Millennials, are you living your ideal global life?
Today, I’m speaking in the Living Your Ideal Global Life Summit, at 12 pm EST, discussing how to “Make Your First Time Abroad Rock!”
I’m going to share a bit about my first experience abroad and my thoughts on:
- What factors to consider before you go
- How do deal with resistance from family or friends
- How to fill in the gap in your resume and how it contributes to your leadership development
The interview is pre-recorded, but I will be there for the live chat during the presentation. At the end of the interview, I recommend a couple of websites to help you live your ideal global life.
But it is not enough!
So I’ve put together a complete list of the Top 20 websites to Live Your Ideal Global Life (actually, there is 21…BONUS). The list includes websites that share study and work abroad opportunities, travel tips, resources for returnees, career options and trainings, intercultural tools, and real life examples of Millennials who are living their ideal global life.
Enjoy!
International Travel Programs
This website is a general directory for study abroad programs. It includes information on scholarships to study abroad, as well as tips and articles. The site hosts a blog with shared experiences from students abroad, and a comprehensive student guide which walks you through the process of study abroad.
Goabroad.com is “the resource for meaningful travel”. It includes information on international programs to study, intern, volunteer, or teach. It also has information on TEFL and other degree programs. The site is modern and is very easy to use and navigate.
What a find! This site not only provides information on study abroad programs, but also includes reviews and rankings of them.
Here you can find information on global volunteer programs. It is “the leading full-service specialist for both volunteering and applied learning programs around the world”. It has a great search engine that allows you to find programs by region, program type, cost, age, and fitness level.
Living on the Road
Natalie Sisson is the Suitcase Entrepreneur! She will teach you how to build a profitable business from anywhere and the freedom to live a lifestyle you adore. She offers coaching programs for those looking to live and work while traveling the world. Get her Free Starter Kit!
Jodi Ettenberg is the Legal Nomad, a former lawyer and soup expert. If food is a guiding factor for you when you travel, then this is your website. She has a spectacular food blog, and features some great food tours in Asia. You can get her “21 practical tips for long-term travel” at no cost.
Amy Scott will help you live your ideal life, anywhere in the world, and combine your passion for travel into your life. Her website offers a Goodies page with a free guide, and a financial spreadsheet to sort out whether or not life on the road makes sense for you. Amy also offers a Facebook group, and a 6 week program to help you design your ideal life.
Nathan Agin shows you how to live your optimal life on the road. Get his free 12 Step Guide, and cook books for healthy meals. If you are a health conscious traveler, you will find great resources throughout this site including the blog, recipes, exercises, and travel tips. Don’t miss his Giganto List of Goodies. Nathan also has a second site www.traveleatthrive.com
Elaine Masters helps you to get to where you are going feeling great. She integrates yoga into your travel on the plane and in the car. She’s written two books Drivetime Yoga and Flytime Yoga, available for download on the site. You can also catch her podcasts on Women’s Radio Network where she shares her travel expertise, and tips to avoid back pain.
Traveler Tips and Resources
Seth Kugel travels the world on a tight budget! He provides great money saving tips, and recommendations for restaurant, locations, websites for those who are traveling on a budget. Get his Travel Tips for 2014
Find inspirations for your travels! This site offers traditional tips in a clean and modern platform. They provide information to help you access travel, restaurants, nightlife, and a variety of things to do when you get there.
Lonely Planet has been my “go-to guide” since my pre-Internet travels. You can find great information on flights, hotels, and things to do for travel on a range of budgets. The site also provides travel alerts and “need to know” tips. Their good old fashioned guides are still available in paperback, which I highly recommend for all travelers.
Life After Traveling Abroad
Cate Brubaker helps you relaunch your life after being abroad through re-entry classes and coaching. On her site, listen to her podcasts and read the blog. They are full of great stories and resources for returnees. Download her free Re-entry Relaunch Toolkit and her NEW! Workbook.
This new online resource just launched in 2013! It is designed to help you find your next adventure after your first experiences abroad. They provide information to help you deal with re-entry, and answer the question “now what?”. They have information on professional opportunities abroad, with career search information, and advice on how to use your international experience professionally.
Intercultural and International Professional Resources
The Young Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research (Young SIETAR) is an international association made up of students and young professionals who share a common concern for intercultural relations. Unlike other professional associations, they are a virtual society so they offer professional development and networking via e-mail, e-groups and other virtual tools, with f2f meetings from time to time. The next Young SIETAR Congress will take place in Vancouver, BC, June 26-29, 2014.
Intercultural Communication Institute
The Intercultural Communication Institute is the heart of the intercultural community. This organization provides education and training for those interested in studying or working in the areas of intercultural communication or relations. They offer a Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC), a professional development opportunity for people working in education, training, business, and consulting, in both international and domestic intercultural contexts. Download their comprehensive Directory of Resources, which includes a list of Graduate Programs in intercultural communication.
TESOL is the premiere international association for Teachers of English as a Second or Other Language. If you are interested in teaching abroad short term or teaching ESL in your home country then this should be your first stop. TESOL has everything you need to know to be a professional in this field. TESOL hosts an annual international conference, online courses and virtual seminars, and symposiums. Their annual conference includes a Job Marketplace and an amazing amount of networking opportunities. They have more than 100 local affiliates worldwide, you may have a local chapter near you!
NAFSA is the foremost international association for those in the field of international education, including Study Abroad or International Student Advising and so much more. NAFSA offers the Academy for International Education, a year long program that combines f2f training with real life learning. It is a great investment for those of you who are new to the field or looking to learn more about it. The Academy provides an overview of all of the options in the field and opportunities to network and build lasting relationships with both new and seasoned professionals.
Intercultural Tools and Resources
Formally, Kwintessential is a translation company; however, their Resources Page is packed with great articles, tools, gadgets, and information for intercultural trainers and educators, or those of you who are looking to develop your intercultural competence. It includes Country Etiquette Guides, Quizzes, and Intercultural Communication tools.
This is an online guide to cross-cultural etiquette and understanding. It is excellent for travelers, business people and students, it’s easy to navigate and its resources are free. Uniquely, it is an evolving database of cross-cultural information about every country in the world, boasting a user-built guide with first hand tips from experienced cultural informants.
Bonus Site:
Thiagi is an amazing experiential learning and training expert, he is a leader in his field. He makes all of his training activities available for free, making his database one of the best resources online. He has several intercultural training activities, and a ton of other activities which can be adapted to suit your needs. Note: It isn’t the easiest to navigate so be sure to set aside some time to be able to look through his catalog.
I hope you find this list helps you live your ideal global life. If there are other sites that have helped you live your ideal global life, please share them with us!
“Linked to the My Global Life Link-Up at SmallPlanetStudio.com” – Click here to see more.
GREAT list, Tamara! Thanks for including me. 🙂
I’ve been wanting to try Tripify and seeing it here reminds me to go check it out. Looking forward to your #GlobalLife2014 session today!
Hi Cate and all you other globally minded folks,
Thanks for the invitation to share this blog post. I hope you all find something valuable.
Tamara
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular article!
It’s the little changes that will make the most significant changes.
Thanks a lot for sharing!