by Jill Robinson with Greenheart Travel

If we waited until we were financially stable and debt-free to travel or study abroad, we never would. That doesn’t mean maxing out credit cards or begging parents for money is acceptable, but there are ways to keep costs reasonable while exploring new countries. To get you started on a travel budget that is within reach for your next trip, here are five ways to save money without compromising your cultural experience.

1.) Accommodation can take a huge chunk of change from your travel budget. Hostels are a best bet for cheaper rates. Keep in mind that you are cutting costs because you are most likely sharing a room with at least 5 more people. If this is not worth it you can book a single or double room for a little more, but it will still beat the expense of a hotel. Good online sources to scope out locations, reviews and pictures include Hostelworld.com, Hostelling International and Hostel Bookers. You can also get a Hostel International membership that offers savings on loads of hostel accommodations, attractions other travel perks.

2.) If you are studying abroad, an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is a good purchase to make. Recognized in over 120 countries and offering 40,000 different discounts in travel, accommodation and attractions, it is a valuable card to carry. Any full-time student 12 years and over qualifies for the card. If you are 26 years or younger but not a student, you can take advantage of the International Youth Travel Card that offers similar benefits. Ful-time teachers and professors also can benefit from savings with a card of their own.

3.) Spend other peoples’ money. Well, not exactly, but there are many scholarships and grants available for those who do their research. Sites like studyabroad.com, IIEPassport Study Abroad Funding and school web pages like Michigan State University’s offer great resources to hunt down potential funding.

4.) When you reach your destination, enjoy the simple things. Cities like London and Berlin are expensive, but that doesn’t mean you can’t afford to experience them. The point of traveling is to learn about a culture and there is no better way to get to know a place than by walking. Cabs and rental cars are pricey, and there is only so much to see when you are blurring past architecture in a back seat. Some places even have free walking tours, where you can get the knowledge of a guide and an insight into the area. If you can, visit farmer’s markets, cook your own meals, read the local papers for community events or enjoy a coffee while people watching. All of these things require minimal amounts of cash, but are big on cultural authenticity.

5.) Travel with a buddy. Yes, this can also hold potential for disaster if you and your friend aren’t on the same spending wave-length, but if you set out a budget before you travel and communicate the expectations for they types of “luxuries” your are willing to go without, this can safe you a lot in costs. Accommodation can be split, and eating family style and sharing meals can stretch your money. If you don’t have a partner, take advantage of online travel communities to tap into fellow backpacker experiences for money-saving ideas. Matador, Glimpse and Lonely Planet are all sites I can’t get enough of and provide a supportive group of people willing to offer advice.

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 by Jill Robinson with Greenheart Travel

During my travels abroad, there are few things I enjoy more than exploring the local markets. London’s Camden markets, El Rastro in Madrid, and El Mercat de la Boquería in Barcelona are just a few of my favorite shopping experiences. Not only do they offer wonderful opportunities for people-watching, but it is an ideal place to learn the native language and interact with the locals. Spain holds a special place in my heart, however, when on my first solo trip abroad I found myself in a crash course in communication.

The constant drum of rain outside the Rambles Center Hostel in Barcelona, kept many of the travelers from venturing out that morning. The dark clouds were thick and didn’t show any sign of giving in to the sun that was sparkling over the ocean the day before.

Most of the backpackers lounging inside were smoking their rolled cigarettes and exchanging stories in different accents. I listened from the corner, slightly amused that a Chuck Norris movie was playing with Spanish voice overs. The smoke was starting to fill the commons area in an uncomfortable haze and my coffee was cold; it was time to explore even if the weather conditions weren’t in my favor. It would also give me an excuse to practice my Spanish while buying an umbrella next door.

After an awkward exchange with a weathered woman selling her paraguas, and 3 Euros later, I was ready to set out on my adventure. Armed against the elements I walked half a block south to the expanse of the Mercat de la Boqueria. The market was intense and bustling with people shaking out wet jackets and shouting produce requests. I can’t think of a better place to learn a language. Each stall was a new set of colors, smells and conversation, and because everything was labeled, I could look up words and imitate the more experienced shoppers in their sentence structure.

Enjoying my tourist excitement I began eavesdropping on Catalonian exchanges and inappropriately staring at the pigs’ heads in the glass case. Carrying my dictionary, looking up such words as ternillo, curious how gristle was incorporated in the Spanish diet.

In only a matter of feet, the cold, sweet smell of meat would morph into the earthy aroma of cebollas and lechuga, and then from the onions and lettuce to the sea-salt smell of fish. I was ecstatic to find a spice stall, and couldn’t get enough of the cumin and chili draping their smell over my shoulders. The color palate was inspiring.

When I got control of my sense of smell, I began to take in the many shades of pink and red from the hanging legs of ham and suckling pigs still staring with vacant, glassy eyes. The rainbow of produce and flowers, the metallic shimmer of fish scales peeking through the ice, my eyes darted from one object to the next in a greedy search for another treasure.

I wanted to hold this produce in my hands, to possess something that suddenly seemed much more exciting once it had a Spanish label. To do this I had to get involved in the madness of shouting orders and budging in line. I decided to start simple. Buying my bread, apple and cheese in my novice Spanish, the vendors barely noticed, they were too busy shouting “Que quiere!” to the next eager customer.

Maybe it was the newness of the area that made everything glow, every syllable I tried to translate a seduction, but I was enamored with this experience. Giddy with happiness and new-found courage I stepped out of the cramped quarters of Mercat de la Boqueria and into the rain.

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 by Jill Robinson with Greenheart Travel

It was about a week after returning home from a life abroad in Scotland and England that I began to notice a change. I would suddenly panic while driving, second-guessing myself about being in the correct lane; my emotions would roller coaster depending on a certain smell, song or picture, and I grew bored with the Midwest accent. At the time I thought I was losing my mind. The real culprit was reverse culture shock, and I had fallen into a slump that is common among many travelers.

My experience with the shock involved a lot of pacing and agitation. Where were the pubs blaring World Cup soccer matches from their dimly-lit interiors? How would I survive my constant cravings for döner kebabs? How many more times would I accidentally pay with quarters instead of dollars, my mind still stuck on the soothing weight of English pounds?

Reverse culture shock can be just as difficult as the awe of initially finding yourself in a place that speaks another language or boasts a population with millions more than your hometown in Iowa (population 8,000 vs. 7.56 million in London). Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware that this shock existed and struggled for a few weeks at adjusting to life back home.

In preparing for studying abroad or a long-term travel adventure, we find plenty of warnings of the inevitable culture shock we’ll experience. It’s the return home that leaves many of us at a loss. Where are the helpful hints for when the jet-lag wears off and people find your faux accident annoying? It was a lucky find when I discovered Megan Kimble’s article”How to Embrace Reverse Culture Shock (Sunny Side Up)“. She gives some great advice for the ups and downs of returning home.sunset with figure

One of Megan’s suggestions is to look at things in a new light, and embrace what you took for granted before you left. Another tip was to have a new appreciation for the luxuries of being back home. When one Greenheart Travel staff member returned home from Costa Rica, no longer having “ants in the pants” was definitely not taken for granted.

“I was so used to having to shake my clothes before putting them on to get the ants out. When I came home, I’d do it all the time, sometimes forgetting that it wasn’t a problem and sometimes because I was paranoid that I maybe brought some home with me.”

We travel because cultures offer new experiences, but it’s these differences that cause much of our shock. Having a sense of humor in re-adjusting to life at home is as imperative as laughing off your mistakes when you arrived overseas; it completes the package of the entire journey. When another colleague found herself back in the States after living in Ecuador, there were quite a few moments where her routine in Ecuador didn’t quite match up with Chicago’s and she had to shake it off with a laugh.

“I tried to flag a bus down on Ashland [Avenue] instead of remembering that we have bus stops here, and I ordered my first few coffees at Starbucks in Spanish- they do not know what ‘un café con leche por favor‘ means.”

Getting through the rut that is reverse culture shock takes some time, but it’s also an important learning experience in travel. Returning home with a new outlook and heightened awareness gives us a fresh perspective. Picking up habits and knowledge is why we travel. Understanding and expecting the post-adventure blues is one way to ease back into a routine. Another is to embrace some of the new cultural traditions you have collected along the way.

“I wanted to come back home to the U.S., but at the same time I felt so completely integrated and at home in Cote d’Ivoire,” my colleague said. “It was hard to be back in the U.S. and I felt homesick for Africa. You find balance with that, it just takes time. After living in Cote d’Ivoire, I was really used to eating with my hands, sometimes I still eat with my hands in the privacy of my home.”   

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 by Jill Robinson with Greenheart Travel

In keeping up with current events, the headlines today have been looking bleak. After reading the fifth news story of the morning involving doom and destruction, I decided it was time for more positive reading material. To help in spurring your motivation for travel, especially when the past few days in the news have been slightly gloomy, I’ve put together a couple play-list suggestions I have found on travel blogs and sites to get a double dose of inspirational material. After all, every trip needs a soundtrack.

* Intelligent Travel’s website perked my curiosity with two videos. The first group was the Parisian trio, Gotan Project, and their music, a meshing of electronica meets tango was enough to make me lose five minutes of work time daydreaming about Argentina.

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 by Jill Robinson

There is something about embarking on a new adventure, exploring new cultures, places, food and smells that keeps a wandering mind satisfied. Flipping through travel journals, old photos and indulging in the many books that inspire me to daydream continue to motivate me to educate myself about the world. Traveling is by far one of the most effective classrooms -as long as we can stop long enough to take in our surroundings.

With internet becoming faster, cell phones becoming smarter and digital cameras becoming sleeker, we can capture our environment in a matter of clicks. But is this a good thing? The New York Times featured an article, Abroad- At Louvre, Many Stop to Snap but Few Stay to Focus, leading me to re-evaluate the way I look at my surroundings, whether at home or abroad.

I know that I’ve been guilty of observing my environment more through my view-finder on my camera than really taking note of, say, the golds and smoky smudges of a sunset over the Edinburgh skyline. We panic, we don’t want to miss a detail, we must save this moment forever to show family and friends who are never quite as enthusiastic as we hope, and then – click, click, click, we run off to the nearest internet cafe to download our treasures. Michael Kimmelman wrote in the New York Times article: Read more...

 by Jill Robinson

You have studied Europe on a Shoestring front to back, worked overtime to save for a flight and you know how to say “I’m lost, can you help me?” in the appropriate language. Now it’s just a matter of convincing your parents that studying abroad is a good idea. Here are five reasons why traveling and living overseas is more than a cultural experience, but an investment in your future.

1. Studying abroad teaches you life lessons that can’t be learned in a classroom.
Being immersed in a new culture can be terrifying, but also really exciting and inspiring. Living abroad will help you develop a sense of resourcefulness and independence, as well as the ability to adapt to new situations you can’t experience in your hometown. Just gaining confidence in learning the public transportation system will carry over to future travels. group in italy

2. When you study abroad, your resume will instantly stand out.
When you study overseas, you are setting yourself apart from most applicants. Whether it’s to apply for college, or for a job; your education in Spain is a wonderful way to move your way to the top of a pile of resumes. Your trip abroad shows that you have the ability to adapt to new surroundings, people and ideas. This is critical in any environment, whether it’s educational or professional. Working World’s website offers an article and video explaining how living abroad can give you three key skill sets that will help you advance at the professional level.

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