Study Shock

Embrace the world, and you may grow. Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Excitement, anticipation, curiosity, happiness, thrill...culture shock? These are just some of the emotions a student feels when traveling abroad to study with their University. Studying abroad can be extremely rewarding and one of the most memorable moments of a lifetime, but it can also involve incidents or frustrations that will leave you longing to catch the next plane home.

When traveling a student may encounter many cultural differences which can lead to culture shock. In our own culture, there are many elements that surround us, and that influence who we are as people and how we perceive the world. This native culture is what shapes us as a person. 

Different cultures, different experiences. Lock on the love wherever you go. Paris, France. 

When this feeling of comfort or symbols of familiarity of the native culture are lost, a person falls into a state of culture shock. This culture shock is a psychological discomfort that is felt when faced with foreign situations. Culture shock is a natural logical reaction, and just one of many phases students will face when getting accustomed to their new culture and surroundings.

The phases a student will experience include: Being fascinated with all the new things you are experiencing, feeling uncomfortable because you feel as if you don't belong, rejecting and labeling the foreign culture and people as being strange, learning to decipher foreign behavior and customs, and accepting and enjoying the foreign culture. 

When studying abroad, throughout the phases, a student will experience a wide range of emotions. They will be fascinated and excited by their new surroundings, and may then take more notice to anything, "Un-American." This could lead to some hostility towards the new culture which is another form of culture shock. 

In order to prepare for this journey, before going abroad, students may read up on where they are traveling (i.e international newspapers, guidebooks, novels, etc.), talk with friends who have traveled to the same location or an international student, and/or ask their study abroad office for an advisor. 

Overall, it is simple to get past culture shock as long as one uses their mind. Make sure to always keep a positive attitude, be optimistic and open to new ideas. These mixed with some time will help people adapt to cultural differences. These differences may even become preferable to that which one is used to in the United States. The steady balance of new culture experience and the native culture, will help people to grow culturally and become more diverse in thinking. Before you know it, you won't want your study abroad trip to end. 

Are you the next Study Abroad Global Duke?

ATTENTION JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: 

While many of our readers are interested in traveling or studying abroad, we also appreciate those readers who already have travel or study abroad experience!

If you have studied abroad or are currently studying abroad, then check out this great opportunity offered by James Madison University! 

JMU is looking for students interested in becoming a "Study Abroad Global Duke." Global Dukes are student peer advisors who want to share their study abroad experiences with potential study abroad students. This opportunity allows you to provide first-hand knowledge regarding the study abroad experience to engage and interest other James Madison University students. 

While the study abroad office provides fantastic information and resources, they recognize students often respond better to other students. JMU's Study Abroad Office wants your help to further the success of their study abroad programs!

While many leadership opportunities on campus demand a large time commitment, Global Dukes only requires seven hours a week of your time. As a Global Duke, you will spend approximately two hours a week in the Office of International Programs and around five hours a week planning study abroad projects and events. 

If you are seeking ways to stay connected to your study abroad experience after returning home, then Ready, Set, Roam encourages you to apply for a position as a "Study Abroad Global Duke!" The deadline is quickly approaching so be sure to fill out your application today and submit it along with your resume to Andriana Hench at henchaj@jmu.edu!

Budget Flights in Europe

Domestic European flights are on the rise as cheap airlines have flooded the European market. You can get a one way ticket for $25-$250!

In the United States domestic flights may leave our pockets empty and keep us weary of flying. However, by using a low-cost, one way ticket to different destinations in Europe flying can by a more bearable option.  While planning my 10 day trip through Europe I looked at a Eurail pass, but it was more expensive and more of a hassle to go by train to different parts of the continent in a short period of time.

While I was abroad I took two flights and three train rides to total my transportation costs of around $300-$500. That is less than or equal to one domestic flight within the United States.  If you check your options of different types of transportation and companies, then you can find some cheap deals.

Some websites I used to check flights are skyscanner.com, ryannair.com, and rumbo.es.

Be cautious when using these cheap airlines because the cost reflects the quality which is not high. The tickets are inexpensive so the airlines will tack on many extras including expensive baggage costs, high priced food and more money for priority seating. The way to get around these extras is to bring one bag that can be used as a carry on, such as a backpack, and be as low maintenance as possible.

Another thing to watch is delays. The airline is not making much money off your ticket so they are less invested if you arrive late or something happens. You need to be ready and allow yourself time to be ahead of schedule and prepared for takeoff.

The last thing to keep your eye on is the website you use to book the flight. When booking my flight from Barcelona to London I thought the website confirmed the ticket and the email was faulty. However, the email said that the tickets had not been purchased, so when we arrived at the airport we didn’t have a flight and had to pay for a ticket on the spot which was not cheap.

Europe offers many opportunities for you to explore inexpensively with various means of transportation including Inter European flights. You merely need to find them and know what to expect.

Mind the Gap

Don't waste your money on a taxi or rental car when public transportation is just around every corner. In England, Germany, Italy, France, etc. there is the tube, u-bahn, metro, and/or métro. These public transportation trains can be compared to the D.C. metro or the NY subway system.

Not only are there several stations spread through every part of major cities, but they are almost always conveniently located next to major tourist destinations. In London to see the Queen? Try the Green Park station next to Buckingham Palace. In Rome and in need of a stroll through the Colosseum? Try the Colosseo, Line B of the Rome Metro. A traveler can navigate from the airport to the entrance of Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany or navigate through Paris, France to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre using their Métro lines.

These trains all provide visitor rail passes, resident passes, day passes, or one way tickets. They are flexible to a traveler's stay, and most are open from early morning to later at night. Countries are making it more convenient to commute this way, and these commute methods are quick and efficient. Check out their individual sites for ticket pricing, and consider this as a primary travel method when overseas. 

So next time you're abroad, if you need to get somewhere a little too far for a walk or want to arrive quickly, take the trains. 

Homey, Quaint, and Breakfast Too!

When contemplating a place to stay while traveling abroad, many go straight for the generic, corporate hotel. Another option if looking for something unique, and more local, is a Bed and Breakfast lodging.

There are many sites that provide a list and search engine for Bed and Breakfasts and rentable rooms in Europe and all over the world. The site www.bedandbreakfast.eu, has them listed for countries such as the UK, Spain, South Africa, Portugal, Sweden, France, Australia, Thailand, etc. Other useful search sites are: www.bedandbreakfast.com, www.airbnb.com, and www.europebnb.com. 

Depending on the location, Bed and Breakfast lodging can be relatively cheap, on some sites lower than 80 euros or less a night. These include a room consisting of King, Queen, or even Double beds if necessary. The rooms normally have a bathroom attached or down the hall. Bed and Breakfast locations are usually rather large house like units, with a home like quality where the owner lives on site or nearby. The rooms are made to be more cozy then flashy, and aside from great comfort, guests are treated to breakfast early each morning. Some places even provide other daily meals or offer them as options. 

So if you are looking for a home away from home, small, quiet and quaint, then a Bed and Breakfast is for you! Many believe these could be sketchy because they are not as well known as hotel chain, but from personal experience this is not true. They are considerably cheaper, provide great breakfast foods, a chance to stay and interact with locals, and tend to be small and adorable. 

ICE, ICE, BABY

During my time abroad, I was blown away by the concept of “nightlife” in Europe. I thought I had experienced some pretty crazy nightlife in the United States, but I was far from prepared for a night out “European style.”

In particular, the nightlife in Barcelona was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. A typical night out in Barcelona begins around midnight and ends around 7:00am for most locals. In the United States, most bars and clubs shut down around 2:00am, however, Barcelona is a city that never sleeps with bars and clubs staying open till the wee hours of the morning. And even after the bars and clubs shut down for the night, most locals hit the beach to watch the sunrise before throwing in the towel and heading home. For me, it was unrealistic to stay out that late every night, but I made it my goal to stay out at least one night until the sunrise. Although, I spent most of the next day in bed sleeping, the experience of hanging out on the beach waiting for the sun to rise was unforgettable.

The number of nightclubs lining the beach was overwhelming because I wanted to make sure I could experience each and every one. I quickly realized this was nearly impossible to accomplish, but I was able to visit a variety of unique nightclubs and bars.

Of all the nightclubs and bars I visited while in Barcelona, my favorite was Ice Barcelona. Before going abroad, I was amazed by the concept of an ice bar and knew I wanted to experience one before returning to the States. For those of you who don’t know, an ice bar is exactly what it sounds like: a bar made entirely out of ice. Before entering, each person is given a heavy-duty coat and gloves to wear as the bar typically remains around negative thirty degrees. You are also given a cup made out of ice to drink out of while at the bar.

Inside the ice bar, there are numerous ice sculptures scattered around including chairs and tables made completely out of ice. Below is a picture of my friends and I at Ice Barcelona posing with one of the many ice sculptures!

The ice bar was honestly one of the coolest experiences I had during my time abroad and I would encourage each of you to visit an ice bar during your upcoming travels! There are ice bars all around the world in various countries, not just Barcelona, so make sure to do your research! 

What is Backpacking? And who is Someone called a ‘Backpacker’?

By Aswetravel on March 30, 2010 in Before You Leave

What Is Backpacking?

In short, backpacking can be described as an independent, often international, low- budget way of travelling.

Someone who backpacks is called a ‘Backpacker’.

Backpackers generally travel for a longer period of time than most other tourists, and they tend to travel in several different countries during their time away.

The number of countries differs and a backpacker can be on the road all from a few weeks to several years.

However, that is again the short way of describing it.

Backpacking is a very loose definition – there are backpackers who go tramping in the forests sleeping in tents and on the beach, and hitch-hike their way around the world, and there are those who backpack with roller-bag suitcases, sleep in hotels and buy their own car to get around a country.

These are two completely different types of traveling, but they both like to call themselves backpackers.

You can however separate these into 3 different backpacking genres if you like:

• Backpacking RTW Travel
• Ultralight Backpacking
• Flashpacking

The two later ones are newer styles in ways of backpacking.

Ultralight Backpacking

What is Backpacking

Ultralight backpacking is becoming more and more popular.

Today the industry puts a lot of focus on making things ultra light. The backpacks are light like feathers, and the sleeping bags can be squashed down to the size of your palm.

This is definitely something for anyone to look into, as it could really help you ease some weight from your backpack.

These Ultralight backpackers go all the way, counting every ounce, cutting their toothbrushes in half to ease weight.

Although if this is your first time on the road, you will never understand WHY people would ever want to travel like this – but trust me after more than 6months travel, with your back hurting – you will start to consider this style of backpacking more and more.

You find more and more backpacker using smaller packs (under 50L) and buying lightweight clothes, quick drying towels etc.

I think in the future a balance between this style and Backpacking RTW Travel will become more and more normal.

Flashpacking

Flashpacking is a new type of backpacking. It is generally where you travel more expensively and with higher living standards.

Many people like to explain the definition of a flashpacker as someone who travels with a lot of tech gear like iPods and laptops and such, but I think that has become so common these days that nearly everyone carry an mp3 player with them, and laptops are hardly something expensive anymore – so the view of a Flashpacker now is more of someone who has all the latest stuff, doesn’t save up for a trip, spends his money on drinking, partying and staying in nicer places.

Another way to define the flashpackers would be to say – ‘THEY BACKPACK IN STYLE’. They prefer to go to the main guidebook destinations, do the main attractions, see what everyone else tells them to see – and they view backpacking more as an extending party than anything else.

The Changes Of Backpacking…

Backpacking has changed considerably the last decade. It has always been around, but today it’s easier than ever before.

The flight tickets are cheaper, in many places it’s safer, the communication is better etc.

Plus, you don’t have to take care of the boring part of traveling like plane tickets anymore, there are hundreds of organisations over the world that help you with that stuff.

Some people actually buy all their tickets to each country (including the one back home) before they’ve even left, through one of these companies.

All you do is to go into their office, tell them where you want to go, how long you’d like to stay in each place, and they’ll book all the flights you need for a trip round the whole world if that’s what you want.

Although, they obviously don’t work for free, and certainy won’t spend extra time looking for the cheapest flights.

There are also heaps of tours you can make. How about biking through Africa or New Zealand on a bicycle?

These days everything is more easily accessible, so that is also why you start to see more and more people leaving their home towns and exploring the world – which is such a wonderful thing, whatever way you do it.

The Original – Backpacking RTW Travel

This is the type of backpacking that you will find the most information about on our website. Backpacking in this term means traveling on a budget, usually for longer distances, seeing many different countries and for a longer time than normal holiday travelers.

These backpackers can be quite diverse, exploring different cultures and travel both in cities as well as on the country side.

Some of them might make a short hike for a few days or do some volunteer work, and then continue their travels – they view backpacking and travel more for seeing amazing new cultures and as a personal growth than as a party, or simply a short get away from the real world – they see the whole world as their home, and don’t really feel a need to get back to the ‘real-world’ anytime soon – travel is their life.

For you who weren’t quite sure what the term backpacking means, I hope this made it more clear for you and that you are now interested in also going out there no matter what type of backpacker you are and start exploring the world. It’s a real fun way to travel and it’s not just young people who do it – backpacking is for everyone!

If you’re already planning a backpacking RTW trip, stay tuned for our next 3 part series about how to choose the right backpack for your trip