Things to Consider before Traveling After College Ends

BY JANE HURST

Now that you are graduating from university, what are your plans for the immediate future? Have you thought that you might like to do some traveling before you settle into your career? You have the freedom to do it, and there is no time like the present. But, just because you do have that freedom, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t several things that you need to consider before you just take off. The more you plan ahead of time, the better your post-university travels are going to be, and the more you will be able to enjoy yourself. Let’s take a look at some of the things that you need to consider before traveling once you have graduated.

1. Your Destination 

Obviously, one of the first things you need to think about is where you are going to travel to. For instance, do you love the idea of backpacking across Europe, or would you rather go to a tropical island, or some remote destination? Once you figure out where it is that you want to go, you can really start getting into planning your trip, including what to pack and your exact itinerary.

2. The Weather 

One of the main things to consider about any location you want to travel to is the weather. After all, you want to make sure that you pack accordingly. You are not going to want a snowsuit in the middle of a tropical jungle, and you are not going to want a bathing suit in the middle of Alaska during the winter. Make sure that you research other things about the area as well, such as local transit, restaurant prices, etc. so you can travel within your budget.

3. Working while Traveling 

If you don’t think you can afford to travel after graduation, think again. There are plenty of opportunities for working while traveling, so you can basically work your way across almost any country. Opportunities include working as a farm hand, an AU Pair, volunteering as a missionary (your expenses are paid), etc. Or, you may want to become a remote worker, which allows you to set your own hours and work from anywhere.

4. Bring the Right Gear 

The closer it gets to travel time, make sure that you have a list of everything that you are going to need to take with you. There are some things you may need and that you cannot get in some parts of the world. “If you will be traveling with a DSLR camera, make sure you have extra memory cards, a USB stick or hard drive, a card reader for downloading photos, etc. It is a good idea to get into the habit of downloading photos at the end of each day to make room for new ones,” suggests an expert from Sell Laptop service.

5. Booking in Advance 

The more you can plan in advance, the better. Sure, it may sound like fun to just fly by the seat of your pants, but the reality of the situation could be much less fun, and you could find yourself in some pretty strange situations. Therefore, it is a good idea to book as much as possible in advance. Research the best room rates, hostels, etc. Look for places that offer free services, free food (buffets, breakfasts, etc.) so you can save as much money as possible.

6. Be Open about Travel Options 

Sometimes, you have the best experiences when they aren’t planned, or happen at the last minute. Yes, you do need to plan your itinerary, but you should always leave some room for last-minute changes in plans. In fact, leave a couple of free days in your itinerary so you don’t miss anything due to bad weather, not feeling well, etc. Or, plan to spend an extra day or two exploring each stop, without any particular plans in mind.

Byline:

Jane Hurst has been working in education for over 5 years as a teacher. She loves sharing her knowledge with students, is fascinated about edtech and loves reading, a lot. Follow Jane on Twitter.

4 Tips for Staying Healthy in College

BY DAVID GUTIERREZ

College may be fun and full of new experiences, but sometimes it seems that the entire habitual college lifestyle is built around the idea of causing as much damage to student’s health in as short a time as possible. Irregular meals often replaced with fast food, all-nighters before exams, partying, long hours spent hunched over books and in front of laptop screens – all these things may not be obligatory, but when everybody around you follows more or less the same pattern, it is hard to be different. However, in reality, it isn’t all that difficult to stay healthy throughout college – you simply have to follow some simple rules.

1.    Exercise Regularly

On the one hand, incorporating a fitness routine into your college timetable may be a challenging task if you take into account all the other things you are supposed to do with your limited time. On the other hand, colleges give their students many cheap and accessible opportunities to do so. There are on-campus gyms and swimming pools you can sometimes use for free, and many discounts for students in private-owned ones – so why not make full use of them while you are eligible?

2.    Take Care of Your Immune System

Your immune system is your main line of defense against illness – the stronger it is, the better you feel and the less likely you are to come down with sickness when you are exposed to pathogens. Therefore, every investment you make into boosting it translates into time, money and energy saved through staying healthy during the time you would’ve otherwise spent recuperating. The best way to do so is maintaining a naturally healthy lifestyle: eating nutritious and wholesome foods, exercising, having enough sleep. If or when it isn’t possible, you may need to boost it in other ways: by taking vitamins, essential minerals and other beneficial substances like fulvic acid. This way, even if you let yourself lapse in other areas, your immune system will be able to compensate for these deficiencies to a certain extent.

3.    Eat Smart

Avoiding to eat highly processed foods is always a good idea, but it is especially true for students because it is during your college years that you establish many of the habits you are going to follow for many years to come. Getting used to eating burgers and pizza five days in a row is bad for you right now, and it will form a habit that is going to be hard to break. So set a limit on how much fast food you are going to consume, stock up on healthy foods so that you don’t suddenly discover that your fridge is empty, and try to cook on your own more often.

4.    Drink More Water

Although some studies suggest that you don’t actually need to drink 2 liters of water every day, most health authorities agree that you should probably drink more water than you do now. Potential health benefits from it ranged from faster metabolism and lesser appetite to improved brain function and decreased risk of certain diseases and conditions (e.g., kidney stones and constipation).

How healthy you are right now, in college, defines not just how you feel at the moment and how you spend the next few years. It sets a foundation for decades to come, and avoiding everyday student health troubles like Freshman’s 15 can mean a far better quality of life, later on, fewer health problems and less expenditure on setting things right. As they say, prevention is better than cure, and the sooner you start following this principle, the better.

David Gutierrez has worked in the field of web design since 2005. Right now he started learning Java in order to get second occupation. His professional interests defined major topics of his articles. David writes about new web design software, recently discovered professional tricks and also monitors the latest updates of the web development.