Year Abroad: The Most Popular Destinations

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)

Spanish: Spain and Latin America (I know that there are placements available in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. When I was at university, placements in Colombia weren't available, but that might have changed since then.)

German: Germany and Austria (I'm not sure why, but there don't seem to be so many placements in Switzerland)

Portuguese: Portugal and Brazil

Dutch: The Netherlands and Belgium

Russian: Russia (but this won't be possible at the moment due to current affairs)

Chinese: China

Italian: Italy

People's Opinions

I spent my own Year Abroad in France, Austria and Chile, and overall, had a pretty amazing time, though of course, there were downsides.

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

Three Weeks of Chilean Summer

We spent exactly three weeks in total in South America, and I thought that would feel like a nice long time out there, but it really went by in a flash! The first week was filled with last-minute preparations for our wedding, followed by the wedding itself. In the second week, we had more free time, but also needed to spend some time getting Christmas presents. Then we went on our minimoon in Argentina for a couple of days, came back in time for Christmas, after which we only had a few days left. We both felt that another week there would have been nice!

During our time there, we rented an Airbnb in Providencia, which is one of our favourite areas of Santiago. The apartment was located right next to Parque Balmaceda and had great views straight across to Cerro San Cristóbal. We went out running a couple of times in Parque Balmaceda and then along the Mapocho River towards the Costanera Center and back, which was a really picturesque way to get a workout in. The building also had a rooftop terrace and pool, which we used nearly every day after getting back from our wedding, including on Christmas Day itself!

Of course, we also spent lots of time with Claudio's family in Maipú. This included going for walks with Jack the beagle and seeing all our old animal friends again!

And here are some of the other things we got up to around Santiago and beyond...

Viña del Mar/Reñaca

We actually went to Viña twice during our time in Chile. The first time was when I went for my hair and makeup trial a few days before the wedding. We took this opportunity to have a delicious and healthy lunch from Daily Dish (a vegan restaurant) and a walk along the beach.

The second time we went to Viña was on Boxing Day. (Definitely one of the most different and fun Boxing Days I've ever had!) There are other beaches we could have gone to, but we decided to go back to Viña, because last time we went, we wanted to visit Palacio Vergara and weren't able to, so promised ourselves that we'd visit next time we were in Chile. I love palaces and castles, and so I was really happy to finally see this beautiful and elaborate palace. You can actually go inside for free if you fill out a survey, which we did. We were hoping that the interior would be a kind of representation of what the palace would have looked like when people were living in it, but it was actually an art gallery with mostly modern art. It was still nice to be able to enter for free though.

The palace is located in Quinta Vergara, a very scenic park to walk around.

Afterwards we went to Reñaca Beach, one of my favourite beaches in the entire country. We were really lucky with the weather, as generally it's quite windy on the beach in Chile, which makes it feel much less warm than Santiago in summer, but this time it wasn't windy or cloudy at all, and the weather felt absolutely perfect. 

We wanted to have at least one swim in the sea during our time in Chile, but as Reñaca is more of a surfing beach than a swimming beach, and has really big waves, this was a bit difficult. But we were able to splash around in the waves, which was fun! After that, we had a really nice time just lying in the sun.

Biblioteca Nacional de Chile

We ended up spending quite a lot of time in the historic centre of Santiago during our trip. I lived there in 2018 and still have a fondness for the area, because there are so many beautiful and interesting buildings, streets and monuments there. However, it is not as well looked after as other historic centres around the world, and does have a reputation for criminal activity, particularly after dark. But I don't think you should let that put you off visiting, as there are so many things to discover there. One place neither of us had visited before was the National Library, and we had a lovely time exploring it. Not only is it free to enter, but it's a beautiful building and has all the literary vibes I love! When living in Chile, I did occasionally miss the cosy bookshops of the UK - I don't know why I never thought to come to this library before.

It also has a cute gift shop and a tranquil garden with orange and lime trees.

Santiago Centro

Some other highlights from the city centre included visiting various galerías, which are like shopping arcades. Each one has different kinds of shops, and there's even a wedding one, which was super useful for us! I loved finding this little French bookshop inside one of them.

When wedding shopping, we also discovered this café in one of the galerías called London Coffee, and knew we had to come back after the wedding! This was a really cute place and pretty good value for money too.

Other places we explored around the centre included this interesting street with bridges near Plaza de Armas, and the city's cathedral.

Museo Histórico Nacional

Another free place to visit in Santiago Centro is the Museum of National History of Chile. This has some really interesting artefacts, such as the flag that was used to declare independence, and outfits from throughout history. The building is also very beautiful.

MUT (Mercado Urbano Tobalaba)

Over on the other side of the city in Las Condes, one of the most affluent areas of Santiago, we went to visit a new mall that recently opened, called MUT (Mercado Urbano Tobalaba). Apparently its design is based on New York's Grand Central Station, and it's got some nice independent shops and restaurants, and a stunning rooftop garden to check out.

Casa Juliet

We saw this café in Providencia on YouTube, and it looked so nice that we had to visit. To be honest, it's definitely designed to be shown off on social media, and while the food was good, the coffee we had wasn't great. But it's so pretty!

It's also right next to a very tranquil park, Parque Augusto Errázuriz. We had a walk around it and then went and sat in the shade for a while at Plaza Rio de Janeiro.

Christmas in Santiago

The Southern Hemisphere Christmas is still something I can't quite get used to! Although I hate cold weather, I feel like Christmas has to be wintry and cosy. Besides, in December in Chile, everyone's already enjoying the summer, and Christmas seems a lot more in the background than it does in Europe. Having said that, it is nice to have a different experience of Christmas - our Christmases in the UK don't vary that much, and we'll probably appreciate our next one more because of the extra year's gap.

One of the things I enjoyed most was seeing the Christmas lights at Palacio Falabella on Christmas Eve before going round to Claudio's parents for dinner and present opening. It was quite magical!

It was also nice to see Paseo La Villa looking Christmassy.

Other Highlights

Among the other highlights of the trip of course included eating lots of tasty food, including Chilean sushi (I much prefer it to the kind we get in Europe!)...

...mote con huesillos in Parque Araucano (drinking/eating mote con huesillos in a sunny park is one of the definitive experiences of a Chilean summer to me)...

...and curry at Himalaya Indian Restaurant. This is a restaurant down the road from our old apartment in Ñuñoa, where we used to go on special occasions. We went there on the last weekend of our trip, and I felt a bit sad that we weren't going back to our little flat afterwards like we used to.

But instead we went to one of our favourite parks, Parque Bicenenario, to walk off the food, followed by a ride on an e-scooter, which was a lot of fun!

Those three weeks went by far too fast, mainly because they were filled with so many fun and happy moments. We celebrated one of the best days of our lives with our wedding, and then had a great time travelling, spending time with family and friends, and just enjoying life. At times, it felt like we were back in the life we had in 2022-2023, and I have to say, I do miss those days, and I felt really sad to leave, especially as we don't know when we'll next be back.

Coming home to freezing England, returning to my parents' house in the countryside, going back to work, and commuting to Bristol every week, has been a big contrast, and not necessarily in a positive way. But we've entered the new year as a married couple for the first time, and I know that this is going to be an exciting new chapter for us. I'm sure 2025 will bring its challenges, but hopefully there'll be plenty of adventures along the way!