November 21, 2009
UTNE READER

Educational Travel

A Journey of the Mind

July/August 1999
David Cline Utne Reader 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

Preparing for Educational Travel: A CHECKLIST 

RELATED CONTENT

1. Decide where you want to go.
Pick a specific city, country, or part of the world to give your research some basic focus.

2.Decide what you want to do.
Do you want to study a language, stay with locals, explore a hobby like birdwatching or kayaking or cooking, volunteer with a community group, or pursue some other educational activity? The options are seemingly endless, from studying at Cambridge to taking lessons in traditional medicine from an Indian healer to working on an organic farm in Honduras, so you'll need to develop some basic idea of what you'd like to do or learn abroad.

3. Research the options.
See accompanying article for best ways to start searching for programs and contacts.

4. Contact the programs.
Ask to be sent information. Follow up with specific questions (see criteria below). Also ask for names and phone numbers of past participants and call them.

5. Choose the program.
Each person should develop their own criteria for choosing the right program, but here are some suggestions:

-Location
-Homestays available/assistance with other accommodations
-Access to local community
-Access to cultural opportunities
-Field trips
-Free time
-Qualifications of teachers
-Refund policy
-Family friendly
-Cost
-Start date

6. Go.

David Cline is the Managing Editor of Transitions Abroad (www.transitionsabroad.com), a 22-year old magazine focusing on all kinds of educational travel. 1 year subscription/$24.95. For more information call 800-293-0373.

Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

Add Your Comment

We’d like to know what you think. To comment, please use this form. E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments. First time registrants: You will receive an email confirming your email address. Once you confirm, your comment will be posted. Questions about our comments policy? Click here.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Utne Reader?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Pay Now & Save $6!
First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Want to gain a fresh perspective? Read stories that matter? Feel optimistic about the future? It's all here! Utne Reader offers provocative writing from diverse perspectives, insightful analysis of art and media, down-to-earth news and in-depth coverage of eye-opening issues that affect your life.

Save Even More Money By Paying NOW!

Pay now with a credit card and take advantage of our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. You save an additional $6 and get 6 issues of Utne Reader for only $29.95 (USA only).

Or Bill Me Later and pay just $36 for 6 issues of Utne Reader!