Photo by Damon Garrett

It’s July 4th.

I’ve got a red hot cup a coffee in my hand, and I’m stuffing socks in a backpack, getting ready to race out the door for a 7 a.m. slow train to Kyoto.

July 4th has been a bizarre holiday for me in the past five years—celebrated anywhere but “home,” if we define home in terms of birthplace.

It has reinforced that strange connection to Americans I feel when abroad, and the distance I sometimes feel from them when I’m at home. One of those traveling paradoxes I just can’t put my finger on?

In any case, today, I’ll celebrate it at a friend’s house in Kobe, with one fellow American, a Canadian, an Australian, several bottles of wine, and the dangerous, looming potential for karaoke.

And you?

Thanks for keeping up with us here at Abroad; we love your comments and your insight. Happy July 4th!

Feature photos by Lebeccio

Travel can be hugely beneficial for kids.

Taking your kids traveling, even for a few weeks at a time, can expose them to a whole different culture and be a fantastic learning experience.

Ex-pat kids tend to grow up with a better understanding of foreign cultures and world geography, and are often multilingual.

Photo by Clairity

But kids living ex-pat lifestyles tend to stay in one place for a year or more at a time and often have access to exclusive private international schools.

At the other end of the spectrum, kids on a two week vacation with their parents will return to their stable home and school at the end of the trip.

But what if you, and your partner if you have one, simply want to keep up the globetrotting lifestyle you had before you had kids?

Can kids fit in to this lifestyle, and is it responsible of you to expect them to?

Extended travel is possible with a family in tow, and it can even be an enriching experience for everyone involved, whether you’re traveling for a set period or embarking on a truly open-ended trip.

I’ve heard it said that kids need a routine, but I’m not entirely sure that’s true. Often it’s adults that need a routine, and usually we find one fairly quickly, even when we’re traveling.

How many of us have got into the habit of an early morning coffee in a particular café, for example, even if we are only in a specific place for a month, or even a week?

Kids will find their own mini-routines as well, or more likely, help their parents stay out of them.

Kids are always finding excitement in everyday activities. Just as you get settled into that morning coffee routine, they’ll notice that the café across the street has a giant chess set, or a gumball machine, or a pet parrot, and you’ll have to change to a new place.

Of course kids have to go to school don’t they?

Well, no actually, legally kids have to be educated, not necessarily schooled.

That’s why home schooling is a legal option in countries all over the world, and why many home schooling parents actually prefer the term home education.

Photo by Ben Zvan

Educating your kids while you travel is feasible, and easier than you might imagine.

To feel comfortable keeping your kids out of the formal education system (or taking them out if they are at an age where they’re already in school) it helps to first re-define exactly what we mean by education.

My personal definition of education is the acquisition of knowledge, preferably knowledge that will be useful in everyday life.

In my opinion it’s not necessary, or even desirable, to acquire all of this knowledge by sitting down to a classroom based set of lessons each day.

Kids on the road learn naturally.

They learn about physical and human geography, world history, religion (although not just the dominant one in their country of birth), wildlife, nature, environmental issues, campcraft, cooking, art and science.

They also learn manners, tolerance, and respect for other cultures. They learn to make friends, and say goodbye.

They learn foreign languages, and how to communicate with someone when you don’t have a single word of formal language in common.

They learn budgeting and the value of money, and that if you run out of money you may have to make base camp somewhere while mom or dad works for a while.

They learn that one of the most pleasurable and satisfying things you can do is not “acquire more stuff”, but “learn new things”.

How you choose to educate your kids while on the road will depend on your plans for the future.

Of course you want them to have the advantages of being literate and numerate, but whether they need the advantages of reading the entire works of Shakespeare and understanding advanced calculus, only you can decide.

Photo by Lebeccio

If they are returning to formal education at a later date I can’t guarantee your “home schooled on the road” kids will know everything their classmates do. I can only guarantee they will know an awful lot of stuff that their peers don’t.

On a planet where world leaders send troops and weapons to places they can’t find on a map, your child will at least know the layout of the world, not to mention a little about the everyday lives of people who live outside their own country, culture and political system.

If you’re cradling your new born baby, or even waving your grade schooler off onto the school bus, and you think your days of long-term travel are over, you may want to think again.

What could be irresponsible about raising informed world citizens who recognize just how interconnected we all are?

Community Connection

The Matador community believes in the educational power of engaged travel. For more, check out the following articles:

Why Travel as a Teenager is the Best Education

Youth Travel Programs are Vital to our Security

How to Raise Successful Kids While Living Overseas

To follow one family’s educational journey around the world with their kids, be sure to visit the inspiring Soul Travelers 3 website or visit their Matador profile.

If your a parent of high-school age children who believes in the educational value of travel, check out the youth travel programs offered by Where There Be Dragons.

Azriel

A long time ago I realized that I had ideas about people and places I only knew about through second hand sources.

I began to wonder if I had any wrong perceptions.

I could educate myself from afar, but all the material would be biased by the perception of the author/creator.

The other option was to have direct experiences.

So I found myself on an almost fifteen year quest (to almost 35 countries so far) to encounter not-yet-familiar humans, cultures, religions, animals, plants and landscapes.

I share the essence of my explorations through creativity - painting, photography, public speaking and writing.

In the backdrop always I’m conscious of being the eldest male in an unbroken lineage of rabbis reaching back a couple thousand years.

As I had almost no contact with anyone outside of the Orthodox Jewish community until my late 20’s, I am able to explore almost anything with the wonder-filled eyes of a child and the mind of a mature educated adult.

Connect With Azriel

Check out Azriel’s intriguing article about reconnecting to animals by exploring our primitive nature.

You can also get in touch with him by visiting his Matador profile or his homepage: www.azrielcohen.com.

Thai monks by Ryan Libre

The King Makes it Rain

The King of Thailand perfected and holds the patent on a form of cloud seeding. He has designed bridges and dams and holds an engineering degree from Switzerland.

The King also plays the sax and composed the Thai national anthem. He built his own sailboat and is a talented oil painter.

He is the longest reigning monarch in the world. The Thai people love him and with many good reasons.

It is Year 2552

Buddha statue by Ryan Libre

Thai people start counting from when the Buddha was born, who came along before Jesus. A few other Asian countries also count from Buddha’s birthday, but they are all a few years apart.

The Clock Starts Over Every 6 Hours

You know the 12 hour clock, you’ve heard of the 24 hour clock, but you didn’t know that most of Thailand runs on a 6 hour clock that resets 4 times a day.

Bangkok? Where’s Bangkok?

Bangkok was the temporary Thai capital after the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya. After 10 years or so the Thais moved across the river to start a new capital city called:

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.

This is the longest place name in the world. Thais usually shorten it to just Krung Thep.

Destinations

Community Connection to Thailand

The original temporary capital city “Bangkok” was soon swallowed up by the rapidly expanding Krung Tep, so Bangkok is now just one of the many outlying neighborhoods.

If you ask most Thai people where Bangkok is they only have a very vague idea and wouldn’t know exactly how to get there.

The “Thai” in Thailand Means “Free”

Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country that was never colonized. This is a fact that they are very proud of and want ingrained in their national identity.

Even Thai Kings Often Misspell Words

The Thai alphabet has 6 more vowels than the entire English alphabet! All together, Thais have 32 vowels and 44 consonants.

All the Thai kings in the past several generations have been educated overseas. If you read their personal memos and writings there are many spelling errors.

The Chinese run Thailand

Chinese influence by Ryan Libre

Many generations ago there were no paid jobs in Thailand. Every man had to work for 3 months for free for the monarchy.

Sometimes that labor wasn’t enough and sometimes the kings didn’t trust their own subjects for accounting jobs, so they hired Chinese workers.

Their salaries may have been small, but they gave the Chinese the upper-hand in business, which paved the way to political success.

Thaksin (the highly polarizing former Thai Prime Minister), and a large majority of Thailand’s businessmen and politicians are the ancestors of these early Chinese workers.

Despite living in Thailand for many generations, many of these powerful individuals hold on to their Chinese heritage and often read the newspaper in Chinese.

Vegetarianism is NOT a Western Import to Thailand

The Chinese also brought vegetarianism with them hundreds of years ago.

Vegetarian Thai food by Ryan Libre

The Thais still use the Chinese word for vegetarianism, simply pronounced “J”. Eating vegetarian has been a major part of the Thai worldview for generations.

Despite the recent article in the New York Times about the “booming” vegetarian movement in Thailand, little has changed in the last 100 years and almost nothing has changed in the the last decade.

Going to Thailand?

Check out 10 Thai Customs to Know Before Visiting Thailand.

For a good laugh, read Matador Nights editor Tom Gates’ diary of an eating binge in Bangkok food-courts. Tom also has reviews of authentic Italian food in Bangkok and the coolest hostel in Bangkok.

Nomadic Matt lives in Bangkok. Matt is an expert on Bangkok nightlife but also knows how to get off the tourist trail in Southeast Asia.

Your very own Matador Abroad editor Tim Patterson thinks You Sabai is the best organic cooking school in Thailand.

Matador Trips editor Hal Amen shares a jungle adventure in his guide to Khao Sok National Park.

For up to date and comprehensive information about travel in Thailand, you can’t do better than the online Thailand travel guide on Travelfish.

Not a Matador member yet? Join our travel community.

Feature Photo: Ed Yourdon Photo: xiaojiecha

It’s inevitable. As a western woman in Egypt, you’re going to get stared at, even leered at sometimes.

As my fiancé and some of her female colleagues were fed-up with the nine months of long looks, catcalls and visual undressings they’d endured in Cairo, they decided to do something about it: they went veil shopping.

I came along to see to observe this retail therapy with a twist.

Our first whistle stop on this veil-shopping excursion was to the old Islamic quarter, otherwise known as Khan al Khalili.

The sliver-tongued touts at The Khan met the ladies’ inquires for veils first with curiosity (“You are Muslim?”) and then, once the girls had donned the veils, with delight: “Very beautiful. You want Egyptian husband too?”

Becky and Kristina laughed and opted for the standard hejab, which revealed only their faces. Jamie took the more liberal Spanish style option, leaving her neck, chin, and ear lobes exposed. Katherine and Mariette, on the other hand, held out for more conservative veils we’d end up finding elsewhere.

Walking through the medieval souq, half the group veiled and half unveiled, the girls chatted and giggled about the novelty of being a Muslim girl for the day.

Photo: emi faulk

The touts were undaunted and continued to court them religiously. In fact, the ladies in the hejabs actually seemed to get more attention than those without it.

Maybe it was because their ankles and arms weren’t covered-up like those of good Muslim girls. Next stop, Midan Ataba.

Midan Ataba is as popular with locals for shopping as Khan al Khalili is with tourists for souvenir hunting.

Thrown haphazardly under a freeway overpass not far from the City of the Dead, this flea market of flea markets seemed a likely place to find the khimar and niqab the unveiled girls wanted.

Slipping on the khimar, a bell shaped drape with a hole cut out for the face, Katherine suddenly became shapeless, her eyes that much more striking. Collectively, we ‘oooed.’

When Mariette pulled the niqab (an all black gown and veil combo) over her lithe frame, she too was transformed.

With only her blue eyes in sight, we stared at her transformation in wonder – she was one of them now. Only her bare sandalled feet gave her away.

Surveying the ring of veils around me, from the liberal Spanish style to the most conservative niqab, I realized that I was to the group what Mariette’s bare feet were to her ensemble – the giveaway. I excused myself and talked to them after the veil experiment, eager to hear what they had to say.

“The Spanish style veil wasn’t actually much of a stretch for me,” admitted Jamie. “Next time though, I’ll cover my arms, ankles and feet too ‘cause I think that’s why we got more attention with the veil than without it – gotta get some of those cute ‘toe gloves’ too, I guess.”

Becky observed:

“At first, it felt funny wearing the hejab but I was having a bad hair day anyway so it was kinda nice to not have to fuss over it.”

Kristina concurred with a nod of her hejab.

“The bell shaped khimar was not my style, too old-fashioned, really. But I’m sure if I wore it, Osama wouldn’t mind,” Katherine said with a wink. “If I were to veil regularly though, I’d go for the Spanish style, I think.”

“The niqab felt strangely liberating,” Mariette said, somewhat astonished.

Photo: turkairo

“I could see and not be seen. It was really exciting to be anonymous for a change and more people spoke to me in Arabic today than probably my whole time in Egypt. Although, it was pretty hot under all that black polyester.”

So if your travel philosophy is ‘to do as the Romans do, when in Rome’ here are some places that will help you do as the Egyptians do when in Egypt:

1. Khan al Khalili

Refine your bargaining skills in the city’s most ancient quarter, ‘The Khan.’ From pashmina to silk and everything in between, they’ll mix and match your hejab to fit that favorite lip-gloss of yours perfectly.

For fun, tally-up the marriage proposals at the end of the day at Naguib Mafouz’s old haunt, Fishawi’s Coffeehouse.

2. Midan Ataba

Rummage under the bridge with the locals through the myriad of colors, patterns and vendors for that special veil that just screams Sofia Loren circa 1950. Score the khimar and niqab here for a fraction of what they go for elsewhere and, oh yeah, don’t forget to breathe.

3. City Stars

Photo: Please Don’t Smile

Escape the heat in Cairo’s answer to Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates. Rub elbows with the Cairene elite and window-shop for the latest in finely stitched niqabs, straight from the runways of the Persian Gulf.

4. Grand Mall

The humble cousin to City Stars, this small shopping center in the middle of affluently green and westernized Ma’adi has more veils than expats - and that’s a lot!

English speaking clerks plus all the accessories you’ll ever need (custom pins & headbands included) make a trip to Ma’adi de rigueur.

5. Al-Ghouriyya

Not far from the Crusader’s Wall of Saladin on Sharia al Muizz li-Din Allah, this is yet another hot spot to ‘veil-up.’

Vibrant hejab shops (staffed mostly by men for some odd reason) plus Thai-made Gucci and Prada knock-offs in the streets make for a strange mix of the local and the international.

Video Link

To see some of the girls in action at ‘The Khan’ check out this video from Lonely Planet TV:

Feature Photo: uib Photo: juanflauta

The decision to study abroad didn’t always seem like an obvious choice. In fact, there are several reasons it didn’t make any sense.

I delayed my graduation by six months. It took a four-page persuasive essay to change my dad’s opinion on the matter. I put my ever-ambitious career on hold. Most of all, I broke the bank… and then some.

In spite of these deterrents, my semester of international study was still the best investment I’ve ever made. We’ve all heard the classic excuses not to study abroad; I had some of them too. But they simply don’t offer compelling reasons to miss out.

1. It’s too much work to apply.

You applied to college, didn’t you? Study abroad applications are a far less arduous process. While some more competitive programs may require recommendations and essays, they’re generally not even close to as time-consuming. If your school has a study abroad office, have an adviser walk you through the entire process.

2. I can’t graduate on time.

Got history or art requirements? Language classes you need to take care of? Almost every international university will offer equivalent classes. If you take courses for your major early on, you can hold off on general ed requirements and take them abroad instead.

Photo: naixn

If all else fails, embrace the extra semester. Who’s rushing to graduate in this jobless economy anyway?

3. My parents / friends / significant other don’t want me to.

Going abroad is an incredible opportunity that builds maturity, worldliness, and independence. The people who want the best for you will encourage you to take the opportunity to go, and there’s nothing that can test the strength of a relationship like a couple of months apart.

4. I’ll get homesick.

You’ll undeniably have to give up certain things for a couple of months: heaven on earth in the form of your multiple down comforters, those bangin’ banana pancakes from the diner across the street, cuddle sessions with your chinchilla…

Photo: nuomi

However, you’ll be able keep up with your friends’ and family’s lives via Facebook, probably down to what your roommate had for breakfast. And hey, cuddling might be out, but you can still blow your chinchilla kisses over Skype video chat.

5. I can’t afford it.

Plenty of college students don’t have the means to drop several grand over the course of a few months, especially when most are just scraping by on a college budget.

However, studying abroad really doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think, especially if you’re not adamant about studying in a major European city. Sometimes you’ll find that the cost of a semester at an international university is comparable to the cost of a semester at your home university.

Moreover, many study abroad programs allow you to use your financial aid, and there are scholarships galore available for students who need a little help.

6. I can always travel after I graduate.

Photo:powi

Of course you can always travel later, but studying abroad is a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture for several months and experience an entirely fresh educational system (while experiencing an equally fresh nightlife, should you so desire).

Let’s be honest; most people only have the stamina for the globetrotting lifestyle when they’re young. Once you’re tied down with real-life bills and obligations, it won’t be so easy to drop everything and go.

Which all means that your excuses simply don’t measure up. Liberate yourself from them, and hit the road.

Community Connection

Not interested in the conventional study abroad semester in Paris or Seville? Why not try Cyprus, Chile, or China?

Need more motivation? Ask yourself: What am I waiting for?

Or have a look at what Pico Iyer, one of travel’s foremost advocates,, has to say about why we travel.

Feature Photo: torres21Photo: chloerae

So you’ve decided to go teach overseas, you’ve read up on different countries, and maybe you’ve even taken a TESL course.

Foreign TESL jobs can open the door to travel and adventure, but no matter how lovely the country may be, it’s the job that will make or break your experience. And arranging a job from halfway around the globe makes it tough to tell whether it’s quality or not.

Some teachers walk unknowingly into poorly-run schools and have to spend months struggling with few resources, crowded classrooms, and dodgy pay schedules. Others make the mistake of assuming workplace practices are similar to those in their home countries, and are then hit with cultural barriers when issues like overtime and sick days come up.

Below are five tips to help you ensure that the job you’re about to take is credible and (hopefully) hassle-free.

1. Go over the details.

Most contracts will cover the policies for vacation time, overtime pay, and grounds for dismissal; all good rules to know, especially in a foreign culture whose work ethic may differ from yours.

If you’re signing up with a larger chain of language schools, your contract might simply say that these important details are administered “as per the policies of [Language School X].” Before you sign, find out what those policies are, and get them in writing. This can mean the difference between two days and two weeks of vacation time in a 12-month contract.

2. Ask about resources.

There are nightmarish ESL stories floating around involving untrained teachers being chucked into a classroom with no book, no materials, and forty pairs of expectant eyes starting at them.

Photo: bionicteaching

Before you sign anything, ask about the materials used in your school. Public schools might have a set-in-stone curriculum, whereas private schools sometimes ask teachers to prepare all of their own lessons. A simple inquiry might save you the trouble of spending each day designing whole lesson plans from scratch.

3. Discuss the visa

Some schools will help you arrange a work visa in advance, while others will ask you to enter the country on a tourist visa and process the paperwork on their side. In the latter case, this can involve long unpaid days in bureaucratic waiting rooms, or “border runs” where you travel to a neighboring country and back in order to legitimize the new visa.

In any case, your employer should tell you what to expect in the visa process, whether the school will pay the fees, and how much work you might have to miss while this processing occurs.

4. Contact your predecessor.

Ask your potential employer if you can have the email address of the teacher whose job you’ll be filling. Write this teacher a simple inquiry about their experience, and why they’re leaving the position.

Photo: rivard

You’ll get a fellow foreigner’s perspective, and he/she can give you more general tips about living overseas, like what to pack or which Western items are rare/expensive in the place you’re interested in. Know that if you’re being hired by a new language school or through a recruitment agency, they might not have contacts to give you. If that’s the case…

5. Google

Try searching the name of the school online, and read the results with a grain of salt. There are discussion boards and forums aplenty in the ESL world, from Dave’s ESL Cafe to employer blacklist sites such as tefl blacklist.

Bear in mind a few things while you’re searching. First, people usually take to the message boards when they’re angry. For every teacher writing slanderous posts, there might be dozens of employees at the same school who are thrilled with their jobs, but keeping those thoughts off the Internet.

Second, try to get a sense of the person behind the complaints.

Photo: desheffer

A lot of people enter the ESL field with more interest in travel than in education. Of course they’ll have trouble with the jobs, as they would with any teaching position, because it’s not the job for them. Private message or email people and ask them what they search for in a position, and why they did or didn’t like their previous job.

An overseas teaching position is one of the best ways to get inside of another culture, but like any experience of cultural exchange, it can be tricky, complicated, and frustrating as well as exhilarating. Do your research beforehand to ensure you’ll be off to a smooth start in the classroom.

Community Connection

Hey, all you teachers out there! Help those who’re thinking of making the plunge into teaching navigate the labyrinth of possibilities! Sound off about your experiences with different schools, contracts, and countries.

Thinking about teaching in Asia? Check out Matador’s guide to teaching in China, Korea or Japan.

If you’re just beginning to explore the thought of heading abroad to teach, look over these 8 hidden benefits of teaching English abroad to motivate yourself.

Feature Photo: dan4th Photo: steffenz

As one of millions of people around the world with a life-threatening nut allergy I know all too well the trials of eating abroad. I’ve spent an evening in Paris hooked up to an adrenaline ventilator, been in hospital in Peru and starved myself on a Sahara Desert trek thanks to my inability to pronounce ‘cashew nut’ in Arabic.

The risk of travelling with a nut allergy is very real but I’ve learnt the hard way, a few precautions and preventions can make the ride a lot smoother.

1. Know Your Emergency Procedure

Foreign hospitals often do not understand the severity of a reaction or how to treat it so ensure you are aware of what you need. Emphasize that you need to be seen immediately.

Ask your doctor to write down the medication and dosage to be administrated in case of an attack. Note the pharmaceutical names, as brand names can be different abroad.

If you carry an Epi-pen ensure you know when and how to dispense it and are able to do so yourself. Inform your travel partners of their duties should you become unable to help yourself.

2. Remember: You Can Never Carry Enough Drugs!

It goes without saying that you need to carry your prescribed medication, but make sure you have spares and store them in different places in case you lose your luggage.

Modern adrenaline dispensers such as Epi-pens are not available in some parts of the world so take enough for your journey and leave a repeat prescription at home.

Check the use-by dates of all medication if you are on the road for long periods- even recently purchased prescriptions can have short expiration dates.

Keep your prescription on hand when you fly or you’re going anywhere where your luggage might be inspected- taking a syringe into a nightclub can look suspicious to foreign security!

3. Don’t Eat Like A Local

Food trading standards vary drastically between countries and labeling is often done according to different standards. Be extra diligent when trying foreign delicacies as even common foods may contain unlabeled ingredients.

In Brazil, nut traces (especially cashew nuts) are commonly found in chocolate even if it doesn’t state it on the packet. They also serve a cashew nut juice. In France and Italy, almonds and pistachios are common in all cakes and pastries even if staff tell you they are nut-free. Indian and Chinese food is full of peanut oils and kitchens often use the same pans for cooking different dishes so cross-contamination is likely. Mediterranean dishes are often sprinkled with pine nuts.

Exercise caution of ‘home brands’ abroad- Cadbury’s chocolate in South America is actually made in Panama and does not contain the exact ingredients of the British variety.

Be wary of ingredients like sesame, poppy seeds and coconut that can provoke reactions in nut-allergy sufferers. If you’re not sure, this is not the time to find out!

4. Make Yourself Clear

Even if you can’t speak the native language, look up a few words before you go and carry a small dictionary to check food labels. Keep a card with you to show to waiters or shop-owners if you are not sure of pronunciation.

A literal translation may not suffice- in some languages the word ‘nuts’ refers to one type of nut and frequently nuts such as cashews, almonds and pine nuts, as well as items such as peanut butter, are referred to separately. ‘Dried fruits’ is a good catch-all term but try to memorize as many different names as possible.

Sometimes it is best to be dramatic: ‘I will die if I eat this’ avoids the common scenario of the nuts being scraped off and the meal being returned to you. Severe allergies are extremely rare in some parts of the world so the average waiter is likely to put you down as another ‘fussy tourist’ unless you state your case very clearly (and with a smile).

Photo: zonagirl

5. Plan Ahead

Problems arise when you entrust your food intake to strangers but it’s difficult to avoid these situations on holiday. Many hotels, hostels and tour operators will accommodate your requests if you explain the situation but always double check. Ask to see the packets wherever possible or to speak to the person preparing the food. Take a packed lunch if you are worried.

Contact airlines and bus companies before traveling with them and confirm that a nut-free option is available. Many airlines (British Airways, American Airlines) have banned nut products on-board but consider buying some sandwiches before you board the plane just in case.

Ensure your allergy is covered by your travel insurance- always declare it and shop around for a company that provides full cover. Many companies will cover you if you haven’t been in the hospital in the past year.

6. Eating Out

Experimenting with local cuisine is a vital part of experiencing a new culture so don’t let your allergies put you off eating out. However, it’s best to accept that you will never be able to have a carefree ‘try-anything’ approach to food.

Ask before you eat, even when pressured by locals to ‘just try it’.

Request to speak to the chef if the waiter seems less than knowledgeable about food content- calmly explain the importance that you know exactly what is in it.

Pass on spicy food as this can mask the tingling sensations of a reaction and it’s a good idea not to drink a lot whilst you are eating too- save the wine till you are safely past dessert!

7. Be Paranoid

Different symptoms to what you have previously experienced can occur so monitor any changes and if you experience any of the following, seek medical attention:

Tingling/ itching in the mouth or lips.

An itchy, blotchy rash

Swelling, particularly around the face and throat.

Wheezing/ difficulty breathing

Vomiting/ Diarreaoh

Stomach aches/ cramps

Faintness/ dizziness

There’s no reason to let a nut allergy put an end to your travel fantasies. You need to be warier than other travelers, but don’t let that force you into giving up and staying home.

Community Connection

Even if you don’t have to worry about something as serious as a nut allergy, it’s still important to stay healthy on the road. Try these five useful remedies from easily found ingredients when you’re really far out there. And it can’t hurt to pack these medical books for the road, or to brush up on some tips for staying healthy abroad.

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Photo above and feature photo by glen bowman

Even after my return from a semester in Cyprus, my friends still ask me how Greece was.

“Cyprus,” I correct them.

Spending four months on a tiny and obscure island in the middle of the Mediterranean wasn’t anything I expected it to be — but it was still the best. Experience. Ever.

Here are seven reasons I recommend studying abroad in Cyprus.

Photo by greenacre8

1. Nobody really knows where or what it is.

How many people do you know who have studied in Madrid? Beijing? London?

Then ask yourself how many people you know who have studied in Cyprus. Probably none, right? It’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience — you’ll have stories to tell for life.

2. The price of living in Cyprus is incredibly reasonable.

Unless you’re heading to fine dining and scuba diving lessons on the regular — which you totally can do in Cyprus! — you’ll spend a lot less than you would have spent studying in a major European city.

It’s easy to eat cheaply, taxis charge fairly, and once you start getting to know the locals you’ll barely pay a dime for the nightlife.

You literally have the world at your fingertips.

Europe’s to the west, Asia’s to the east, and Africa’s to the south. During my time abroad, I traveled to all three continents — a trip to Israel, a trip to Egypt, and a trip through Europe during my spring break.

Others in my program took individual trips to everywhere from Turkey to Malta. Even though we often booked flights last minute, they by no means broke the bank.

Photo by aiace

3. You’ll get to experience more of one country than you could anywhere else.

Because Cyprus is so small (seriously, check it out on a map — you may have to squint), not only will you be able to experience all the touristy things, you’ll become very familiar with your surroundings and get to know the locals quickly.

After a semester in Cyprus, it’ll really start to feel like your home away from home.

4. The weather is gorgeous year-round.

I’m a California native and certified weather wimp; European winters would not have been my thing. Cyprus didn’t dip below 55 at any point during my stay, which suited me perfectly.

My east coast friends were practically crying with joy because they could work on their tans in February.

Photo by aiace

5. There’s a reason Cyprus is a vacation destination.

It’s home to some amazing beaches, and there’s something magical about that Mediterranean water. Ocean swimming, jet-skiing, banana boating, cliff diving - there are lots of ways to play in the sea.

(I spent so many weekends on the beach that back home they now call me “The Bronze Goddess.” With Capital Letters.)

6. Cypriots know how to party.

It’s safe to say that they inherited the celebratory nature of the Greeks. That’s right — Cypriots hit the club on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Not that there’s any shortage of people at the bars on Monday and Tuesday.

If you happen to go abroad during the summer, just imagine your first semester of college all over again… with Greek music, beautiful people, and large bodies of water.

Photo by greenacre8

7. You’ll meet people from all over the world.

I had professors from France, Egypt, and England as well as classmates from literally everywhere.

My Facebook friends list became remarkably multicultural this past semester, and should I ever find myself in Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, or Syria, I now allegedly have a place to stay!

Interested in studying abroad in Cyprus? Here’s a comprehensive list of programs that are offered. If you’re primarily looking to brush up on your Greek or Turkish, try spending a summer studying at the language school in Limassol.

The most popular program for American students is with Global Learning Semesters, which offers studies at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus with the option of additional multi-country travel throughout Europe or Asia.

Community Connection

Matador community member Denise has lived in Cyprus for about 3 years. Member SierraKiloEcho is currently traveling in Cyprus, Turkey and France.

Connect with them and the author of this article - Teresa Wu - through the Matador travel community.