider these factors:

• Budget. Naturally, longer trips come with a higher price tag. However, after paying an initial program fee and airfare, the cost to stay a bit longer isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. When deciding between a few days to two weeks, the difference may just come down to accommodations, personal expenses, and the added program fee.
• Type of trip. What kind of program are you interested in? While a trip for “fun” and volunteering may make more sense for a week or less, language study and interning require several weeks to be worth the travel.
• Location. Consider whether your destination makes it easy to explore nearby places. If your aim is to do some travel on your own or expand your horizons to further lands, give yourself a bit more time. For destinations with tons of attractions and points of interest, it also makes sense to allot a bit more time so you don’t sell yourself short.

2. Yes, there are trips abroad for college students just to have fun

We don’t judge! If you’re just interested in the fun that comes along with trips abroad for college students, there ARE options for you.

We all understand the importance of maximizing your college experience for professional and educational gain. But let’s face it—sometimes you just need to relax and experience the world in a casual, stress-free way. Looking to travel for the sake of travel? Want to leave the lectures and work behind? Hoping to chill with new friends at an Irish pub? It might not be the most productive use of your time abroad, but there ARE college abroad trips that have been created for such purposes.

3. No parents doesn’t always mean no rules

It’s all fun and games until someone gets sent home! With the parentals left half a world away, it’s tempting to follow that sweet smell of freedom and pursue every taboo in the book. However, many program organizers have strict policies in place against going rogue.

If you’re legally under the drinking age in your destination country, you may find penalties in place by your program provider itself for any violations. While alcohol consumption is a gray area depending on your age and country, drug use will certainly get you the boot back over the ocean.

For the college trips abroad that have you rooming with a host family, you may find additional layers of regulations that will just come down to each family’s preferences. Ultimately, you should check in with each program to get a clear idea of what their policies look like.

4. Different strokes for different folks (AKA, choose wisely)

Because trips abroad for college students vary in their degree of structure and planned activities, different programs suit different people. For the more introverted people out there, a quieter, study-based trip may be better than a socializing-heavy one. Another aspect to consider is how seriously you’re willing to take your adventure abroad. Are you looking to just have fun or do you want to leave with strong academic gains?

5. Consider your long-term career goals 

Don’t forget that college trips abroad can be a great cornerstone of building a future career.

The point above brings us to this next one, which is to look deep inside yourself to determine the game plan. Why are you interested in going abroad, even if for a short time? The type of program you choose (more on this later!) should complement your goals.

If learning a new language is important to you, then choose a trip that prioritizes cultural immersion and language study. If you want a hot selling point to slap on the ol’ resume, then look for a short-term trip that integrates some sort of internship or work experience. Not all trips carry the same professional weight (some are purely for fun), so choose wisely!

6. Interning abroad is good for the resume...and for the soul

If your grandparents, advisors, and wise friends have given you advice to “work smarter, not harder”, then now is the time to act on it. Interning abroad over the summer is the ultimate way to double dip (or even triple dip if you can get college credit) and gain professional experience, but in a more extra kind of way.

Intern abroad programs work out travel logistics and an internship placement for you with companies overseas depending on your qualifications. Summer trips for college students are the ideal time to complete an internship abroad, because you won’t have the stress of coursework to bog you down. When you’re not busy building up your new global professional expertise, you’ll be free to explore your destination to your heart’s content.

7. Volunteering abroad means giving back to a cause you love

If you want to maximize your travels to include some philanthropy, consider a volunteering trip. Choose a cause that is dear to your heart, and make a difference while learning more about it through a global perspective in a different country.

Whether you hope to contribute to sea turtle conservation or support women in need, there are countless projects in constant need of altruistic individuals to help. Just keep in mind: if your goal of going abroad is to get some great selfies of exotic sights to show friends back home, a volunteer cause may not be the best fit.

Why not take your trip to the next level and make it a volunteer experience?

8. Language study can get really intense 

With a wide open summer vacation, there’s no better time to master that language that seemingly doesn’t want to stick no matter how many high school classes and college courses you’ve taken.

With summer language study, things get, well, really intense. Not only do language studies abroad give you that extended classroom time every day, but you also get cultural and language immersion day in and out after hours. There’s no better way to learn than to get thrown to the (local) sharks.

9. You can still study side-by-side local students at a university

Just because you’re traveling on a short-term basis doesn’t mean you have to forego the traditional foreign exchange student experience! If you’re unable to take off during the school year, there are plenty of summer study abroad programs out there that work similarly to a semester- or year-long program. You can take classes with local students, attend university lectures, and even get college credit to take back home with you.

10. Destinations come in all shapes and sizes

Who said you had to choose just one? The beauty of trips abroad for college students is that they understand that the young and wild just want to go out and explore as much as possible in a short amount of time. Meanwhile, river cruises and five-day resort stays are better suited for your grandparents, whose priorities may lean a bit more heavily towards napping and relaxation.

With no time to lose, you have the option to maximize your stay abroad with a multi-city or even multi-country program. Rather than staying planted in one place, these programs will whisk you away on a dynamic itinerary so you can get a taste of an entire region at a time. Unfortunately, those with decision paralysis may have a hard time choosing where to go, because there are college abroad trips on all seven continents (Antarctica included).

Take your pick of atmospheres and environments; college abroad trips can take you almost anywhere.

11. Financing options may be available

Sure, we can promise you the world, but what good is it if it’ll cost a fortune? Realistically, traveling overseas comes with some less-than-ideal costs tied to program fees and airfare. After all, you are going out of your way to trapeze halfway around the globe, not take a walk around the block. 

Before you start to hyperventilate at some of the price tags, sit back down and take a deep breath. Why? Because financing options. That’s right, even summer trips for college students have tons of financing options to help cover the costs. From fundraising to scholarships to grants, there’s a whole potpourri of ways to make it rain on your dream international travels.

12. Instant friends are part of the deal

Even if you don’t have an army of eager buddies at your side willing to run around in exotic corners of the world with you, fear not! The beautiful thing about traveling while you’re young and fresh is that anybody and everybody that you encounter abroad is fair game as a new best friend.

While this may seem like an over-dramatization, anyone who’s participated in an organized program abroad can attest to how quickly you’ll come to befriend your fellow travel mates. Even if you don’t have much in common right off the bat, just sharing such an impactful experience abroad provides an instant bond that can last for years to come, or even a lifetime. So, don’t worry if you’re heading into a summer or semester trip solo—because you won’t leave that way!

13. The travel bug will have you going back for more

The downside to travel is unfortunately a big one. You may think of a trip abroad as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but that’s not really the case. You’ll get hooked and keep going back for more. Sorry, but NOT sorry.

All trips abroad for college students rule!

Get out there and be who you want to be during trips abroad for college students!

If there’s one thing you should take away from this article, it’s that you can basically do anything your youthful heart desires on college trips overseas. Looking for work experience with a European flair? Check. Meaningful social work in South Africa? We got you. Wanting to get mad fluent in an obscure language? Well, you’re in luck. No matter the adventure, it’s probably been organized into a wonderfully packaged trip abroad for you to dive into. So take the plunge!

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