THE PACKING ODYSSEY

Specially for women, specially for me... this is a tricky and stressing task!!

Perhaps that is why, procrastination is usually the king before starting to pack. I can easily remember myself packing just some hours before leaving to the airport, not only once!.... which is not smart at all because most likely you will end up with no swimming suit in Australia, forgetting your pre scripted medication, no umbrella in the UK or paying expensive over weight fees at the airport.

What I have learned for sure is that packing is a life lesson! As in life, sometimes you have to make wise choices, give up on tempting unnecessary pleasures (such as beauty and hygiene products, hairdryers and perfumes)  and focus in the essentials which at the end will make you a better, more resourceful person!

Two factors are important: What to pack and How to do it. My father has been my rescuer most of the time when Im leaving home, he is an absolute master when maximising space is required and his folding methods are just brilliant!. But when coming back I have been forced to face this unpleasant process by myself. I have managed it but don't ask me why!... Last January I had to leave a whole plastic bag full of staff abandoned in an airport in Lisbon, its upsetting!

Since I am not the best person to advise on the matter, I have done some research and here are some tips that I found very useful and will start to take into account for my next trip. 

First of all, common sense... Keep all the important items such as camera, wallet, passport and medicines in a separate bag that is always going to be with you, and guard it extremely!

About Clothing...No matter where you are going or the purpose of your trip... For sure you wont need as many clothes as you think you do. Fashionistas can pull it off with minimal clothes and for sure you will end up doing some shopping  wherever you go... So you will want to leave room for that as well. 

When packing clothes "pack with sacrifice in mind" if you are not 100% sure that you will need it, you probably don't!.

For pants, pack your favourite jeans! The ones that make you feel comfy and that will match with anything. A scarf is always a good companion and more than 3 pair of shoes is greedy.

For bathroom essentials, watch out! Don't overpack... Its the best way to save space and weight. As I said before, this is the hardest for me basically because I can not find the brands I like everywhere but you can get over it and just budget to buy extra shampoos, conditioners, sunscreen and deodorants on the road. 

For me, a camera is a MUST for any trip. Even if its your phone, always bring your charger and an extra memory card!. 

Ask people!! That is the best way when going to a new place for the first time. Ask someone you know that has already been there. The experience is the most valuable advice... If you don't know anyone. Go online! There is always someone from around the world that is kind enough to help you solve your doubts.

If you will be staying at someone´s house, a host family or you will be having a roommate, I reccommend to always bring a little something from where you are originally; its always a nice way to say thank you, positively positioning your culture  and  start bounding that relationship.

Last but not least from my personal recommendations; always bring with you a pen and a small notebook, you will need it! Your creativity develops extremely when traveling! so don't waste these brilliant moments! Write your thoughts, your discoveries, letters, your business ideas, something  you saw that would like to do further research on, draw, or just to write your number for someone interesting you meet on the train.

As we see, not too hard, not too easy... Just a matter of a little planning as it is for everything when traveling! 

If you knew me well, you will be surprised how I was able to travel for 3 weeks with only a 8kg backpack. This is the evidence :)

For more advices on packing when traveling, I recommend you visit the follow link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2012/12/12/10-packing-tips-every-traveler-should-know/1764207/ 

WHAT COURSE ABROAD IS THE RIGHT ONE FOR ME?

From all five aspects you have to take into account, mentioned in the previous article  (Program, Location, Institution, Accommodation and Tickets), usually this is the straightest forward. Why? Because your main motivator for you taking your studies abroad will be the one that is going determine the program.

The program is a crucial decision because based on this, all your life activities will be determined, the people that will surround you, the free time you will have for other activities such as sports or socializing… In general, your whole experience studying abroad will be defined by it.

One of the most common one is to learn a second language (English usually, if you are not from an English speaking country). This could be for many reasons (or motivations): One of them is because if nowadays you don’t tick this box on your CV, it is almost worthless to apply for the majority of the jobs in any professional field, or even because most of the Universities worldwide are asking you to speak English at the beginning of your degree or as a requirement for your graduation, or to successfully apply for an internship. So what program should you pick when interested in learning or improving a second language? (It doesn’t have to be English). French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese are the most common ones and for sure you will find much offering on the market.

So, the first and most common program is a Language course, which could be taken in an Institute, College or University. Once again, budget is important here to determine where you want to take it, but we will go deeper on this topic on the article about the 3^rd step, which is choosing your institution.

The biggest advantage of the language courses are the flexibility because most of them have start dates every week all year round and you can take the courses for as long as you want depending on the time availability you have or how much you want to improve (usually a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 52). The intensity (hours per week of the course) can also be tailored according to your need and your budget; you can choose to study 10 hours a week or 40 hours a week, it’s just a matter of setting priorities as I said before. Also, you will be able to find them in almost any city of the world with very good locations into the major cities.

For learning another language, you can also take a look at much cheaper programs such as Au Pair, summer camps, Work and Travel or High school exchange year.  These are programs that provide less flexibility in terms of start dates and time management and there are also certain requirements you have to meet in order to apply such as previous experience (for au pair) or minimum level of the language (work and travel) or just age restrictions  (for summer camps and high school exchange programs). However, from my point of view, these are the kind of programs that will help you the most to really improve the language in a faster and more efficient way because usually they include a whole immersion to the culture and its rather difficult to find people talking to you in your native language. My personal experience learning English was when I was 16 years old and I went to Mississippi in United States as an exchange student for 9 months, living in an American host family attending to an American High School. It was a much cheaper program than a language course in a big city, also much less exciting and not fun at all but for sure the most effective way I could have chosen to learn English from scratch.

Moving forward to other kind of programs, more specific ones, such as Bachelor or Master degrees, specialized courses or internships things can get more complicated due to the numerous requirements you will need to provide in order to be accepted. As everything, it all depends! But be prepared to show your diplomas, present interviews on the phone, language knowledge evidence, motivation letters or essays, officially translated transcripts, references from teachers or previous bosses, translated CV, previous experience or just specific skills.

One last thing, TIME is very important when choosing your program. Especially for University studies, there are very strict deadlines you will have to take into account, which cannot be delayed. Some programs require more planning time than others and usually institutions are very rigid about it. Do your research with time to make sure you make the right decision and then just enjoy your Travelearn experience!

Here, let me introduce my lovely Master of Marketing and Innovation crew.

There is always time for a celebration at the pub in front of school after a successful presentation!

  LOVE TRAVELING… BUT DON’T HAVE THE MONEY!!!

Does this sound familiar? I have said it before... And I would love to tell you… “No, don’t worry, you don’t need any money to start planning that dream trip that has been rounding your mind for the last couple of years” But unfortunately that’s not entirely true…

What I can tell you for sure is two things: First, There are ways to make it affordable, don’t make this statement your excuse for hiding the fear of leaving behind the comfort of your routine! Second, your savings couldn’t be spent in anything better and more fruitful than travelearning.  

Look at it as a life-investment that will bring you great short-term and long-term profitability, which is not always measured by the money sign $ but with million breath-taking landscapes, countless experiences, major personal growth and huge professional networking that can indeed translate into numbers by getting a better job, acquiring and discovering new skills or developing a new business idea!

When speaking of studying abroad, there are some factors that will make your trip more/less expensive; such as plain tickets, visa fees in case you need one, cost of living including accommodation, food, transportation and possibility of paid work, length of the learning experience and specific course tuition fees.

5 variables you need to analyse carefully and wisely, and the best way to do so is by setting priorities… Lets say you can play with them depending on your specific goals.

For example, If your budget is low and you need to learn another language as a requirement for your job or university, then you should think in investing more in the specific course tuition fees by booking an intensive course in a very good, academically recognized institution for a shorter period of time than you were initially fancying and perhaps in a small city where you can enjoy a low living cost and not having much distraction to really focus on your language skills.

On the other hand, if what you want is to also learn another language but don’t have the time pressure and just want to have some time away from home and do something different while you improve your language skills, you can try programs such as Work and Travel or Au Pair, in which you will be working full time and have a full immersion in the culture you are visiting, which will eventually lead to learn the language.  You will get paid, will have a guaranteed place to live and at the same time you will be practicing the language!

Once you have defined those variables based on your interests and the nature of that trip you want to take (but can´t entirely afford), there are some sources that even though we know they exist, we think they are too good to be true, just unreachable for us or  we just never think about it, they did not come to my mind !... There is a need to get creative in order to find ways of saving up while traveling.

The most common one is Scholarships; there are several kind of them, some that we wouldn’t even believe they exist! And even though you may consider yourself just an average student and not very scholarship deserving, I will assure you there is something so unique and interesting about you that will make you a great candidate for a scholarship, which doesn’t always have to be academic.

Government Loans, Company sponsorship, volunteering, student discount cards, ONG´s, Sharing accommodation, traveling off-season, house exchanging, hostels, Kayak, Airbnb, couchsurfing, using your contacts, or just choosing a bike as a transportation mean!... These are just some of the tools that can make your trip more affordable. 

Nowadays, it is getting easier than ever for us living in such a connected world where information and possibilities are just there, waiting!... Just put some time and effort on to it if you really want it.

So, leave aside your preconception of traveling being expensive and unreachable, get ready to TRAVELEARN and ENJOY!

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious"
Albert Einstein

Please comment if you would like me to go further on a specific concept of this article so I keep it in mind for my future posts!

THE MAGIC OF TRAVELING LIES ON THE PEOPLE YOU MEET

There are several reasons to pack your bags and go see the world.. Even a small town near your city for the weekend, 3 months learning a language in a different country or a gap year traveling all over the 5 continents...  No matter the type of trip you undertake, it will bring rewarding experiences and positive outcomes, it will be worth the effort...ALWAYS... It could be improving your self-confidence, getting to know yourself, bounding time with your partner, making your CV look better, eye tearing landscapes,  decision maker motor, scape from reality or even finding out your hidden skills... Out of all good things traveling brings to your life, there is one that will always remain in your heart: THE PEOPLE, the locals, the other travellers, the new family you make, the lovers, the roommates  the teachers, the reader next to you in the park, the old man waiting the bus next to you, the hostel receptionist, your host family,  the barman in the bar. It is amazing how much you can learn from all the people you will meet, not only for the sake of meeting new people but for the fact that you will get to know different points of view, different perspectives of life, different ways to do things and think... Which can not be possible if you stay at home with your loved ones, which is also great! But the people you meet while travelling will teach you the beauty of diversity and it will broad your thoughts, your interests... On my personal experience, I can tell you about Alina, my German roommate in Mississippi 9 years ago... We shared a funny colourful bump bed... She liked Rock and I liked Reggaeton, She loved Spanish and I wanted to learn German, She would take a shower before me because I was always so lazy to wake up the first and She always reminded me of how much I was worth when I was crying for my highschool sweetheart... We were both eating machines and got drunk in Nutella at night...I found a second sister when I was not looking for it! She still is my beautiful German Sister.. Just this weekend she flew to London to see me and we spent the most amazing weekend together as if time hasn´t passed!... Now I also have a place to go in Germany!! And someone who will always give me a nice smile and a true advise when I need it... I can also tell you about Michel  my Swiss friend I met in Australia who amazed me with his passion for helping others and his curiosity for new cultures....Monty, and American classmate during my summer course in Grenoble, France.. He was always ready to smile and make the most fun out of the most boring moment!... There will always be someone and the nicest thing is that you will always be benefited from it... You will always have places to stay for free in many parts of the world and when you travel to visit them, you will get to see that place as a local!... Also, you will find free language teachers and most importantly.. LIFE MENTORS! 

Alina Visited me in Colombia in 2010

LAURA AS A TRAVELEARNER

Skydiving in Sidney, Australia

French cuisine class in Grenoble, France

I AM INLOVE WITH TRAVELING.. But, Who is not? Perhaps, the majority of people share this desire.. Some with a higher interest than others but we all reading this blog love to experience the new, the unseen to our eyes, the undiscovered...  There are many other traveling blogs out there and as a start I will clarify that I am not the absolute expert and still have a lot of travelearning ahead of me to be done... So, Why am I writing about this? Just because it is my biggest passion, and will love to tell you all the useful information I know from my own experience not only  as a travelearner but as a international education advisor, which was my role for 4 years in a Colombian based Company. 

As a Travelearner, Im currently a 26 Years old Master Student in Cambridge, UK. Learned  to dance ballet in Boston at the age of 4, graduated from High school exchange year in  Mississippi, USA during 2005. Worked and Travelled around Australia and New Zealand in 2010 for a month. Studied a Summer diploma in Grenoble, France. Learned Portuguese in Colombia and have been a low budget tourism traveller around USA, and more than 20 countries in Europe and SouthAmerica. 

As you can see.. Its not much, Its not little but I declare myself a complete travel passionate, culture curious and very keen in languages...