Want to know why youth travel is so important? Let me share my story.

In 1992, when I was seven years old, Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ came out, and with it a hit song that everybody my age still knows word for word. All you have to do to start a sing-along among twenty-somethings (especially females) is start by saying, ‘I can show you the world’. To my young mind, and probably many others, it was a promise. A promise that not only could love take us places we had never been in a figurative sense, but that love could literally, physically take us somewhere as well. We had been introduced to Agrabah in the film, with a royal palace that looked like the Taj Mahal, where people had pet tigers and monkeys, and that was even before a magic carpet came and swept Jasmine away. She and Aladdin went to Greece, Egypt, and China in the span of a single song, lucky girl. And we ate it up.

Image by Sewanee: The University of the South via Flickr

This may seem like a strange way to start an article on why youth travel is valuable, but it sparked a desire in my life to see the world as Jasmine did.  When I was in college, I was given the opportunity to spend four months in Spain. For someone who had only been within the six-hour span between New York City and Washington, DC, this was a big deal. My first time on an airplane at age nineteen was a trans-Atlantic red-eye flight, also a big deal: I was so terrified. I couldn’t sleep, but was able to watch the sun rise over the clouds over the Atlantic Ocean. I lived with a host family, studied at a Spanish college, met other students from all over the world, travelled with the college and independently, and came back with another language, college credits, about 1000 pictures, hundreds of stories, new friends and a new family, and an expanded worldview. I have since become a teacher, and am a very solid advocate of youth travel.

The fruits of my youth travel

Thanks to that experience, I now teach Spanish, and parents will ask me what the students can do to improve. I always give them short term responses for my particular class, but I also suggest that, if the opportunity ever arises, let them travel to a Spanish-speaking country. Some experiences are obviously more authentic than others: spending four months living with a family that doesn’t understand you is vastly different from two weeks in an all-inclusive resort that you never leave, as one of my students returned from one such resort in Cancun to tell me that ‘everybody in Mexico speaks English’. While she had experiences that I am certainly envious of (swimming with dolphins), they are contrived experiences. The only way this could become an issue is if she then expects all travel experiences to be like this. I went to Spain with a group of seven other girls and one boy. The group very quickly split into two factions: the ones that were treating it as a big party and those who were trying to get more out of the experience. The ones who were there for the party had travelled before and were used to nice hotels and room service; they were not ready to live as a guest in someone else’s house. They very quickly became disenchanted with the beautiful city we were in, and once the college’s excursions were no longer mandatory mostly stopped travelling, preferring to sleep in after long nights out at the bar. One of the girls even went so far as to present a compare and contrast essay about the differences between people in Spain and in the United States that was very narrow-minded and incredibly embarrassing.

I was in the ‘Experience everything!’ faction, and was literally surrounded by angry classmates after class ended and had to do damage control to let them know that that most certainly was not how I felt, and I would say something to her about it later. (This girl eventually loosened up and enjoyed the experience, but not before another escapade involving trying to find a bottle of peroxide to bleach her hair.) Our experiences were authentic things that we happened upon: seeing a Spanish wedding take place in Segovia while touring the cathedral, encountering the old Charro couple celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary in La Alberca, sleeping in a hostel with eleven other people in your room, celebrating holidays with street festivals, finding something to eat on your own, etc. When the students are allowed to see life beyond the resort, they will appreciate the differences between cultures and be more open-minded in the future. Travelling is also a great test of creativity, spontaneity, and budgeting ability, both for time and funds.

Are there dangers to youth travel?

Of course, but there are dangers travelling at any age, but youth allows good travel habits to stick a little better. For instance, the best places for a young woman to keep her money, identification, and passport are in her shirt. Bags may be stolen, pockets may be picked, but it is very difficult not to notice someone putting a hand down your shirt. Try to blend in, and use the language of the area; most places have people that speak English, but they will treat you better if you at least try to use their language. Recognize the local police and how to contact them (most guide books will offer a section on local law enforcement; the better ones will include photos of them in uniform). Teach a young person this and, with experience and reinforcing, they won’t forget it.

In conclusion, youth travel is important because it will offer the next generation of leaders the opportunity to see the world at large, give them authentic experiences beyond the hotel, and give them the chance to be creative and spontaneous. They will have stories, photos, friends, souvenirs, and memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives, and who knows? It might even change their lives for the better. And they won’t have to wait for a magic carpet to do it!

What about you? Any youth travel experiences you’d like to share with us? Feel free to share your youth travel story here.

As a current student, I understand the need for students to go out and travel. Many of our days are spent cooped up in dorm rooms or in crowded libraries studying the day away. So when there is finally some free time, getting away from school and away from the norm is a must. This begs the question though, where should students with free time go? For many students, college is the last time that they will have free time for a spring, winter, or summer break, and, for the lucky ones, their income is almost completely disposable. With money as almost no object, let’s look at some ideas for where students should go.

Image via Wikipedia

Cancun, Mexico is always a popular destination for college students. The drinking age there is 18, the sun is constantly shining on the lucky inhabitants, and the girls are tan and fit. For college students, especially males, this is a dream. Parties occur in the day, the night, and stretch into the morning. There is always something to do in Cancun, making it a hotspot for students on spring break every year.

Students who may not wish to lose their money but want to spend a good amount of time with their friends should consider going on an old-fashioned road trip. Road trips are relatively inexpensive, requiring only money for gas, lodging, and food, and after a road trip, there are almost stories aplenty to tell others. As long as the group is not dead set on getting somewhere as fast as they can, detours on the way may prove to be more interesting than the final destination itself. Signs for a spooky wax museum, advertisements for the world’s largest cookie, and other novelties will provide students with the opportunity to pose for pictures others will be jealous of and create stories that others wish were their own. So buckle up, make sure you have some leg room, and enjoy the ride.

Florida, The Sunshine State, is another amazing location for college kids to take trip to, especially the college kids living up in the frigid north. Florida is a tourist hot spot in the United States, and offers a wide variety of things for people to do. Students could lounge on the beaches like Daytona, enjoying the sun and the beautiful people, or they could travel to go tour orchards holding Florida’s famous oranges. My personal favorite suggestion, however, is to go to the amusement parks located in Florida. Both Disney and Universal Studios have established theme parks in central Florida, and both sets of parks are a sight to behold. Disney has a nostalgia factor for many students, taking them back to their childhood when things were much simpler. Universal Studios, on the other hand, is a great destination for the action junkies among us. They have huge roller coasters at almost every turn, and water rides that will leave guests extremely happy, wet, and willing to go on the rides again. For those of us who are racing fans, The Daytona 500, one of the biggest races in NASCAR, is held in Daytona, Florida every year. Being at a race is an amazing experience, the view is great, the atmosphere is wonderful, and spectators can even feel the vibrations from the cars as it whiz by. Overall, Daytona is something that should be experienced by everyone, not just race fans. Clearly, Florida has something for everyone, making it a great destination for student trips.

For those history majors out there, a trip to Northern Virginia would definitely not be a bad idea. The place is full of history, and if one were to go at the right time, they could participate in reenactments of some of our country’s most pivotal battles from the Civil War. In addition to that, Washington D.C. holds some of our country’s most important treasures, many of them held in the Smithsonian Institution and its museums. Famous art, fossils, and exhibits illustrating the history of America and the world are everywhere in the museums. People can literally spend a day exploring just one museum, and then come back the next day to explore another one. In addition, Washington D.C. is the home of many Senators and Representatives. These Congressmen are unusually accessible, a lot more accessible than one might think. They are generally happy to see their constituents, and will take time to talk to almost anyone. While it may not be the sexiest of trips, Northern Virginia and its neighbor Washington D.C. holds a wealth of knowledge that many would find fascinating.

Every student wants to get away from their school at one point or another. School is incredibly stressful, and the precious breaks given to students by their teachers should be spent wisely. The ideas that are listed above are some of the suggestions on where students can go. There are several different places for students to travel on. Just make sure that friends are willing to go with you, that you have enough money to get there and back again, and that you spend the time that you are given wisely. It is your break; spend the time having as much fun as you can. Nothing is worse than that first day going back to school, at least give yourself some stories to tell others when you get there.

Entering a different stage in life can be stressful as it is something that requires change and needs adaptation.  This not only affects the student but his or her whole family, as well.  These situations may include maturational or adventitious crises.  Have you heard of these?  Maturational crises are those that are expected to come about as one grows up.  These include entering a different school for college, getting married, or having a baby.  On the other hand, adventitious crises are those that are unexpected and are mostly brought about by happenings around you.

Talking about entering the university, students must prepare holistically (just in case you thought I had used up all my long words!), especially if they will be going to a new environment that is very far from home.  Why?  It is because there are a lot of things to adapt to.  And, you must be ready so that you can face any hardship that may come your way.  You may be living on your own when you go to the university.  This might include washing your own dishes and clothes, buying your own groceries and take note, you have to do these things while studying for your lessons.  Do you think that’s hard enough?  What do you think might happen if you are not so ready for it?  You cannot just give up since your education is also at stake.  I can only advise you to prepare carefully but also not to be thrown if unexpected things happen to you from the moment you pack your things and leave home.