Now
22 years old, the UA senior traveled to more than 19 countries, and she
said that the world is still a safe place to travel in.
Her experiences in parts of the
world such as the Middle East, South America and Europe have led her to
understand how to prepare for travel and to stay safe in dangerous
countries, she said.
“It is important to travel
because otherwise you don’t look at your life as appreciatively,” said
Simmons, a peer advisor for the Office of Study Abroad and International
Exchange.
“Going abroad is one of the best gifts you can give yourself because of how much you learn,” she said.
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| Amanda with fellow student, Deshaun Artis, in Bolivia |
When studying abroad or traveling
to another country, it is important for students to research the
country they are going to in order to learn more about the area, Simmons
said. There are multiple outlets and resources for students to utilize
during their trips to stay safe and learn about a country’s cultures,
customs and laws.
“It always helps to look up where
you are going, what specific cities are like, and try and find
resources from the people that are from there and have been there before
because you will get a feel for it and get to see before you go what
you should do,” Simmons said.
Senior Cordarius Enright, a peer
advisor for the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange,
studied with the faculty-led program, Global Community Development in
Vietnam. Before leaving, he was prepared on different customs the
group needed to know beforehand to avoid any situations, Enright said.
“We were prepped about the
Vietnam War to not really talk about it because it is still a sensitive
subject for people like the elderly in the country,” Enright said.
“Not many young people know about
the Vietnamese War so we were kind of prepped to be aware to not say
much about it, and not wear American clothing and not wave our flag
around. That was a big thing because Americans love doing that,” Enright
said.
The group was also taught to take
off their shoes before entering someone’s home, being polite and how to
conduct business in Vietnam, he said.
Even though research is important
to learning about countries and their cultures there are other
resources students can use to travel safely, and keep in touch with
loved ones and those familiar with certain cultures, especially for
women. Technology has changed the way people communicate, and give them
the opportunity to tell their loved ones they are safe, Simmons said.
In some countries, there are
different outlooks and rules for women than in the United States, and
the Study Abroad Office give tips and some preparation for women
traveling abroad, such as never traveling alone, said DeDe Long,
Director of the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange.
“If a student was traveling to
the Middle East we would want them to read up on how women are perceived
and expectations on attire for women in countries. We don’t want
anybody being disrespectful showing up in shorts when the cultural norms
suggests otherwise,” Long said.
While Simmons was traveling in
Dubai, she used a Facebook group called Travelettes, an exclusive group
for women travelers only. Simmons was able to use this group to
communicate with women living in Dubai to find out how to safely get to
her hotel from the airport at night. It felt more comfortable for
Simmons to ask those women in the Facebook group rather than approach
someone random at the airport in the middle of the night, she said.
Despite being in a different
culture, Simmons utilized these resources for her trip to travel
efficiently through the area, Simmons said.
“I do remember feeling very safe
in Dubai; there were women-only taxis and women-only subway cars. No one
harassed me and my mother for any reason,” Simmons said.
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| Amanda and her mother at a Dubai mosque |
The Office of Study Abroad and
International Exchange has resources and material on their Hogs Abroad
portal page, and keeps their students updated on the information they
need pertaining to the countries they are traveling to. The office has also begun
creating pamphlets about certain programs from students’ feedback with
tips from how to dress to what kind of currency to use, Long said.
Meetings are also a large part
for students to prepare for anything that might come their way such as
understanding the laws of that country, tips for female students and
country-specific advice such as cultural norms, Long said.
Read the full article by Lauren Randall with the Arkansas Traveler
