My travel recaps have all been written up, so now it's time for something a little different. This week, I feel like returning to my
Year Abroad Series from April 2021, as I have at least another post or two to add to it!
Today I'm going to be writing about the most popular destinations to spend a Year Abroad in, and how to choose which one or ones are the best for you. As with my previous posts in the series, this is going to be focused on destinations for people who study languages at university and take a Year Abroad as part of their degree, but I'll also be looking at destinations for a general Gap Year.
Year Abroad Destinations by Language
At my university (
the University of Nottingham), the languages taught were French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian and Chinese. I think most UK universities are quite similar, except they generally offer Italian instead of, or as well as Chinese.
So the most popular destinations for a Year Abroad are as follows:
French: France (and occasionally Québec)
German: Germany and
Austria (I'm not sure why, but there don't seem to be so many placements in Switzerland)
Russian: Russia (but this won't be possible at the moment due to current affairs)
Chinese: China
People's Opinions
I had a great time doing a
language course in Montpellier in summer 2017, but other than that, my time in France was a bit of a mixed bag, and often quite stressful, as I had a couple of work placements that didn't go to plan.
My time in Austria, working as a teaching assistant with the British Council, was a lot more straightforward. I lived in a fairly quiet, rural area near the border with Italy and
Slovenia, and though I did feel a bit isolated at times, I really enjoyed the experience overall. The highlight for me was the amount of travel I was able to do at weekends: I went to
Italy three times,
Slovakia,
Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as around Austria.
But the most memorable part of my year was the semester I spent in Chile. Despite the fact that I went through a real low point during my time there, I absolutely fell in love with the country and my life changed while I was there. In total, I was there was nearly five months, and while the first few weeks were great, the following six weeks were full of highs and lows, followed by a really difficult month or so in which I had to fight the urge to go home. But the last month was one of the very best of my life - this was when I met my now-husband! I also had some exciting travel adventures while I was there, visiting the
coast and
the south of the country, as well as
Argentina.
In fact, I came back to Chile to live there for another 15 months from 2022 to 2023. Although life there isn't perfect (as in any other country), there's so much I really love about it, and even though we're now happily settled in the UK, I do miss it at times.
In terms of my peers' experiences abroad,
Europe got pretty mixed reviews on the whole, but people generally loved Latin America. I think that's because it's very exciting to experience life in a completely different part of the world; these countries are often more chaotic than Europe, but can also be more fun and vibrant, with landscapes unlike anything you've seen before. I remember that Mexico in particular got really positive reviews, and nearly everyone had a great time in all other Central and South American countries. It was only Cuba that got more negative reviews, as it's a very restrictive country to live in, with a lack of internet, and regular water and power outages.
Overall, I believe that, if you're studying Spanish and/or Portuguese, and you have the opportunity, you should definitely step out of your comfort zone and spend at least a few months in a Latin American country. Of course, Spain and Portugal are both beautiful countries, and you can have a great time there, but most people will have been to one or both of these places on holiday before, so it's not quite the same new experience.
Reasons Why (And Why Not) to Choose Them
Leaving aside the languages where you pretty much only have one choice of country to go to, here are some pros and cons for the different countries you could choose...
France
Pros
- A range of diverse destinations, from the beautiful city of Paris, to the snowy mountains of the Alps and the sunny beaches of the south
- Lots of cultural attractions
- World-class food and wine
- Close to the UK, so relatively cheap and easy to get to
Cons
- Difficult to find decent work placements
- Some can find the culture difficult to integrate into
- Some areas, especially Paris, can be very expensive
- Bureaucratic
Québec
Pros
- A country with breathtaking nature
- Good opportunity to explore
North America- Very friendly people
Cons
- Super cold in the winter
- Expensive to get to
Austria
Pros
- Beautiful landscapes and architecture
- One of the best countries if you want to take lots of weekend trips around Europe
- People are generally more laid back than in Germany
Cons
- Aside from Vienna, it is a very rural country, so can make you feel isolated
- Expensive
- Very cold in winter
Germany
Pros
- Lots of big cities all over the country with a lot of variation between them
- Beautiful landscapes and architecture
- A great base for exploring different parts of Europe
Cons
- Can be very cold in winter
- A less open culture than other parts of Europe, so can be hard to integrate into
Spain/Portugal
Pros
- Sunny, warm weather most of the year
- Lots of vibrant cities with beautiful architecture
- Fantastic beaches
- Close to the UK, so relatively cheap and easy to get to
Cons
- Extreme heat in the summer
- Gets overcrowded with tourists in the summer especially
Chile (and other Latin American countries)
(I'm basing this mainly on Chile because that's where I have experience living, but I think the same points apply to most other Latin American countries)
Pros
- Incredible landscapes that are very different to those in Europe
- An opportunity to discover a part of the world that would be new to most people
- A warm and vibrant culture
- Generally very good weather
Cons
- Often more dangerous and unstable than Europe
- Less developed than Europe, which can be difficult to get used to
- A lot of bureaucracy, as many processes have not been digitalised yet
- More risk of natural disasters
- Expensive to get to
Most Popular Gap Year Destinations
Of course, more general Gap Year destinations tend to be located on the other side of the globe;
Southeast Asia,
Australia and New Zealand are all super popular. And with good reason - Southeast Asian countries have beautiful beaches, amazing food and stunning temples, and Australia and New Zealand have incredible nature, and are also very safe English-speaking countries.
Aside from that, travelling through Latin America is also a popular choice, as is interrailing through Europe. (Personally speaking,
my own Gap Year was a bit of an unusual one, with trips to Slovenia, Austria, France, Spain, Belgium, and different places around
the UK!) Unlike with a languages Year Abroad, you don't have any kind of obligations to spend certain lengths of time in countries that speak certain languages, so you have a lot more freedom to choose where you want to go and how long you want to stay in each place.
Whatever your reason for taking time out to travel, it's useful to go through the pros and cons of the different places you're considering visiting or living in. But I also think, in a lot of cases, it's good to just go with your gut and choose the destination that really calls your name - you're sure to have an amazing time!
Destinations from my own year abroad from left to right, starting from top left: Bratislava, Slovakia; Cap d'Agde, France; Florence, Italy; Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve, Chile; Vaduz, Liechtenstein; Sargans, Switzerland; Velden am Wörthersee, Austria; Mendoza, Argentina
