I often meet students who want to “travel the world.” I understand that. I love seeing new places, experiencing new foods, making new friends. The reality is most of us have limited time and limited money to travel the world. Therefore, all of us should be very intentional in our travel. How can we maximize our time and resources to get the most out of our international travel?

In July, 2015, the Huffington Post’s Mark Horoszowski, had some good thoughts on travel. I’ll pick up on some of his ideas and add a few of my own.

1. Be intentional and set goals. This embodies a company slogan of mine: “Travel with Purpose.” It’s great to see places and have fun, but is there a way to get MORE out of your trip? Some programs for Chinese students in the USA are virtually all travel (as you go from one scenic spot to another). Others are virtually all academic (sit in class during the day and stay in a U.S. university dormitory at night). Some call themselves “internships” but really are a means for U.S resort areas to find cheap labor for a summer. It seems to me a holiday travel with purpose would involve:
   1. Future Career Development
   2. Culture Awareness Development
   3. Personal Growth in skills necessary for your future
   4. Finding mentors and/or making significant relationship connections with the right people in your host country

2. Supplement Your Travel with Extra Educational Content. For tomorrow’s leaders and future career minded people, think through what opportunities you will have to learn essential skills necessary for life success.  Most students get plenty of classroom time in their home country. Education doesn’t have to be in a classroom. Learning by rubbing shoulders with today’s leaders at work and in their homes is a great way to learn life principles that will catapult you to success.

If you are considering a program that will take you internationally, ask, “What can I learn from this program that will benefit me for life (both personally and professionally)? What programs available will prepare me for my tomorrow as: a husband or wife, a parent, an employee or boss, a neighbor, a friend and global citizen?”

3. Document Your Experience and Create a Portfolio of Your Work. Many of the students who have participated in Ascend’s Passages’ program have done this well. They have been meticulous to journal daily the things they are learning, create ppts to show at the end of the program and prepare reports to give to their teachers back in China. Impressive! Many students who have participated in Ascend’s winter and summer programs report back to me that in virtually all job interviews they had, upon graduation, potential employers asked them what they learned in their summer or winter in the USA.

If you travel with purpose, you will have more than just some nice pictures and stories to tell about your holiday abroad. You will carry with you the learning experiences, skills developed and relationships necessary to prepare you for your tomorrow, whatever that tomorrow is.