How to Travel Abroad: Options and Links

By Nathanael Rubin on July 27, 2014

So you’re a student but want to travel abroad? Here are some great options and how to do it.

First of all, where do you want to go, and what do you want to do there?  When picking where you want to go, it might be better to simply choose a region.  The more flexible you are about where exactly you go, the more options you will have, and therefore the more likely it is that you will, in fact, get to go.

I’ve been to 29 countries, and it pains me to hear people say things like, “I’m so jealous you got to see all those places.  I wish I could do that.” Or “That’s my dream! But I can’t just drop everything and go to Asia (or wherever it may be) for a year.” And I simply say, “Yes, you can.”

A huge, crazy, amazing, trip abroad is 100% completely doable for almost anybody.  Here are some viable options:

Study Abroad:

Though this is probably the most expensive way if you don’t get a scholarship for it, if you’re a student, obviously this is a great option, especially if it’s your first time really travelling.  You’ll make plenty of friends to experience it with that are doing the same thing.  It’s convenient and fun, but depending on the program you choose, you probably won’t get the most bang for your buck, a cardinal sin for backpackers on a budget.

If you take the time to craft a decent scholarship application essay though (see my post about writing scholarship essays), it might be a really good deal with a little help from a public or private donor.

Work Abroad:

You do not need a bachelor’s degree to do this.  It would help if you had one, but you still have some good options, namely a Working Holiday Visa for Australia or New Zealand where you should be able to quite easily land some farm work if nothing else (the minimum wages there are among the highest in the world), teaching English in a developing country such as China (many English language schools abroad are desperate for native speakers), or WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (usually for room and board).

You can apply for a working holiday visa online on the Australian government’s immigration page or the New Zealand government’s immigration page. The process is pretty straight forward, so if you can afford a ticket out there, this is a great option, especially since Australia and NZ are close to lots of cool and interesting places that are cheap to travel in.

Finding a job teaching English is not quite as straight forward, but you can find a lot of information online on websites like Dave’s ESL Cafe.  If you have the funds to go to your destination and look for work in person, it would be much more effective.  Just make sure the place you are going has a very high demand for foreign teachers (a small town would probably have a higher demand for an inexperienced teacher without a bachelor’s than, say, a popular tourist destination).  The school usually arranges your visa for you.

Me with my class in Tianjin, China in 2011

WWOOF-ing is a great way to extend your trip.  There are farms all over the world looking for volunteers.  The compensation varies.  Visit their website for more info.

Backpacking on a Shoestring:  

The key word here is budget. If you are willing to accept modest accommodation and less than extravagant modes of transportation, you can see and do a lot more, but of course, you will have to make some sacrifices. While backpacking, every time you splurge to pay for something expensive, that’s a day or two of your trip you are no longer going to have, in exchange for whatever you bought. If you can stomach limiting yourself often to the minimum, you can potentially cover a lot more ground and give yourself the chance for the culture to really set in.

Hostelworld is a great website for booking cheap accommodation, and for the daring: Couchsurfing is an interesting way to meet people and score a place to crash for free.

Let’s talk number$$$

You can pay for all of this by:

Working and saving up before you go

Using student loans

Selling stuff on craigslist

Asking your parents to help

Winning the lottery

Eating gross stuff that your friends pay you for

Turning tricks

eBay

Donating plasma

Collecting bottles and cans

It’s usually not expensive to get from point A to point B depending on where you are traveling, but it’s a lot better than going from point A to point Z and then from point Z back to point A without making any other stops. It’s a shame when I hear people say that they went somewhere really far away for a week or two and then flew straight back, and then say travelling is too expensive. That’s like buying a movie ticket, going in and watching the first 15 minutes, and then leaving and saying going to the movies is overpriced.

I suggest taking full advantage of your trip by not cutting it too short. Give yourself the time to let it all set in and really enjoy your time abroad as something that will change you forever, because that’s what it is. Experiencing life in another part of the world is educational on all levels, all at once, and is well worth the time and money.

If your buddies won’t go with you, don’t be afraid to go it alone. Youth hostels all around the world are filled with people who are travelling alone, looking for people to chill with on their trip. I can almost guarantee you that you’ll make friends just about everywhere you go. This might sound unusual because Americans typically don’t travel abroad much, especially not alone. But in Europe for example, it’s really common for people to take a trip somewhere intending to hang out with people they haven’t even met yet. Some of the greatest things in life are outside of your comfort zone.

As a general rule for all things travel related, be persistent in finding an alternative way. There is a way around almost any obstacle. A great journey brings challenges, and in a short amount of time, you can become a real trooper—street smart and independent. The experience of a lifetime is waiting for you.

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