International travel, especially for a first-timer, can be one of the most powerful experiences for personal growth. Taking a trip before starting college is such a great idea, for a number of reasons. Below are the top 6 reasons to take an international trip before starting your life as a college student.
- Time flies – Once you start college, your life will change drastically. Especially as an athlete, your free time will be limited. As college nears the end, your funds will be low (because you’ve just paid for 4 years of college and have a lot of debt). Travel will be tough to fit in with finding a job, new house, etc. Many people say, “I want to travel and explore” but then the real world hits and they never experience their lives!
- Be part of the trip, not just a tourist – Participating in a sports tour makes you part of the experience, not just a tourist. Tourism is great, but playing on a team and traveling with a group makes you part of everything. You are going to play against people that speak a foreign language, you are not going to understand what the refs or umpires are saying. There is no better way to be immersed into the culture than to be a part of it!
- Understanding diversity – For most students, the college experience will be a much more diverse experience than high school was. Students come to many colleges from all over the country and all over the world. In high school, the kids come from a 20 mile radius! You are going to meet lots of different types of people in college. Taking a foreign tour is a great way to expand your horizons and get to know other people very different from you. This experience will surely help you when you move off to college.
- Represent the USA – Sure you have the rest of your life to travel to foreign counties. But can you represent the USA in the sport you love while traveling? This is likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
- Make lifelong friends – These tours are so jam packed with activities that you will have no choice but to become instant friends with your teammates and traveling companions.
- Confidence – You are going off to college to be a college athlete. You will be competing against all kids of other great high school athletes on your new team and your opponents. The confidence you can gain from international athletic experience can be what puts you over the top.