student travel
For students studying abroad or racking up miles on a summer break, there are many student-friendly cities that you simply must visit.
From Norwich to New York City
• There will be language barriers Despite speaking the same language, I have still come across (admittedly minor compared to my friends from Finland and Germany, for example) language barriers. There have been a couple of instances where I’ve used terms common to the UK in conversation and have been greeted with confusion or a blank stare – most notably I was shopping in Target, looking for bin bags, and was told, much to my confusion, considering the glut of cleaning products surrounding me, that they didn’t stock those. Turned out they thought I wanted bean bags.
By Siân Roche 6 years ago in Wander
By the Waters of Seville
After I’d turned in my application to study in Seville, Spain during the spring of my sophomore year, I became less and less sure that I wanted to go. I lived in the Language House that fall and coming home to my roommates at the end of a long day almost felt like coming home to family. I wondered how I’d gotten so lucky with the rooming assignment. Our neighbors would drop by our apartment unannounced sometimes and we could do the same and it was never weird. I’d also finally gotten used to working at my school's newspaper and had started to make friends on staff.
By Naomi Grant6 years ago in Wander
Who are we?
In 2017, our lives changed forever. We both signed up for something that we really weren't sure of; a student exchange. We were still young, 13 years old for that matter, when we signed up to go and live with another family in another country in another continent for 2 months. It's crazy because at that age, nobody is thinking about that kind of stuff. Leaving your parents for that long of a time, travelling alone on a plane, going to school in a country where a completely different language is spoken and living with practical strangers for a month.... sounds like the ultimate recipe for disaster! It's something so many people have the opportunity to do but one that only a few actually take. The experience itself is intimidating, amazing, scary, fulfilling, frustrating, satisfying all at the same time. There are no words to describe it but there's also no guarantee that the whole experience will be a good one. That slim possibility is what scares everyone off.
By CF international6 years ago in Wander
9th Grade Field Trip
Man, 9th grade. What a crazy year that was for me. If someone were to ask me what was my top 3 years in school were, 7th grade would be my top because it was my favorite and maybe 10th or 11th grade would be my third favorites while 9th grade would be my second favorite.
By Don Anderson II6 years ago in Wander
To Toronto
Marine Biology or Sports Management two extremely interesting choices but both of them had very little scope in India. After a few unexpected wake up calls it was decided Sports Management it is, but challenges awaited me. Being an international student has its pros and cons, the first few months you are excited to wander around places go to downtown and be amazed at every street you turn at, college or university starts you make amazing friends you get to know them and vice versa, soon reality hits you now your worrying about your budget for the coming months how much are you going to spread? Do i really need to buy this? Should i look for something cheaper and there are tons of questions going off in your brain next thing you know you are hit with a wave of assignments and tests, you might take a little sigh of relief but you are aware of the midterms breathing down your neck for a better GPA. Now is the time you get more comfortable managing yourself with your finances and grades you are getting accustomed to a whole different culture ,a whole different country you make new friends with whom you make great memories but now is also the time you get homesick you miss family, friends, pets and everyone else more than you ever did. You can wait to get home and sleep in your bed again but before you know there is a global pandemic and all travel is restricted but you are lucky enough to find a summer job at an amusement park. In 8 months of living in a different country without family and people you can depend upon was certainly a strange feeling for me. Did i mention i was stuck at Hong Kong airport because of the protest going around that time thankfully my flight was the last one to depart, but the journey i was talking about is how I grew a person not only me I would every international student grows in stature as a person, you become a completely different person at least I did. Life changes drastically you become independent you manage your finances, you start doing the dishes, you might even start working part time, you might volunteer for Ice hockey team, in short everything becomes unpredictable i am supposed to finishing up my assignment instead here i am writing this down.
By Auon Ali Syed6 years ago in Wander
House Sharing Horror Story
Student years can be some of the most beautiful but also some of the most challenging moments in someone's life. Like most, I moved from Eastern Europe to the UK in search for better opportunities, an improved quality of life and for better education. What better time to move than at 19 year old to start university? For those of you who don't know, at many universities in the UK you have guaranteed university accommodation in your first year but due to limited availability you have to rent privately from the second year onward.
By Shy Storyteller6 years ago in Wander
OMG! The Best International Experience Ever!
Experience is what a person’s been through, encounters, or lives through (Albarracin, Johnson, Zanna, & Kumkale, 2005) and consists of not only sensory cognition's, but also processes of interaction with people from different cultures (Rogoff, 2003).
By Domingo Añasco-Gaces Samontina, Jr.6 years ago in Wander
Best Spring Break Destinations for College Students on a Budget
Spring is the farewell to freezing cold and a season to thaw life back to its blooming glory. On an academic calendar, spring means a break for ten whole days (weekends included) which translates into an excuse for partying before the last sessions of classes and exams could continue for next academic year. It is a time to relax, unwind, and get ready for the next round of grueling tests and term papers so planning a getaway makes all the sense in the world.
By Natalie Crawford6 years ago in Wander
Planning Your Next Trip With College Friends? Here's What You Should Know!
College days are the best days for you to spread your wings and fly away. You are no longer under your parents’ wings, you don’t have a regular 9-5 job, you probably aren’t married, and you have tons of free time to spare. Your friends aren’t married either, so they have no families to look after. You get to decide where to go and what to do once you get there. Indeed, there isn’t a better time to plan a group trip with your friends.
By Flora Mayer6 years ago in Wander
Off Shore
This shot was taken just off the coast of Barcelona. I was with eight other students I had just met a month ago. We booked 100$ round trip tickets from Italy to Spain on a whim three weeks prior. I was so stuck in my day to day monotonous schedule back home that three weeks notice seemed like the epitome of spontaneity. We walked over ten miles each day, didn’t drink nearly enough water, and slept less than recommended. In spite of all that, looking back at these photos a few months later, the moments in time I was able to capture far outweigh the hardships. We were packed into a one room Airbnb with four bunk beds, a fold down sofa bed, and two bean bag lookalikes. I remember climbing to a look out point during our second afternoon. Back home you would have had to drag me out of my house by the ankles if you wanted company during anything resembling a hike. Somehow, knowing this was an experience I couldn’t get just anywhere… I just went for it. Was I the last one to the top? Yes. Did I care? Not particularly. To be honest, the view wasn’t anything I haven’t seen before, but the conversations we had have stayed with me over the months. We talked about our family’s, what we missed from home, but also what we didn’t miss and how we’ve changed. We stayed there as the sun set, which I know sounds like the cliched beginning of any teen movie, but it was refreshing to be at exactly the same stage in life as the people around you. We were all out of our comfort zones, experiencing new things on a whim with virtual strangers, and knowing I wasn’t alone when I felt scared to try something new was a very comforting feeling. I still see some of my friends from that trip around my college campus back in California, and it’s weird. I agree that travel can bring out the best in people, but also the literal worst. You’re tired, dehydrated, and probably on the verge of getting sick every other week. I can count on one hand the number of people who have seen me hit rock bottom back home, yet you put nine study abroad students in a cramped living situation in a foreign country and you get the perfect recipe for rock bottom. The people I traveled with over my four months in Italy saw me at my very worst, no doubt in my mind. Yet, they were also there for the biggest personal growth period in my life so far. So, I guess it’s weird, seeing people linked to such a pivotal point in my life just passing me by on a college campus. Maybe I’ll draw on some of that change and get in touch with the people just behind the camera when I took this shot. On a small sailboat as we ate Lays potato chips and staved off sea sickness. I won’t share the names of the people I shared Barcelona with this past October, but if any of you end up reading this I’d like to say thanks. Thanks for allowing me to experience something new with you, and for supporting me when my nerves made an appearance. Thanks for being spontaneous, or as close to it as we could get. Thanks for being open minded and funny, always filling the time between flights and trains with unending laughter. Thanks for being there while I learned about the world, and let the world teach me about myself. I decided not to edit this photo because I want to share my favorite memory’s and they’re the ones I refuse to change.
By Megan Bolling6 years ago in Wander
