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!

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...