FOLLOWING MUSIC

Whatever is your music taste... You never have to settle to what your hometown has to offer.... There are many options in the world to enjoy your favourite music or discover new sounds you may fall in-love with...

Here are some music festival options around the world so you can plan your agenda for this year or next!

1. DONAUINSELFEST (VIENNA, AUSTRIA)

Attendance: 3.2 million

Acts: 2,000+

Stages: 21

2. COACHELLA (CALIFORNIA, USA)

Attendance: 675,000 

Acts: About 190

Stages: 6

3. ROCK IN RIO (RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL)

Attendance: 700,000

Acts: about 75 (500 more on “Rock Street”)

Stages: 4

4. ULTRA (MIAMI, USA)

Attendance: 330,000 

Acts: 300+

Stages: 7

Of course, there are many many more options... Just follow your music spirit and plan your outfit!!!

RACING ABROAD

Running is a sport that has been growing at breathtaking pace during the last 10 years. 

From the 5k to the marathon, Amateur runners are signing up, more and more, to cross the finish line and break what they call their "PB" or "PR"; which stands for personal best or personal record, respectively. And finding a reason for the accelerated growth of this popular sport might be quite easy; in essence, almost everyone can run; you only need a pair of trainers, and that is it, you are ready to hit the road. But is it all you need? How about compression socks, singlets, fueling gels, sun glasses, tights, Vaseline, bands, gps watch, and all the rest of goodies and stuff runners use? Now, just like the consumption of all these, traveling for a race has also been growing, so here are 5 tips if you are willing to race abroad:

- Select your race with enough time in advance; not only to train for the distance, but also to register for the event. Berlin Marathon entries are available almost 11 months before the race and get sold out in a few hours. 

- Now that you know when and where you are running, don't be lacy and book transportation and lodging ASAP. During the last month before Boston Marathon, it was almost impossible to find a room in the city for the race weekend, and if you did, the prices could be 3 times more expensive vs regular prices. 

- Make sure your travel plan is considering to arrive at least 24hrs before the race. Attending to the expo, and picking up you kit is part of these ritual that runners love. 

- If flying to get there, one good thing to do, is to wear compression socks during the flight. You might not feel any difference to regular socks, but keeping a good flow of blood to your muscles will let them recover faster from the pressurized environment of the cabin. 

- Last but not least, don't send your racers (racing shoes) in your registered luggage; keep them in the carry on bag that you are allowed to take. In case your luggage gets misplaced, you will still avoid the not-so-nice experience of running a long distance race with brand new shoes. 

Once a runner sets himself/herself a bigger, or let's call it longer, or faster goal, they will, most of the times, aim for something greater. And they don't mean greater only in terms of record breaking. How about the World's Best 10k (Puerto Rico) in February? NYC or Berlin half in March? A World Marathon Major? Individual greatness is being challenged every weekend on the roads and trails of the world, and behind it, there are thousands of traveling runners ready to do so.

The last weekend I visited Rosario, Argentina for the half marathon (Rosario 21k). Amazing Atmosphere!

SKYING IS NOT THAT HARD

I had never done it. I had always wanted to try If I could do it... First time this January... Just want to tell you.. Its not that hard!! Not easy either but if you take a couple of hours course, you will be fine!

Skiing is an "approachable" sport that anyone who wants to learn the technique in very few days to slide in the snow can do it...  You just need some good humour.

Here, Iam in Navacerrada, near Madrid.... Not the nicest weather but after two hours, I managed to do it on my own. Just find a good academy or instructor and be well equipped and dressed.

THE NIGHT SIDE OF THE CITY

One of the posts of these week was about walking tours. There is one specific walking tour that is not very cultural or historical... Oh well, you can say it has some cultureness about it.. You get to know the local way of drinking! Its the pub crawls, or bar crawls.. Depending on the city and the culture.

Most of the touristic cities would offer them, and its just a way of having a fun night out, even if you are travelling by yourself... Its fun! And its a wonderful chance to meet new people and explore the best of the nightlife of the city. 

How it works is basically, you meet at a set time in the evening. Usually the starting point is a bar, and the fees include some drinks, or even a T-shirt some times. After you get there, it all flows.. So don't worry! Be prepared for a fun night out and don't plan any early morning trips the next day... You may have to sleep longer after visiting more than 5 bars and a club at the end.

Here, its me attending a pub crawl in Prague, with some Australian girls I met there. As you see, people get very friendly!

And Here, pub crawling in Scotland. Specially testing the beer culture there. 

In a nut shell, the pub crawl is a great way to meet people and fellow travellers, from all over the world while experiencing some of the hottest venues of the city´s nightlife has to offer, discovering its particular music and party culture. 

BUDAPEST, SURPRISINGLY BEAUTIFUL

Large, majestic, full of life ... this city of 2 million inhabitants is gothic and is romantic.

Today, I wanted to write about this city that is one of the things that comes to my mind when people ask me what city I have liked the most from all my humble traveling journey.

Honestly, I cannot say I have preferred one place over another of all I have visited... I like to think every single city has its own magic, its uniqueness. 

However, Budapest is the closest I can say about favouritism. I was not expecting much from it, but it truly gave me lots of surprises... And I highly recommend to visit if you have the chance. Will be worth it! Why?...

Its great history boasts its beauty without showing off... Budapest has many buildings and streets that remind immediate past behind the Iron Curtain. With a history of glory and pain, between rebellions and deportations; wars and conspiracies, Hungary has failed to finish in transit to modernity. 

Budapest is admired for its monuments, buildings, towers and domes that combines an atmosphere of architectural beauty. Its called the Paris of the East!

The Neighbourhood of the Royal Palace and the Danube together with Andrássy Avenue, have received the title of World Heritage Site of UNESCO. 

Its just breathtaking!! Look at the view.

ME, Amazed! 2011

LETS GET THOSE LEGS MOVING!!!

When travelling. I have found that the tours I have enjoyed the most are the ones I have done walking. Its the way I get to know a city in its deepest and authentic way...Most of the cities nowadays have these kind of organised guided free walking tours... Wherever you go, Just Google it. The nicest part... Most of them are for free! or tip-based...
Besides that great advantage.. "you give the value that you consider it had", it is also very healthy! And you get to meet people from all around the world 

There are many companies that provide this kind of tours and are usually done every day of the week, with different languages options and are usually about 3 hours long. 

Some recommendations to take into account when participating on a free walking tour are:

- Be prepared for any type of weather. Bring umbrella, sunglasses and use sunblock cream.
- Use comfortable shoes 
- Bring some water with you


And ENJOY!!!

HOW DO I GET THERE?

Ok.. This is the last post about "What to take into account when studying abroad".. You are almost set! After you made all those difficult decisions, now it is a fact... You are going to start your course abroad... How do you get there? Of course, depending where you are situated and how far it is from your destination, but  you would usually have to buy flight tickets. Here are some tips that will help you buy the best deal possible:

1. The key, as I have pointed out before is to plan everything with time... This way you would have some room for flexibility, which is the most important factor if you want to get a cheap ticket!

2. You have several options about where you should buy them. It could be online multi-brand browsers (such as lastminute.com, expedia.com, kayak.com, skyscanner.com). I would encourage you to first of all, use them all! or at least 3 of them. This way you can actually see everything that the market has to offer in terms of airlines, schedules, number of stops and prices for the trip you are looking for. 

3. Going directly to the airline site sometime works better, so after you find the itinerary you liked using the option above, you may try directly with the airline, which sometimes turns out to be even cheaper, specially for non stop flights

4. Try tricking the system by changing currencies, dates, or airports within the same city or cities closeby. 

5. Be creative! Sometimes combining transportation means might result in big savings. So you may mix airplain tickets+train+bus.

6. Subscribe to newsletters! I know... It can be annoying and Personally, I try to avoid it as much as I can, but in this case, its worth it!! You  may be having privileged, last minute information that can make your journey end up being much cheaper!

7. Forget about the weekend!! Definitely flying on  a tuesday or Wednesday will be much cheaper than doing it the weekend days. Also, take into account the holidays and seasons, for example christmas, new year or Easter are dates in which usually plain tickets are more expensive.

Now, we have finished every aspect to take into account when traveling abroad for academic purposes. Still there are many elements we were not able to explain better but if you want further information, please never hesitate to contact me!!

SECOND HOME

You have chosen your course, the country, the institution where you will be studying. Now it comes the time to find where you will live. Once again, it is all about setting priorities regarding money an time. Each case is different and you will choose an accommodation regarding your needs, your budget and your lifestyle. Anyways,  I thought it would be useful for you to consider them all and understand the differences in order to make an adequate decision…

Basically you have 3 options with some varieties… Student residences, host families and private accommodation (student houses or flats)… You also can choose if you want to share or enjoy a single room (for which the price varies of course) and in the case of residences and flats, you will have to pay extra money if you ware not willing to share a toilet, a shower or the kitchen. 

Factors:

The following are the things you should think about before booking a room:

Ø  Location: How long does it take you to get to the city enter, to your school? Is there good access to public transportation? Will have a supermarket in a walking distance?

Ø  Bills: Are bills included in the rent? IF not, what is the actual monthly average price for these ones? (Sometimes it could double the price)

Ø  The place structure and layout: How many toilets there are? Is there furniture included? Does it have a modern or antique arquitecture?

Ø  Rent payment: Is it monthly, trimonthly? Or weekly? Will you have to pay a deposit? What are the terms and conditions?

Ø  The people: How many of them will I be sharing with?, Where are they from? Will they speak my own language? How old are they?

Ø  Rules: Will I be able to bring guests? Will I have a carefew?

My experience:

Personally, I have lived in a native host family and in a student residence and have experienced both, sharing and single room. Each one of these options comes with its pros and cons, as everything in life I guess… For me, it was a matter of priorities according to my age and budget at the moment.

Living in a host family gives you great atmosphere when first facing a new language; you will be forced to practice and therefore, you will improve easily day by day! It will also help you to understand from a close perspective the new culture you are entering to and to be tolerant and respectful about it. Also, you will have people who you can share your day anecdotes with during dinner, someone to take care of you when you are feeling sick or just need to be heard when feeling upset about anything.

Now that I live in Cambridge, Iam living in a student residence without sharing room nor bathroom and kitchen; Amazing experience as well… Different for me, coming from a conservative culture and very family oriented country, it has been the first time living on my own. I am not going to lye, it has not been easy to arrive home to no one, but it has also its bright side: I have gotten to experience that privacy I had never had, the myself time we all need to get to know ourselves better, the independence of looking after myself and the greatness of playing the music as loud as I want until the time I feel like!

Well, when choosing your accommodation, chose what is the most convenient the most for that moment of your life and your interests. I can guarantee that nothing will feel as good as home and most of the cases there will be things you will be complaining about but as I have constantly said, everything you experience when travelling abroad is a learning experience from any point of view and it will just help you grow into a better person.

This is my lovely little second home in England. Quite small but big enough to have fancy guests for breakfast!

THE INSITUTION

Lets get more serious. When traveling abroad for studying purposes, this decision could be the most important one. Your whole learning experience will depend on the quality of your teachers, your classes, your modules and the greatness of your title!...So, be careful with the institution you choose to enrol. 

My tip? Get professional or reliable advice

Find advise: If you are a very self-taught person, you may think that you can find the perfect place to invest your course money, which can be true, or not... Let me tell you from my personal experience working on the field, there are many nice looking webpages with photoshopped images and disguised information. Worldwide, education is business! And the companies in the industry are usually very good at marketing themselves online. Get informed from neutral sources and get in touch with previous experiencers of the institutions you are analysing.

Using an agency: There are many myths about this, and even as it is hard to believe, let me tell you that it is not more expensive to use the professional advise of an agent. Most of the time, they work by a  commission percentages and if you skip this 3rd party, the only thing you are doing is saving the institution to give away this commission fee, but your course wont become any cheaper because of this. 

So, if you are willing, find a well recognised local agency in your country that can give you some specific information about institution rankings,  previous experience with other clients/students, international mixes within the institutions, visa requirements and they can even share contacts with you of people who have previously studied the same you want in the institution you are feeling attracted by...., it can save you lots of time while you focus on the important things prior your trip.

Factors you have to take into account when choosing the institution you will be spending most of your time are locations within the city, facilities on campus, number of students per class, international mix, reputation within the country and worldwide and expertise on the subject you will be learning about. 

WHERE TO GO IF WANTING TO PUMP UP YOUR ADRENALINE

Are you an Adventurer and a Extreme sports passionate?

Continuing with the topic of Where will you live your dream, Today´s post will help you feed all that adrenaline you have going on even its hidden somewhere very deep inside your soul....  Today we will speak of Australia, not only because It is a destination with a great offer of extreme activities set up for you, but also because of the diversity of things to do they offer... So, Australia will be the destination I would recommend for this kind of trip... Start preparing  to go and see the dramatic landscape of the world:

AUSTRALIA 

Why? Only because of the Great Barrier Reef, you will already have a huge load of guaranteed adventure. To get there you will have to take a boat ride from Cairns and once you are there, the world of possibilities regarding adventure is endless. Scuba, skydiving and even feeding sharks! . Also in many other Australian cities you can always book trips to go Skydiving, Bungee jumping, hang gilding, windsurfing, kite-boarding, hot air ballooning, rock climbing, rafting, mountain biking, or just take an afternoon to learn how to surf in Bondi beach!

This country is just the paradise for a bit of danger freaks!

Im not the biggest one (as you can see my face on the video) but it seemed for me kind of an obligation to jump off a plain and get into the waves with surfing classes when being in Australia... Totally worth it!!! So, even if you are not the biggest risk taker... Give it a try! Perhaps you become one.

Other places that will be worth taking a look if you have already been to Aussie Land are SouthAfrica, New Zeland, Canada, Scottland and Perú.

Laura Skydiving in Sydney, Australia.
Cant wait to do it again!!!

Sorry for the language the ones who understand what Iam screaming 

THE “IM NOT USED TO THIS” SYMPTHOMS

Regarding the last post about the big challenge of deciding where to go, lets consider something that is very likely to happen when you first arrive to this new country you carefully have chosen; A culture shock.

You said goodbye to your family and friends at home, feeling nostalgic for the feeling of being apart from them for a period of time but also with the big nice excitement feeling that novelty brings… Lets confess, its very likely that you are not sad at all! And there is nothing wrong with it…you might be scared, anxious or a bit confused but for sure you are somehow very excited about this new experience… However, once you get there, perhaps it doesn’t feel right anymore. It could happen after just minutes, hours, days or weeks or it could just not happen at all.

Culture shock is more common than what we think, and there is also nothing bad about it! It’s a normal, unconscious feeling or process as human beings inserting ourselves into a whole new lifestyle and culture, and its sometimes followed by a first sight romance with the place.

The culture shock, as it is called, is a phenomenon that, in my opinion, happens more as a process than as an immediate shock. There are many factors that can cause this ugly feeling of wanting to go back to homey, familiar, same place we have always lived at and fit perfectly in.

The language barrier, finding out that many of the things you have learned throughout your life are not valid anymore in other culture, and the fact that many of the socially accepted ways of communicating in your culture do not apply anymore so you have to be carefully aware of things that back at home you were doing in un unconscious way are some of the issues that can trigger the called culture shock.

This can lead you to feel homesick, depressed, scared, frustrated nostalgic, isolated and needy to eat a lot!!! (Which is afterwards very regretful, especially for us, vain women).

For me, it has been a matter of keeping your mind open and realizing that if you definitely don’t like it, you don’t have to stay there for the rest of your life!... And if opening your mind to the new ways of doing things is terribly hard for you, then I am so glad you made the decision of travel abroad because this experience will be good for you, you needed it. Even though its feeling a bit uncomfortable, it will help you develop or improve your adaptations skills, which you will need in many aspects of your life!.

At the end, it can only be a positive outcome for you because if you experience the culture shock, it will help you with your personal growth and will also teach you about tolerance, just be aware that it could happen and try to research as much as possible about this new culture, its history, its manners, values and way of doing things. 

I CHOSE CAMBRIDGE!

Cambridge, UK

Continuing with the different aspects we have to take into account when deciding to study abroad, now lets go deeper into the second one we mentioned in the previous post...“the Location”

Ok, So we already know the program we will study. Now...Out of all the decisions we have to make in the process of studying abroad; This one, is perhaps the most fun to do!… My advice… Chose that place where you have always wanted to go!, If possible…

Show the world and show yourself who you are and who you have always wanted to be by carefully select the location that will be your "home"... 

This time of your life you will spend it abroad studying and most likely, it is for a limited period of time….it will finish! So don’t be afraid of dreaming big about it and experience the life you always felt attracted to when watching movies, reading books or hearing other´s adventures. 

Have you ever picture yourself Surfing in Australian  or Californian beaches after class accompanied by the sunset?, What about drinking French wine in a little corner bistro with your classmates, or have you ever dreamed of climbing mountains or taking part of   extreme sports in New Zealand or Southafrica´s most exiting places during the weekends? or how about riding a nice vintage bike to school?... It’s all possible!

The world is right there, full of different flavours for you to taste…. So analyse well and dream big when deciding where to go.

Although this time you spend abroad studying might be a very demanding experience full of tight class/library/seminars/group meetings/work schedules, its also that time of your life where you will get to see the world from a different perspective, one that you could never have gotten in your hometown… And perhaps, you will have the chance to enjoy that student lifestyle you haven’t had for so long… So, make sure you will do it in a place you will enjoy to see, happily get to know and gladly live in.

Culture, budget, food, visa restrictions, work permits, living costs, transportation systems, language, Accent, History, Lifestyle and Weather, are just some of the factors that are directly related with the location you choose. So believe me, It’s worth researching before making the decision. Don’t just go somewhere because it’s the cliché, its where everyone goes to or someone said you should. Be critic about it!

Sometimes, the program you chose (the previous step) could limit your options. Lets say you decide to study a French language program…. Basically you have two main options: France or Canada. It may seem a bit narrow but still you can make the most out of these two options by asking yourself questions about the things I just pointed: In your knowledge of French… What accent do you like the most? Being your nationality, what are the visa restrictions for each one of them? Would you go to a little city in the south of France where you can visit local markets on Sundays and relax on the beach during the summer? Or do you prefer an international, cosmopolitan vibrating city as Montreal where you can enjoy a busy nightlife and cultural diversity?

After I made the first decision of studying a Masters degree abroad, then the location question mark came along and I CHOSE CAMBRIDGE, UK...How?, Why? Firstly, I needed an English speaking country (Well, that is what I wanted) because it was the language I was fluent in besides Spanish; I wanted to practice it, improve it and also wanted to learn the business English professional terminology. Then the whole world came down to options like Australia, United States, Canada, New Zealand and UK…. That’s when I realized I wanted to go somewhere I could be able to work legally, at least for a part time job to help me with the living expenses and somewhere I had never been before…. Which left me with the UK as an option. Then, I had to choose the city, somewhere I could adjust easily but still not too far from the big city, London, for when I needed some more action…  Somewhere I could easily feel at home and ride a bike to go anywhere...Cambridge is all that!

So, Where will you live your dream?