Did your college student study abroad?

[rowan1813]

I did 3 weeks in Egypt. One roommate did a semester in Kenya and another roommate spend a semester in Hong Kong. Our college at UCSD heavily encouraged study abroad; the college's focus was international relations. I know my mom had some struggles with me going to Egypt and rightfully so (we came back at the end of September and the following January was the Arab Spring uprisings) but I was part of a group with our professor and we had an armed bodyguard (not uncommon there for Western travel groups).

I will say though that Kyrgyzstan is in Asia and not Europe if that makes any difference for you but if she is going as part of an organized program, she should be okay.

 

[Colleen27]

My daughter spent 8 weeks in Japan in high school and 6 weeks in Ireland this past summer, and she's heading to the Galapagos for 3 weeks in January. Both of her past experiences were amazing, so much so that she's looking at grad schools overseas, including the university she studied at in Ireland.

I think studying abroad is a great first solo international travel experience because while they're traveling alone, there is a support person/team available in case anything goes wrong in real time. Like Heathrow losing my daughter's luggage for several days when she flew to Ireland. I'm sure she could have navigated the whole process herself, but having her study-abroad coordinator available to help her with questions about the compensation process for the items she had to buy to get by while waiting for her bags and the details of how to arrange delivery to her student apartment made the process less stressful than if she'd just been traveling on her own and had the same problem. And now she's got some experience with it, so if she does have a similar issue in the future, she has some idea of what to do.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

My son studied abroad in HongKong during his Jr. year of college He loved it so much, he added another major to his cirriculum and received both a BA and a BS. Then after graduating he applied for and was hired to teach English in Beijing, which he did for 5 years. He is stateside again going to graduate school and when he's finished I expect he will return to China to settle with his girlfriend and find a new career job. But I suppose that all remains to be seen.

To know him as a kid, this is all mindblowing!!! I am his biggest cheerleader!

 

[sparrow10_]

I wouldn't not recommend a solo female traveler to go to the "tans"

 

[mefordis]

Just nervous about her flying over there alone and being so far. I want to go with her but I know that's not possible. This is way worse than sending her off to another state for college. I did leave the country alone but I was 23 ... big difference.

Hey Denise W - what is funny about this post? No problem with the emoji, I'm genuinely curious. Maybe because I said I wanted to go with her?

You use this emoji but never seem to post words - just the laughing emoji.

 

[RogueX]

I spent 6 weeks in Japan when I was 17 and it sparked my love for international travel. My friend who I was staying with took me around the country, I learned a lot throughout the travels but also from her family members.

 

[mefordis]

I wouldn't not recommend a solo female traveler to go to the "tans"

She'd be with a group,

 

[mefordis]

Thank you so much for all of the replies. Very encouraging.

 

[aprilgail]

My daughter did two months in Paris when she was 18.

 

[Jangles]

My son was required to spend a year abroad as part of his U.K. degree. Six months in a Spanish speaking country and 6 months in a Portuguese speaking country. He chose Columbia and Brazil and in between working, volunteered in Ecuador and spent Christmas/New Year in Peru. He loved it. Make sure that you have the best insurance that you can afford and set up a joint bank account (like Revolut) so that you can add funds as necessary.

 

[SteveH]

We've had over 15 exchange students from all over the world since before we had kids and while we had them. My oldest went to Seoul South Korea for a semester and he will say it was a life changing experience. I think my youngest would have if Covid-19 hadn't shut everything down. I'd also worked in Seoul as well as in Japan, so I am happy that at least one of my boys took the challenge and went aboard. The hardest thing for us was sending our oldest off on a plane in Seattle knowing that he'd be 5,000 miles away, he spoke some Korean, but upon landing he immediatly had to rely on himself. Keeping in mind that he's on the spectrum, but thankfully high functioning. None the less it was a long 4 months.

 

[sparrow10_]

She'd be with a group,

Your call then, but I would suggest other places

 

[_19disnA]

WHERE the person is going to be traveling/studying makes a big difference in today's world. I would check the State Dept website for any recent travel advisories. Things in some foreign countries can go very bad in a short period of time. Civil unrest or unstable govts can cause a huge disruption to daily life and you could unknowingly get caught up in that. I think it would be preferable to travel somewhere with a more stable situation regardless of whether traveling alone or with a group.

 

[sparrow10_]

WHERE the person is going to be traveling/studying makes a big difference in today's world. I would check the State Dept website for any recent travel advisories. Things in some foreign countries can go very bad in a short period of time. Civil unrest or unstable govts can cause a huge disrution to daily life and you could unknowingly get caught up in that. I think it would be preferable to travel somewhere with a more stable situation regardless of whether traveling alone or with a group.

Exactly, I studied international relations, so definitely not trying to have prejudice, but man I would be nervous of that area.

 

[tvguy]

My daughter went to University for 10 months in Leeds, U.K. for the 2013-2014 Academic year. She was 22/23. It certainly was outside my comfort zone. Started rough, She got locked out of her room the first first day while on Skype with us. We had to call from California to get someone to help her. The battery in the door lock died. She was the first to move into her dorm, so there was nobody around to help her in the building.
She also had some issues with some merchants credit card scanners not wanting to read the chip in her card. It worked fine if you swiped it, but the clerk at the grocery store had never had to swipe a card!
But she stayed the entire year in the U.K. and traveled extensively with a Eurorail pass across the U.K., Germany, France and Spain.
She became a pro at using the public transit (buses) and trains, and car services like Uber were huge there. And much cheaper than here. Funny thing is she had never used public transit at home, and still never has since she returned.
It was a good experience, and we flew over after the school year was over to do a week or sightseeing and help her move out of her flat.

 

[sparrow10_]

A quick search on google:

Kyrgyzstan travel advice​

Exercise a high degree of caution.

In September 2022, hostilities involving border guards erupted at the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The situation is uncertain and could deteriorate further.

I know that she is traveling in a group but nonetheless:

It is not safe for women to be traveling to Kyrgyzstan alone. If you do, you should know that women are often targeted when alone on the streets. Avoid remote streets as much as you can, both during day and night. Stay out of the streets at night and be vigilant for any possible dangers at all times.

edit:

I'm not trying to say she shouldn't study abroad, as I think an abroad study is a marvelous idea, it's just the location

 

[Walt's Dream]

Not my son...but me. Twice.

Study program at the Univ. of London with a home stay in Muswell Hill.
Three years later, picked up graduate credits through the U. of New Hampshire's program at Cambridge - Gonville and Caius College. Amazing living quarters, and I became a full Anglophile.

 

[punkin]

I had 2 DDs study abroad. My younger DD would have loved Kyrgyzstan, but she had a specific interest in Central Asia.

 

[VandVsmama]

Six weeks in Kyrgyzstan.

6 weeks in Kyrgyzstan? If it was my kid, I'd say heck no.

6 weeks in Prague? Sure, go for it.

 

[georgina]

All 3 of my kids studied abroad - in Belgium, Japan, Hungary.

my next door neighbor just moved to Kyrgyzstan to be the new US Ambassador there.