Traveling has long been held up as one of the great experiences of life. The desire to see the world is constantly leading those struck with wanderlust to pour their hard-earned money into the pursuit of reaching and experiencing other places.
It’s an understandable desire, and the payoff is superb. But the immersive experience of visiting another culture is too often cut short by the fact that it’s just that: a visit. What happens if you spend more than a few days or weeks in a foreign country? What benefits come from fully committing yourself to studying, learning about, and living within another culture for an extended period of time?
The Benefits of Spending a Year Abroad
There are generally two distinct reasons to spend significant time abroad: studying and working. If you find you’ve come across the opportunity to take advantage of long-term travel in this vein, here are a few of the major reasons you should consider doing so:
Developing a “Big Picture” Perspective
First and foremost, spending extended time in other locations and cultures helps you develop a big-picture mindset. It exposes you to diverse opinions and traditions around the globe. This can be instrumental in tempering and rounding out your overall character.
Expanding Your Skill Set
Traveling and living abroad naturally develops a host of different skills, including:
- Learning to speak another language.
- Developing soft skills like communication and empathy.
- Practicing hard skills like planning, logistics, and budgeting.
Enhancing Your Resume
The fact that you’ve spent time overseas always looks good on a resume. It shows that you’re willing to learn new things and are able to work with other cultures.
Networking
Another major benefit of spending time abroad is the opportunity it presents for some international networking. It’s never been easier to stay connected when traveling, which means you can maintain your relationships at home while simultaneously developing new ones as you move from place to place.
Gaining a Unique Life Experience
Finally, there’s the simple fact that time spent overseas provides a unique life experience that you will always treasure. It will stand out as a specific, purposeful deviation from the humdrum of everyday life and arm you with a plethora of different stories and experiences that you will carry with you forever.
How to Prepare for a Year Abroad
Of course, just because you’re convinced that going abroad is the right choice doesn’t mean it will magically happen. It takes a little effort, more than a little confidence, and a ton of logistics and planning to consider. Here are a few of the most important things you’re going to want to keep in mind when preparing for a year abroad.
Take Care of Paperwork Early
Don’t wait until the last minute to get your passport, or you might quite literally miss your flight. Make sure to check into what kind of travel or work visas may be required during your stay.
Vaccines
Another big consideration is what vaccines you should (or are required to) get in order to travel to and live in each location. The Philippines, for instance, have several important vaccines that are suggested before visiting, including diphtheria, yellow fever, and typhoid. Unless you want to end up spending a good amount of time sick, it’s always a good idea to look into vaccines beforehand.
Figure Out Finances
Along with your paperwork, make sure to look into exchange rates, cost of living, and the best way to maintain your finances while living overseas. Do your best to plan ahead and have a plan in place in case something goes wrong while you’re there.
Consider Clothing
The cost of packing up your clothes and bringing them with you can be prohibitive. Do some research and try to figure out how many clothes you should bring with you and how many you should purchase once you’re settled in your new home.
Try to Maintain Your Career Momentum
If you’re already working in a professional field, don’t feel like you need to give up all of your progress thus far in order to recklessly run off and see the world. Try looking for work that is in your field of expertise. If you’re a nurse, for instance, you may find that opportunities to work around the globe can have a positive impact on your overall knowledge of global health needs. Don’t box yourself in simply because you’ve already established your career.
Going the Digital Nomad Route
Of course, one option is to simply shift to a completely remote occupation. These include, but are not limited to:
- Writing
- Translating
- Editing
- Marketing
- Sales
- Analysis and big data
- Accounting
- Customer service
- Videography
Finding a way to take your work onto the road as a digital nomad can be the perfect situation for living abroad for extended periods of time.
Living Abroad
Whether you’re packing up your textbooks or looking for an overseas assignment at work, taking advantage of the opportunity to relocate overseas for an extended period of time is well worth the effort. The life experiences and professional advancement that living abroad offers are unique benefits that are hard to acquire in any other way.
As long as you do your homework beforehand and take the time to prepare yourself for the experience, you’re likely to find that a year or two spent abroad will stand out as one of the defining periods of your life.
Photo Credit
Photo is from pexels
Guest Author Bio
Magnolia Potter
Magnolia Potter is a muggle from the Pacific Northwest who writes from time to time and covers a variety of topics. When Magnolia’s not writing, you can find her curled up with a good book.
Blog / Website: Magnolia Potter
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