Travelling is always exciting. There is nothing more exhilarating than embarking on a new journey. Exploring a new place helps you gain insight into foreign customs, language and exotic cuisine. Travelling also gives you a new perspective on other cultures and traditions. It helps you to grow and develop as an individual.
After travelling you will never be the same. You will be in unfamiliar territory, trying things for the very first time. You might try vada pao on the streets of Mumbai, or delicious Mediterranean cuisine in Italy. Or you might fall in love with cycling in Netherlands or meet a hot summer fling in the Rue Cler, a beautiful street in Paris. Whatever it is that you accomplish just know you will never look at life the same way again.
Shape your career
When you study abroad it will look good on your CV. If you use the opportunity wisely and broaden your skillsets, you’ll be valuable in the workplace. It will help you as a potential candidate, vying for a particular job. Your CV will stand out because employers are always looking for potential candidates in the global market. The company will be interested in you because of your international expertise, and all the knowledge and skills you attained along the way.
When you are applying for jobs it will help you because it means you can work in a diversified environment. It will show that you can be flexible in different situations. And that you are an open-minded, risk-taker and you have intercultural competencies.
Gain new skillsets
Oliver Holmes was quoted as saying, “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions”. If you study abroad you will be exposed to new cultures and languages. It will help you grow as an individual. You will learn how to interact with people whose customs and beliefs are different to your own. And it will also shape your viewpoint of the world and broaden your mind.
Responsibility
You will learn to be more responsible when you are studying abroad. When you find yourself in a crisis, your parents will not be readily available to bail you out. So you will gain a new level of independence and learn to stand on your own two feet. You will have to grow up quickly. You will be responsible for making sure you have enough food stocked up for the month, have money for transport and you will have to wash your own clothes. You will have no one running after you.
And if you get into a sticky situation, you’ll have to find a way to get out of it. Therefore you will develop creative ways to solve problems.
Studying
You’ll be able to study other courses that are unique and specific to that country. And you might find your true passion as you are embarking on your journey. You will find out more about yourself and what you truly want out of life. Different experiences help you to discover what you really want to do with your life. Your career path could be shaped while you are overseas. You can also study a course that correlates with that geographic region and by doing so you will gain practical work.
New friends
You will meet new life-long friends on your journey. They will be able to introduce you to a fresh way of life. Their upbringing and culture could enrich your life and change your outlook on the way of doing things. You’ll also meet other international students who are just like you, this will help you form friendships quickly as you will already have this in common.
You can learn a new language. When you are overseas you are exposed to new languages. This will definitely enhance your life and increase career opportunities.
Things you will need
Make sure you have the right documentation, such as your passport, ID. And you also need to ensure you are covered by a medical aid so that if you get into an accident or illness, you know that you will be taken care of. And you need to make sure that you have all your health insurance company details stored up in case of an emergency.
You need to ensure you also save important numbers and addresses you might need during your stay.
Travelling abroad is exciting and fun. You get to immerse yourself in new cultures, food and traditions. Of course, studying abroad is about more than just travelling. It will allow you to broaden your horizons and gain practical skills you could not get in any other way. You gain confidence within yourself because you will be presented with unique situations that require you to think creatively and solve problems on your own.
In the workplace, it will separate you from the other candidates because you will gain interpersonal and cross-cultural expertise.