Vacation with a Purpose: 10 Ways to Turn Your Next Trip Into a Learning Adventure

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Don’t let your employers pay you for your unused paid vacations. Taking those days off can actually lengthen your life!

And if that wasn’t enough, if you choose to take that time to experience another country/language, it could reduce your risk of stroke as well.

What other inspiration do you need to go on a learning adventure? Hopefully none.

Not sure where to book your flight to? We’ve got you covered with the suggestions below.

Look for a Labor Exchange

Think about high seasons around the globe. Think about summer breaks – that was historically the time parents needed their kids home to help with the harvest.

And while in most peoples lives, we don’t harvest anything except things from the grocery store, harvest and high seasons still exist around the world.

We’ll pick a glamorous example – France. They make a lot of wine, right? Well – what makes wine? Grapes, and a LOT of them. French farmers often hire temporary help when they need to get the grapes off the vines.

Now, what if your vacation could partially be providing that help? Wouldn’t that be super cool?

Guess what? You can! It’s called a work exchange and it’s becoming more common. Instead of getting paid, at least instead of getting paid well, you’re lodged and fed.

That means you’d live with a French family and have your meals with them (or their employees). There’s no better way to learn about a language or a culture than being thrown into it, 24/7.

And that language learning experience could do everything from make you more attractive to jobs, to extend your life. Here’s why.

The Benefits of Being Bilingual

Speaking more than one language pretty much turns your brain into a superstar. You can multitask better, you’ll have a longer attention span, and it can even help prevent strokes!

But that’s not all. If you have kids, exposing them and helping them learn another language can give them succeed academically, for life. They may not outperform speakers of their second language, but a study found that they’ll outperform other students in their native language.

Setting your child up for academic success for life with a vacation (and some hard work)? Sounds like a reasonable reason to take off work to me.

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Be an Exchange Student

If you’re in high school or college, you can find programs that will take you to another country. A lot of us had foreign exchange students in our classes before – but did you ever think about becoming one of them?

It’s overwhelming and scary at first, but how cool would it be? Not only do you get to learn in that other language, but you create a new family in that country.

You learn about their culture, live with a native family, eat their food, and experience their most intimate moments. The length of an exchange program can’t be matched either.

When else could you afford to live in another country for five or six months? A vacation that long would be inhibiting expensive.

Notes on Studying Abroad:

If you’re in college and you’re choosing to study abroad, avoid the dorm option. It’s much better to do a home-stay, even though it can be a little bit more expensive.

Trust the program you’re with to place you with a good family. If you have specific concerns, let the agency know before they pick a family for you.

With firsthand experience, we can tell you that those in homestays outperform other students at the same level, who didn’t live with a native family. It’s just the kind of language challenge and experience you can’t get elsewhere.

And yes – if things don’t work out, you can always move in with another family. It’s worth the risk – we promise.

Plus, the food will be miles better when your host family cooks it!

Go on a Guided Trip

Okay, let’s say you can’t take off work for a month to harvest grapes. Or you have a family and you can’t just run off to another country for a semester.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have educational vacations! There are plenty of companies that specialize in organizing vacations so you’ll both learn and have fun.

Usually, these are companies that also host school-sponsored trips, but there are ones for families as well. Imagine if you could go to the Galapagos island and already have all your activities planned for you.

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You could see where Darwin took the notes that eventually caused him to create the idea of survival of the fittest. Then, immediately after, you can go swim with gentle sea turtles.

Without worrying about getting from place a to place b, or having to figure out the best spots on your own.

Travel agencies aren’t dead – they’re just hiding online. You no longer talk to someone on the phone, but you buy packages people spent months putting together.

Some people write these pre-organized tours or trips off, thinking they’ll be inauthentic or cheesy. They couldn’t be more wrong. Often, travel agents and companies have personal relationships with resorts and activity directors.

That means you not only get a financial deal but usually, they’ll throw in a little something extra for you.

And if you don’t like a specific part of a package, speak up! The agency or company will usually work with you to create the perfect vacation.

Pick an Airbnb – Or Even a Hostel!

You don’t experience any culture when you stay in a hotel. Maybe, if it’s a nice one, they do some hors-d’oeuvres around happy hour.

But otherwise, a hotel is just a way for you to separate yourself from the country or culture.

And it used to be the only choice, but now we have Airbnb! This app and general idea allow people to rent space and live within the native culture.

Most hosts live on-site and are happy to be as involved as you want them to be. Ask them if you can pay them to cook you a traditional meal or check the “experiences” section to see if they offer tours or something else cultural.

If you do choose to stay in an Airbnb, please do some cultural research beforehand. Or even just notice things when you’re there. Did you walk in and see a pile of shoes by the door? That’s a pretty clear sign your host doesn’t want shoes inside the house.

Stay in a Hostel

Hostels don’t get enough credit. Not only are they super cheap options for the traveler low on cash, but they’re a cultural melting pot. You know, like America is supposed to be.

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You could sleep on the top bunk above someone from Costa Rica who you become friends with and end up visiting/staying with years later.

That’s not an out-there scenario. When two people are traveling alone, they bond very quickly. It’s like being in a new and unfamiliar place takes away that initial awkward friendship stage.

Just make sure to do your research on things like if the hostel provides towels. You don’t want to get dirty looks from the cleaning lady because you didn’t bring one and she caught you using your bed sheet.

That’s a theoretical situation. . . or is it?

Take an Outdoor Class

Do you love summer camp? Even as an adult? Do you want to become a counselor so you can help kids have the same great experience you did?

Cool – but you’re not going to just show up and get the job. Many camps and organizations require some form of wilderness training. And you don’t necessarily get that at the camp.

You can, however, go on a wilderness first aid training weekend experience. Learn more about that process here.

Being trained in wilderness first aid isn’t just for camp counselors. If you’re an avid hiker, trail biker, or camper – it can come in handy for you or even strangers hurt on the trail.

Your Next Learning Adventure

If you’re doing traveling right, all of it should be a learning adventure. That means choosing small family-looking restaurants over the Hard Rock Cafe Paris, and things of that nature.

Do your best to experience as much culture, hands-on, as you can when you travel. It’ll lead to much better stories, and usually, much better friends.

People in other countries are just like you. They like to learn new things, to have new experiences, and to say they have a friend in America to practice their English with.

Don’t rob them or yourself of that experience. Go get cultured and book a flight today! (Or on payday).