When asking college alumni if they have any regrets about their college years, the usual answer is that they now wish they had taken the opportunity to study or travel abroad while they had the freedom to do so. Travel becomes more difficult once you leave school to begin the long march toward your future goals (sometimes known as the rat race) and concerns like finding the right job and a suitable home, then the daily expenses of paying bills, starting a family, and all the other mundane realities of modern life cancel out any chance to head off on a globe-trotting voyage of
self-discovery.

Despite that rather gloomy report, there are still a great many students who take the plunge and engage in Student travel. The Australian Government Department of Education reported that an increasing number of Australian university students are studying abroad, with an average of around 35% a year.

Although people certainly do engage in international travel in their later adult life with their significant other or family, it's different from being young and out on your own, that heady sense of utter freedom as you decide to see what's around the next corner, relying more on a whim than careful planning, finding out where it leads you- for most, it provides a great deal of insight and a unique learning experience even the best universities can't provide. It's a fantastic journey, there is nothing like the unfettered liberty of youth travel to encourage personal growth and learn more about who you really are, and who you want to be.

Another important aspect of student travel is the incubation of people who can truly call themselves "global citizens", with real-world insight into multiple peoples and cultures that one just can't acquire staying home. Our world is becoming more interconnected daily, and the demand for people
who feel comfortable wherever they happen to be, and can move freely on the world stage is constantly growing. International companies are looking for intelligent, open-minded, and multi-lingual people to staff their ever-expanding reach into new markets and opportunities. The day of the "international bright young thing" is very much here, and if this appeals to you, then go out and get it!

And, if my appraisal sounds a bit rosy, it's only because it's the course I chose for myself as a youth, and I am grateful I did.