What's it Like to Study Abroad and Be the First in Your Family to Travel?

Article excerpts courtesy of GoOverseas.com
By Delia Harrington
 
My travels are among my best life experiences, but travel isn't as readily available to everyone. For some people, whether they stay home or journey somewhere new isn't a matter of choice, it's a matter of following through with values that your family taught you were important, with doing what's familiar. In travel, this has influenced a trend: if you're from a family who travels, you're likely to travel. If your family doesn't travel, you're less likely.

A first generation traveler is the first person in their family to
pursue international travel experiences.

For this reason, first generation travelers are a pretty unique and radical bunch. I spoke with some first generation travelers to learn more about their experience, and what drove them to travel. Four students share what it's like to be the first in their family to go overseas, from fears on the road to relating to loved ones back home. Their stories are inspiring and insightful, so read on to learn what it's like to study abroad and be the first in your family to travel overseas.

Brittany Quaglieri: From New England to Mexico

Brittany Quaglieri in Mexico

Brittany Quaglieri grew up with a single mom who didn't go to college or travel. They only traveled to see family on holidays, and as a result, she didn't leave New England until she was 19 years old, and at 20, she rode in a plane for the first time.

Brittany credits two seminar classes, both of which incorporated travel, for the onset of her wanderlust. Since then, she has experimented with solo travel, including a couple of days alone in Mexico and an upcoming solo trip to Iceland.

DJ Wells: It Was Germany that Changed Things

DJ Wells's parents have always lived in Boston and have never lived outside of the United States. He's the first generation of his family to, "have an innate desire to wander and see the world for [himself]."

He has traveled throughout the US, Mexico, and Canada, but feels his true awakening as a traveler happened during a study abroad semester in Giessen, Germany, outside of Frankfurt. He went on side trips around Europe, including to Luxembourg, Britain, and Poland, and even took a break from school after his semester abroad so he could move back to Giessen for another six months.

Afterward, he returned to the US and finished school, but has been back to Europe repeatedly to visit friends, and is currently planning to return to Germany to pursue a master's degree.

DJ sees the initial connection he made to the German people and their culture as critical to the life he now lives. As he says, "these are opportunities I wouldn't have unless I did take the time to travel and step outside of my own culture."

Brianne Miers: Discovering a Big World Outside her Small Town

Brianne Miers is from a very small town -- the same one where her parents (both teachers), were born and raised. They raised her to "collect experiences, not things," a philosophy which Brianne holds to this day.

At 12, Brianne got her first taste of international travel when she had the opportunity to join a trip to China that her dad led for his high school students. In her words, "That's really what sparked my interest in traveling because it showed me that there was a big world outside of my small town."

Travel has become a huge part of Brianne's adult life. She's been to nearly 50 countries, and her highlights, which are chronicled on her blog, A Traveling Life, include, "studying abroad for a semester in Strasbourg, France, during college, and volunteering for a few months in Pokhara, Nepal, during graduate school. From fall 2014 through winter 2015, I spent nearly five months on the road - on a solo trip through Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia and then working for an adventure travel company in India. This fall I went to both Colombia and Peru."

Al Armstrong: London Sparked a Love of Adventure

Al Armstrong in Bolivia

Al Armstrong grew up in New York state, and has mostly traveled within the US and Canada to visit family or explore with friends. At the age of nine, she was able to go to Rotterdam with family, but didn't travel much outside of North America until she studied abroad in London for four months.

Since then, she and her partner have been able to fit quite a bit of travel into their lives, going to Spain, Ireland, Brazil, Bolivia, and India, usually for vacation or a loved one's wedding.

 

Why Wouldn't You (or Your Family) Travel?

As travelers, it's easy for us to focus on all the wonderful benefits of travel and sometimes we forget the challenges that we've overcome to make it possible. We also forget that there are a lot of reasons why young people, especially those who don't come from a family with travelers, wouldn't explore the world alongside us.

FinancesBut how do you afford it all?!?

Not surprisingly, financial concerns are often cited when discussing travel. The costs for obtaining a US passport, now a requirement for all international travel, come in at almost $200 before you even think about buying a plane ticket or booking accommodations. That doesn't even count transportation, internet access, or time off of work to get the forms, take the photo, and submit the paperwork.

Families without much or any disposable income are more likely to put their funds toward something more essential, or domestic travel, which is often thought of as a closer, cheaper, safer alternative.

Saving money is hard enough, but as Brittany explains, it's even harder to do "in a community of non-travelers who have different priorities than me. Going out for meals several times a week or mindlessly shopping does not interest me, but I'm tempted to spend money in order to spend time with them. I try to suggest cheaper things to do but often strike out.

 

Race
"How will people treat me abroad?"

America is known for being a multi-ethnic country, and while we have our own contemporary and historical struggles with racism, travel to a racially homogenous country can be a concern.

DJ's parents were concerned when he first told them about his travel plans. "As an African-American, my family and friends worry about me traveling, especially outside of the country. And I was too. But I've had way too many positive experiences on my journeys that have proved this notion wrong.

 

SafetyUnknown places... they seem dangerous.

All of my interviewees brought up their parents' safety concerns at least once, often citing their mother, specifically.

Al shares that, "my mom sometimes worries about safety, but in fairness, she worries about that even when I'm traveling from Boston to Rochester." Brianne says, "of course, my mom was always worried about my safety and whether or not I was eating!"
Regardless, we tend to fear what we don't know, and sometimes that fear holds us back (or keeps us from encouraging our loved ones) from exploring new places.

Something else?
Motivation? Lots to explore at home? Priorities?

But what about everyone else? What about those who have the means and ability, but simply choose not to travel?

Both Brianne and DJ's parents, in spite of having the means and occasionally traveling on a different scale, never became interested in repeat international travel. DJ cites his parents' comfort with their life in New England as a reason not to venture farther afield.

Al shares her thoughts: "What I find particularly interesting too is I when I know (not assume, but know) people have the means but they say, 'Oh, I wish I could travel.' It's always strange to me, as it feels as though the only thing holding them back is themselves and things like (as one person admitted to me) fear of the language barrier in some places."

All of my interviewees are American, which is due in part to the fact that the United States is such a geographically large country that one can easily travel without ever leaving it. When I initially posed the question online, a few Europeans piped up that very few Europeans spend their whole lives in only one country, given the size and proximity of European countries.

Read the full article at gooverseas.com 

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If you need help getting started with study abroad, take a look at the first steps: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/first-steps.php.   
For more scholarships for study abroad, please check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/funding.