Have you ever considered participating in a high school travel abroad summer program? Do you dream about seeing the world, exploring new cultures and experiencing life in ways only possible through travel? High school travel abroad programs are a great way to become a global citizen and stand out among your peers as you apply to college.
We receive many emails from high school students who want to travel abroad — to experience the world. They have questions about what to expect. Here is an example of what we hear from students anxious and excited about the idea of traveling abroad:
“I like to travel. I know I want to see more of the world and I have been researching summer service trips abroad online and talking with friends. I’m not sure where exactly I want to go or what I want to do? I am in high school and also don’t know if I want to go alone not knowing anyone else. How do I decide?”
The Road Less Traveled’s best advice: GO. First, do your due diligence. Then, absolutely GO!
We asked students and instructors, Mariel Turner, Michael DeMattia and Annika Berman, to help high school students like you understand what you might have to gain from a summer on The Road Less Traveled. Here’s what they had to say:
“Experiences on an RLT trip last far longer than the trip itself. You remember the littlest moments, like assisting a young Kuna girl write “water” in her notebook, and having her smile wide after she finished tracing the “r”. They are more than just the little moments they appear to be because of the heart and passion behind them.”
—Mariel T. (Participant, Student Traveler)
“Perhaps most of all, the Road Less Traveled was for me about people and hope. It was the place where I’ve had the most true, most genuine, and perhaps most intense interactions with people . It changed my approach to social change from focusing on brilliant ideas and innovations to focusing on developing and unleashing the incredible power of each individual to create positive change.”
— Annika B. (Instructor)
“As a leader, traveling with young adults who find beauty and wonder in the people and natural world around them inspired me each and every day. In losing touch with my world, I became more in tune with the rest of what life had to offer. Rolling waves on the shore, the way the sun peaked over the ridgeline, the sound of rain against the tent roof: each moment suddenly became…. beautiful, magic even.”
—Michael D. (Participant and Instructor)
Now that you’ve heard from those who have been there, consider all of these amazing bonuses to traveling as a high school student. You will:
• Become a global citizen.
• Stand out among your peers when you apply for college.
• Gain perspective.
• Learn to care about issues that are bigger than yourself.
• Feel more connected to the world and to others in a deep and lasting way.
• Develop skills you never knew you could.
• Learn more about the people, religions, regions, cultures, and places of history in our world; the language, geography, politics, sociology, economics to name just a few.
• Gain courage by going somewhere and doing something for the first time.
• You’ll come home with way cool stories.
Check out the Road Less Traveled 2014 Summer Programs. This year we’ve added SCUBA diving trips in Belize, A culinary excursion to Italy and Middle School Programs!
There’s a wonderful world out there waiting for you…
This article was provided by the writing staff at The Road Less Traveled.
> For more about study abroad and traveling as a student, check out NextStepU’s Study Abroad articles.
