BootsnAll Travel Community

I have several different opportunities to study abroad through my university all over the world. I pay my home school tuition and I just have to pay living fees to the university I choose. The professors keep saying it "will look good on your resume," but I think that any amount of long term travel would look good, even if it wasn't in college. I was wondering if it would be best to wait and travel independently after I graduate college?

Go! Traveling on your own is great, but unless you are doing something and not just bumming around it won't do much for a resume. BUT if you go to school there, with possibly an internship that will really turn heads after college.

I wish I would have done that, but it was cheaper for me to bum around europe for a couple of months. You can always travel for fun, but how often can you go to school in a different country and pay your school's tuition? Not often.

What are you going to school for?

Do both. Sure, this may mean waiting longer before the independant travel can happen, but it will be worth it.

Living in a different country is completely different from just visiting, and there's not that many situations where it's easy actually get that living experience. Studying abroad is one of those situations, so it's well worth it to take the opportunity while you have it.

Last summer I travelled independently for about 6 weeks, split in half by a summer school session in Turkey. It was all fantastic, but studying in Turkey was much more meaningful experience, as I got to make some local friends, get to know the culture and the city better, etc, etc. It's a lot harder to do that hopping around place to place. And independent travel probably won't look good on your resume, as others have said.

Thanks for the feedback

I would take the opportunity to travel during schooling. You can always travel independently later on if you enjoy the experience.

I chose to delay and travel after graduation. I'm glad I did because 1) I loved my school, 2) I got the chance to double major, and 3) I didn't have to leave my friends.

I took off for a one-year RTW trip after college graduation. Obviously I was lucky - most people can't afford to do that. So I would say do as much travel as you can afford. If you can do both, then do it. If travel during college is your only opportunity, then take advantage of it.

And definitely take advantage of the opportunity to live with a host family when you study abroad. It's very difficult to do this during solo/independent travel.

Do both! I am. I studied abroad for my entire Junior year, and now that I've graduated I'm going out again!-- This time more confident with experience. And many others I know who have studied abroad were also motivated to travel again after graduation, this time with a better idea of how they ought to do it. There is no either/or. Travel as much as possible.