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If you want to travel or are a travel-lover, there are so many perks of traveling on a program:

• You make new friends, some of which may be deep connections that you maintain for years to come. I met some of my best and closest friends on travel programs.
• You don’t have to plan anything. The program takes care of the accommodation and the activities for you.

• You may get to go to places you never would have traveled to alone. Some programs, like those led by Alvaro Rojas of Wanderreds help you obtain visas for places where it’s hard to get one.
• Similarly, you may do things that you couldn’t have done alone. For example, one of the programs I was on included a walking on glass workshop that I would’ve never been able to do by myself as it’s specially made for groups. You can book a spot for unique group activities on Viator.

There are so many travel programs out there, it’s hard to pick one that suits you. This post contains a list of questions to help you find the perfect travel program for you. Sit and conduct a brainstorming session with the following thought provoking questions. Make sure you listen to your gut. Additionally, it’ll be helpful if you jot down your thoughts down somewhere— could be in a journal, on your phone, computer, voice recording or anywhere else you have available. 

Let’s get started!

Goals

What do you want to get out of this trip?

The first thing you want to ask yourself is what do you want to get out of this trip? 

2. Why do you want to travel in a program? Is it to make new friends? Do you want to make international friends or friends that are all from where you are? Are you planning on moving to the place you want to go to? Do you want to make new expat friends that are moving as well? Is it to have the burden of planning taken off your shoulders? Is it for group building activities? Is it to make you feel safe? Maybe you want to do something specific abroad that would be harder to do or figure out by yourself? This leads us to the next question:

What do you want to do?

What do you want to do on your program?

Do you want to volunteer? What causes resonate with you (social, environmental, political)? Do you want to gain work experience? Would you be willing to intern or do you want to get paid? Do you want to stick with your current career track or would you want to try your hand at a new field? Maybe you want to get in touch with nature? Do you want to hike or just stay in a rural setting? Do you want to study abroad? Maybe you would like to teach abroad instead. Maybe you just want to step out of your comfort zone, but want to do it with the guidance of a program. 

Practical Aspects

Now that you have your goals well defined, you can think about the more concrete and practical aspects of your program.

What’s your budget?

How much can you pay for the program? Because the program takes care of a lot of things for you, such as accommodation and activities (note: flights are only included in some programs, make sure you check if the program you want to go on includes flight tickets), you gotta pay for them. Some programs are more expensive, some are less. Some offer scholarships and financial aid, some don’t. If you see a program you like, but it’s out of your budget, it’s never a bad idea to reach out to the organizers via email or phone and ask if they have discounts.

How long do you want to go for?

How long do you want (or can commit) to go for? 

If one of your goals was to live somewhere— do you want to live there for a year, a couple years, half a year, or a few months?

If your goal was something else— how much time could you take off work / school for?

If you’re super flexible with time, that’s great! Keep reading.

When do you want to go?

When do you want to go and when can you go?

You need to make sure the dates fit in with your schedule, because you’ll be committing to them. Alternatively, if you’re super flexible, think about when you would want to go. Consider things like what the weather would be like, what holidays there are where you’re going (or ones that you celebrate yourself), and what events (if any) you would want to go to that are happening on specific dates or specific times in the year. You could do some research to help you answer these questions.

Where do you want to go?

Where do you want to go?

Do you have a really specific country or city in mind? If so, that’s great. If not, these questions might help guide you: How familiar do you want the place you’re going to to feel? Would you want to stick to a country where you speak the language or not? What climate do you want to go to? Is there a specific culture or region of the world that interests you? Maybe you want to go to multiple places, if so consider going on a multi-destination program.

The Search

Now that you’ve answered and thought about these questions, you’re ready to look for a program. Don’t worry if you left some blank, searching for a travel program will give you more inspiration as to what’s out there. Notice any feelings of excitement as you find programs that fit you. That’s a good sign that they align with what you want.

Conclusion

I hope these questions have helped guide you in choosing the right program. Let me know in the comments how your dream travel program would look like!

Until next time,
Take a shans