Everyone’s abroad experience is unique. It’s a collection of all of our memories, experiences, and individual bonds that mean something a little bit different to each of us. One thing that is common though is the desire to keep those memories as intact as possible. Here are 6 ways to keep your international adventures alive and kicking.
Document.
Take lots of photos and, even better, share your photos! Share your photos on Flickr, on Google Picasa, with your friends and family, and with United Planet! One photo can ignite a thousand memories. Use these moments captured in time to never forget those experiences, and to potentially share the highly contagious travel bug.
Write. 
Travel journals and blogs are a great way to capture the details of your experience. It is often those minor details that make your adventure so personal and unique. Share your blog with your community, write about your experience for your school or send stories about your experience to United Planet blog to share with others! You’ll be surprised how even the most simple details can invoke an entire way of life.
Collect.
Memorabilia is often a great way to feel connected to a place after you have left. Leave something and take something with you everywhere you travel. A small, material object is often attached to a world of memories. It could be anything from a postcard to handcrafted goods. The best part is that it’s up to you!
Contact.
Keep in touch with all the people you meet during your experience abroad. You can reminisce on old memories, share current things going on in your life, and even plan adventures for the future. The bonds created by travel are irreplaceable. Keep those bonds alive.
Stay Involved.
Volunteer with organizations and programs in your own community. Work with your school’s abroad programs to promote international travel and experiences. Become an advocate or peer mentor for abroad programs and guide others through the steps that led you to where you are today. Spread the word of the importance and intoxicating effects of travel, and encourage others to follow in your steps.
Travel.
Return for a visit, or move on to the next adventure! Explore other programs for interning, teaching, volunteering, or studying abroad. Once wanderlust takes hold of you it’s hard to break free, but why would you want to? Find new and different ways to create diverse adventures and invaluable memories.
If you haven’t gotten to travel abroad yet, consider volunteering abroad with United Planet! Become immersed in a culture that may be foreign to you. Learn the local customs and language by living with a host family and soon you’ll realize how inviting different cultures truly are. United Planet offers every volunteer a personal experience working on meaningful projects that nourish individual connections. Volunteer abroad with one of United Planet’s Quest projects and return with the knowledge of 6 ways to keep the spirit of your abroad adventures alive!
Visit the United Planet website for more information on volunteering abroad!
ABOUT UNITED PLANET
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
