I don’t think that I have come across many people who do not love to travel. However, even if you suffer from wanderlust it can be hard to find the time and funds to explore the world around us. That is why any college student who has a desire to globetrot should study abroad at least once. Here are some of the benefits if studying abroad:

1. Timing It can be nearly impossible to plan trips while in college. Even if you’re not anxious about missing classes, it is hard to plan around exams, projects, and other important deadlines. Sure, you could wait until winter or spring break, but airlines tend to hike up prices during what they consider “peak” seasons because these are the times that most people are traveling. Studying abroad not only means having more flexibility on when to travel, but since you’ll be taking classes while traveling you don’t have to feel like you are falling behind.
2. Length of trip There are so many different options when it comes to the length of your study abroad trip. Fall and spring semester abroad programs usually span about five months, while summer semester and faculty-led trips are much shorter. Studying abroad lets you maximize, or minimize, your time away from home.
3. Cost Depending on the program and location, most study abroad tuition and housing costs are included in Pace’s own tuition. This means that you would only be paying a program fee, plus your airfare (sometimes included in the program fee) and spending costs. In comparison to traveling solo, this is not a bad deal considering the fact that you’d be living in a foreign country! Careful though, places with strong economies like Australia make it easy to go over budget. Make sure you do your research about currency exchange and cost of living before deciding on a destination.
4. Experience It is one thing to travel to an exotic place for a weeklong vacation. It is an entirely different experience to live outside of the U.S. for weeks or months all on your own. At first, you may experience culture shock or think, “what have I gotten myself into?” But I promise you will learn so much about yourself while being all on your own and actually living in a different place. You will get to experience life as a local instead of a tourist. What better way to learn about the world than to experience it from someone else’s point of view?
5. Connections While traveling with friends and family, do you ever really speak to anyone outside of your group besides the occasional small talk? Studying abroad gives you so many opportunities to make connections all over the world; from roommates to locals and even professors, you are bound to meet so many interesting and wonderful people that will change your life in ways you never thought possible.