The benefits of traveling abroad as a high school student are absolutely amazing—whether it’s stepping out of your comfort zone, experiencing new cultures or gaining confidence that will stick with you long after you return home.
I remember my first time traveling abroad in high school on a big international trip; it was a month-long study abroad program to Israel, where we explored bustling Tel Aviv, slept under cloudless desert skies, showered (way) less frequently than you’d think, and completely changed our understanding of what lay beyond America.
Since that high school program, I have been obsessed with—and grateful for—travel abroad. Because once you sample that first bite of falafel, taste another culture and see what the world has to offer, your center of gravity will shift. So I thought I’d share the top 5 benefits of high school study abroad experiences, as a self-identified travel junkie:
5 Benefits of Traveling Abroad in High School
#1 You’ll Be More Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
Sometimes when you’re traveling, there are more important things than being super clean and having a Tempur-Pedic mattress to sleep on. For me, after I accepted that I was going to be a little stinky sometimes (err…usually) and a bit out of my comfort zone, I could focus on taking awesome pictures, eating incredible food and bonding with amazing people.
#2 Classes Back Home Seem More Meaningful
When you’re learning Spanish grammar or ancient global history in a classroom, the material might inspire…snoozing. But when you study abroad and are able to apply those foreign language skills, high school classes can take on a whole new meaning. You’ll no longer just be studying difficult verb conjugations—you’ll be practicing for your next trip to the Dominican Republic, where your classroom skills will help be extremely valuable in communicating with locals, understanding the street art and ordering tasty food.
#3 Your Taste Buds Will Thank You
Even if you’re a plain pasta and butter kind of person back home (and we totally get it, pasta rocks), your taste buds will get a crash course abroad. It can start with just a bite or slurp of Vietnamese Pho Soup, the creamy, Northern Thai noodle dish Khao Soi, or chewy Chinese Soup Dumplings that explode flavor onto your tongue. It starts with a taste, but will end in a whole new palette of favorite flavors.
Food is the avenue to better understanding a culture and its people. This is the time to get excited about learning through real world experience, your belly and mind will thank you.
#4 High School Travel Builds College Skills
Traveling abroad in high school can help twofold with college:
1) It signals to universities that you’re mature and open-minded during the application process.
2) It builds the types of skills that will help you thrive on campus.
You’ll be stepping out of your comfort zone, learning independence and experiencing a different culture—all things one goes through freshman year. Better yet, traveling abroad in high school will likely put you on the path to joining study abroad programs in college. Just another way to set yourself apart when applying for graduate school in the future.
#5 You’ll Push Yourself and Gain Confidence
I am not, shall we say, a super athlete: I hike (slowly), I run (intermittently) and I consider ping pong to be my strongest sport. And yet, since that high school summer program and beyond, I learned that I could hike for several days and sleep in tents and do things I otherwise would have thought to be too difficult.
Whether it’s making a new friend, contributing to a community service project or completing a challenging hike, these small moments of accomplishment abroad will consistently make you stronger. And once you’ve helped to build a house in Peru’s Sacred Valley, heading off to college seems like a piece of cake…or should I say pastel?
What Will You Gain from a Summer Program in a Foreign Country?
Participating in a summer program abroad offers high school students an enriching experience that extends far beyond the classroom. As you travel abroad, immerse yourself in different cultures and navigate new surroundings, you’ll develop critical life skills and personal growth that can set the course for your future. Here are ten key learning outcomes you can expect from a summer program abroad that might just change your life completely:
Openness to New Ideas and Experiences
Traveling to a foreign country fosters an eagerness to learn from other cultures and perspectives. This openness, born from stepping into a new world, encourages high school students to integrate their experiences abroad into a lifelong journey of personal development and knowledge.
Sense of Wonderment
Experiencing the wonders of a different country ignites a deep sense of amazement and inspiration. From finding meaning in the small details of day-to-day life in your host country to being left speechless by the vastness of the world, this sense of wonder drives both passion and achievement.
