Traveling teaches you what you can't learn in a classroom. I understood this before I studied abroad in Istanbul, Turkey, for a year. When I returned, I got many questions from friends in my community about how to get a passport and general questions about what it's like to get on a plane, etc. However, when I met people who didn't look like me, they didn't necessarily ask questions but shared their own experiences of studying abroad.
Usually, when you hear someone's study abroad story, it's them explaining how their family went on a summer vacation to Rome, Italy, and they loved it so much that to chose it as their study abroad for a semester. Only 6.4% of black students study abroad in their undergrad, while 70% of students that study abroad from America are white. I'd like to change that. Using the principles from "The Art of Activism" by Steve Duncombe and Steve Lambert, the solution is to "act as if" the world is the way that it should be. Acting that studying abroad when I've never traveled before was my activism without realizing it.
Sharing my traveling and what it did for me was a part of my intervention project. I presented to my capstone gen-ed class LTED 380 about why everyone needs to study abroad. In addition to sharing my experience, I shared a study called studying abroad while black. This thesis helped me understand why people of color, black students, precisely why most of them don't study abroad and how we can change that narrative. In the end, I shared resources for everyone to use.
The first was Skyscanner. It's a sight that allows you to see the cheapest flights anywhere for a specific amount of time that you search for. The second is gooverseas. Another website for you to visit other study abroad internships/ options.
My final resource is an idea I've been holding back on for a while. There are too many people that don't think that traveling is accessible to them because they think traveling is too expensive or they honestly need to figure out where to start. That's where I literally intervene. Launching June 1st is First Time Travel, a traveling consultation where I walk you through how to book your flight, hotel, and activities, all based on your budget. This is specifically for first-time travelers, but all are welcome. The only requirement, you'd need to fill out your passport application and or already have it, which I have a video pinned to my Instagram here.
I do plan on charging for this service, but the first 10 people that sign-up get it waived. I already post on Instagram how to travel on a budget, but this is taking it one step further, and I can't wait! You can follow me there, and please feel free to ask any questions! (@safa.mostafa_)
"In doing this, we bring the future into our present and normalize as reality a state that still only exists in our imagination" - The Art of Activism
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