Have you ever wanted to travel abroad but you’re not sure how?

Welcome fellow adventurer! Here are 5 tips to help you travel overseas before you graduate:

1. Get excited and have fun while planning!

What interests you and makes you happy? Where have you always wanted to go? These are questions you can consider when thinking about going overseas. For inspiration, you can take a look at the many pictures and videos of others traveling (check out @glateens, for example). You can also ask friends, relatives, teachers, and parents about their travels. People LOVE talking about and sharing their time abroad—you’ll soon enjoy this yourself!  🙂

2. Convincing your parents is more than half the battle

Even if it doesn’t seem like it at times, our parents love us and ultimately want us to be happy. But, as we all know, love can make us do crazy things and make people unnecessarily worried. What is truly best for you might not make sense for your parents, at least for the moment. If you’re certain about traveling, then you might need to negotiate your trip and answer any objections your parents have. The most common ones are related to safety, money, and scheduling. One idea is that you can join a global travel program specifically for teens and high school students—most of them have flexible times and some of them even offer scholarships!

3. Reach out to high school students who have already traveled

High school travel abroad is certainly not common, but you’ll find that many teens like you made it happen. If you’re lucky, your school might have an office or adviser that you can reach out to. They might be able to refer you to other students who have done a program you’re looking into or visited a similar area. For those of you with social media accounts, you can visit a teen travel program’s page (one great example with almost 67,000 followers is GLA’s Facebook page) and then private message other teens there. Most people are really friendly and will want to help you out. Since many high school students who travel abroad have done more than one program, they’ll give you the inside scoop. It really helps to get a well-balanced perspective of whatever program or area you’re considering.

4. Check out GLA and other quality programs

As mentioned earlier, there are many options you can check out for traveling overseas. What matters is finding the right program for YOU that fits with YOUR aspirations, interests, and schedule. It also doesn’t hurt if they know how to work with thoughtful parents and alleviate their (completely understandable) concerns or reservations. A fantastic resource you can check out for traveling is Global Leadership Adventures (GLA). But don’t let that stop you from considering other quality programs! Ultimately, what really matters is you having the best experience possible and no community—no matter how experienced or diverse—can do it all.

5. Take action now!

You betcha! Right now. This could be one of those moments where we all get really motivated and excited, but then nothing ends up happening. Or…it could be the first step towards something exciting….something new (maybe even a bit scary)…an Adventure.

---

Contributed by Nick Fochtman

There are ways to study abroad without having to take classes at an international high school or follow your typical overseas program setup. The opportunity begins the moment you realize that the world becomes the classroom. Sitting behind a desk isn’t the only way to learn.

Here are 3 ways you can study abroad without a classroom component:

1. Volunteer abroad. Programs like Global Leadership Adventures are teen study abroad experiences meshed together with leadership training and volunteering. This program for high school students offers you the chance to hang out with the locals and see how they do life; an average day for them is sure to look a lot different. Perhaps a new passion will be found that can change life as you know it, or a new artistic ability discovered like painting! Not to mention new skills acquired like playing sports, basket weaving, or cooking and the life skills that are acquired from few run-of-the-mill programs that offer study abroad for teens.
2. Take photos. Be sure to have your camera ready to document all of the incredible times that you are about to have. Photos are an intimate way to connect with a community and a culture, and they don’t require sitting behind a desk – in fact, it’s exactly the opposite: photography forces you to adapt to the outside world, to meet people, and to capture the world around you in a way that is sensible to those who view your photographs afterward.
3. Join hands-on workshops. Learn a trade that is integral to the community or culture that you’re visiting. You’d be surprised at how powerful working with your own hands can be in telling you the story of a place and its people. Whether you’re learning the art of chocolate-making or the proper way to build foundations, you’ll take home a useful skill and a new understanding.

---

Original article contributed by Samantha Watkins

As summer comes to an end there is still time to go on one more adventure to see the world. Here’s a list of places to backpack in the upcoming weeks, some of them require traveling abroad while others are right in your own backyard. Whether you’re able to hike one of them or more, add the rest to your list! So grab a friend and your gear and get out there.

1. Costa Rica. There are too many places in Costa Rica to just pin point one. But when there, check out Corcovado National Park with their amazing waterfalls, or better yet hike down one of their many volcanoes. The park is popular with several teen volunteer programs in Costa Rica due to its environmental preservation and world-renowned beauty.
2.  If backpacking around the world is something on the bucket list then take a trip to Peru. Hike the classic Gringo Trail or explore the jungle and see the wild life in the Amazon Basin. Be sure to check out the famous tourist site Machu Picchu, an Incan city. While it is not a place to back pack, it is still a sight to see!
3. Speaking of popular trails, walk the El Camino de Santiago. This trail goes from France to Spain and is fairly easy to backpack. Most of the trail is flat and there is always the option to buy a meal every so many miles.
4. If backpacking in your own backyard sounds like something that can be done within the next few weeks then head to Mt. Whitney in California. It is the tallest mountain in the world within the lower 48 states and is commonly climbed in the Sierra Nevada. Just think of the view when you reach the top!
5. Once you get done backpacking Mt. Whitney, drive a little ways and backpack around Yosemite National Park! There are multiple trails to choose from, great places to star gaze at night, and even the option to river raft.
6. Another trail that has waterfalls and lots of greenery is the Kalalau Trail in Hawaii. While it’s a short trail to back pack, the views make it worth it. Not to mention that the trail ends on the beach; what a great way to relax and catch those rays.

---

Contributed by Samantha Watkins

What’s the difference between Pad Thai in the US and Pad Thai in Thailand? Well, a lot actually. Dishes not only provide nourishment when you’re traveling, but when prepared in their native countries, they help to define a place and their people. The following dishes are influenced by a country’s culture, people, politics, geography and climate.

What foods should you try in your travels? See below a list of seven foods you should eat if you are ever in these countries.

India

Masala Dosa

This is a crispy crepe filled with spicy potatoes and traditionally dipped in a variety of sauces from chutney to tomato and lentil sauces. Though it can be found all over India, it’s a traditional South Indian dish and is a common breakfast food.

Spain

Paella

This is recognized as the national dish of Spain, with its roots in Valencia and comes in a variety of preparations. There are three types of paella, Valencian, Seafood and Mixed. Seafood paella is a rice and seafood based dish containing a variety of seafood from cuttlefish to mussels.

Canada

Poutine

At its core, it’s a dish of French fries (also a beloved American dish), covered in brown gravy and cheese curds. It’s a fast food you can find in diners, pubs and elsewhere. It’s also rumored to be a hangover cure. (Try to avoid the hangover in the first place!)

USA – Texas (“It’s a Whole Other Country”)

Texas BBQ

Each cook has his or her special recipe, but nothing hits the spot better than smoked brisket, sausage, ribs and sides like fried okra. There’s plenty of debate about whose BBQ is best – Texas Monthly even has an annual issue devoted to BBQ and lists the best in the state. You might be in line for hours at some of these joints, but it’s worth the wait.

Japan

Ankimo

A food that is on the verge of extinction because of overfishing, this dish is Monkfish liver with grated Daikon radish. It’s prized among fans of sushi and is considered a delicacy in Japan.

Vietnam

Pho

Americans may be familiar with this dish (or its Americanized version), a staple in Vietnamese cooking. It consists of broth, rice noodles, spices and meat. It’s a popular food in Vietnam. In the south, they eat it for breakfast, while in the north they eat it any time of day. It was made popular in the rest of the world by refugees from the Vietnam War.

Britain & Ireland

Shepherd’s Pie

Also called Cottage Pie, it’s a simple dish found served in most pubs. Shepherd’s Pie is simply minced meat topped with mashed potatoes. There are many variations that can be made with any meat, but the staple is generally mashed potato. You can also find St. Stephen’s Day Pie made with turkey and ham or Cumberland Pie made with breadcrumbs on top.

Wherever you travel, seek out local cuisine. It’s the best way to get your taste buds in touch with the land you’re exploring.

---

Contributed by William Pate

 

Study Abroad. A two word phrase that inspires a range of reactions ranging from “wanderlust” to “immense fear”. The chance to study in a foreign country for a summer or a semester is a unique, and often life changing, opportunity that allows you to get a taste of a new culture while still having the safety net that being a student affords you. Because everyone’s experience studying abroad is unique and different, it’s hard to honestly give you a general portrayal of what you are going to experience. However, below are some common trends of what you may encounter on your semester abroad and different reactions to each.

You get out of your experience what you put in.

Just because you are in Spain for 4 months, don’t assume that you will automatically become fluent in Spanish. If your goal when you go abroad is to develop language fluency, then spend your time talking with locals and paying attention in class. Likewise if you want to see what it is like to work abroad, go on a program that requires an internship or seek out one yourself.

You will experience culture shock; that’s ok.

At one point or another, you will have your moment where everything about your new country is awful and all you want to do is go home, eat American food, and have your “real” friends and family surround you. Learning to adapt to new situations is a lifelong skill that goes into overdrive when you are alone abroad. Know that you have people back home proud of you for going on the adventure and that they are just a phone, email, Facebook, or Skype away from being able to say hi.

You will never take the little things for granted.

Trust us, when you’re lost in the middle of town and don’t know how to get home or get sick and need to communicate with a doctor who speaks broken English, when you are abroad—especially in countries where English is not a first language—every task requires three times as much brain power to get something half as good as you would back home. Even if you are lucky enough to study in a country where everyone speaks English, be prepared for the blank stares on people’s faces when you ask them where to find peanut butter.

---

Contributed by Matt Zonis