As a tourist, you are always a foreigner. Sure, hostel-hopping and sightseeing can be great fun, but connecting with a foreign country through studying, volunteering, or working can extend your travels beyond tourist traps. Instead of feeling like a stranger in a strange land, you can understand Europe like a local. Instead of being that tourist asking for directions, you can be the one who gives them (and correctly!). All the while, you get the satisfaction of leaving Europe in better shape than you found it (after all, it’s being nice enough to let you stay here). It’s not wishful thinking—it’s Beyond Tourism.
As a volunteer in Europe, you can unleash your inner superhero with projects from building homes in Ireland to digging up ancient treasures in Italy. This chapter is chock-full of ideas to get involved, whether you’re looking to pitch in for a day or run away from home for a whole new life in European activism.
The powers of studying abroad are beyond comprehension: it actually makes you feel sorry for those poor tourists who don’t get to do any homework while they’re here; quite literally the perfect combo of academics and local culture.
Working abroad immerses you in a new culture and can bring some of the most meaningful relationships and experiences of your life. Yes, we know you’re on vacation, but these aren’t your normal desk jobs. (Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it helps pay for more globetrotting.) If you’re an EU citizen, work will be far easier to come by, but there are still options for those not so blessed.
For 50 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
Overview