Impressions of America: Dangers of a Single Story Narrative

Before arriving in Brazil, all participants of Global Citizen Year meet at Stanford University in sunny California, to connect, get inspired by exceptional leaders and to share their worries and excitement. Since I was a small kid, I greatly adored the US. I remember as I watched High School Musical at home, together with my[…]

Culture Shock in Ecuador

    Perhaps, one of the reasons why I have had such difficulty adjusting to my community in the province of Cañar, southern Ecuador, is that I come from the privileged background of never having been negatively defined because of my appearance or nationality. And all the workshops and preparation in the world could not have prepared[…]

How My First Trip to Guatemala Opened My Eyes

Two months ago, I would not have guessed that I would be approached by someone asking for an interview because they thought I was a hippie. Pre-Trip Expectations Going to Guatemala was my first trip outside of the USA, and I went with (probably unreasonably) high expectations about learning Spanish, seeing the culture, and cliff[…]

Twenty Years Later, Travel Changed My Life

Jessica Sueiro travels full time with her husband, Will & two tweens. They travel slowly, and deeply, for the purpose of education and exploration… and it all started for Jess with a trip she took to the UK in high school: Twenty-four years ago, this month, I took a trip that would forever change the[…]

50 Tiny but Powerful Ways to Learn More as You Travel

Your time traveling abroad might be short and sweet, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice in-depth learning and personal growth. In fact, with the right mindset and a couple of these ideas in your back pocket, you’ll set yourself up to not only learn about the country around you, but about yourself, too.[…]