Ready for another city to fall in love with in Mexico? San Luis Potosi is your next obsession (with plenty of weekend trips to explore once you've tackled the city). 

Nestled in the southern part of Thailand is a verdant green jungle, home to colorful bungalows floating on deep blue pools, hiding behind waterfalls and groups of jabbering monkeys — if you’re looking for a prettier place to relax, we wish you luck finding one!

Our Uganda volunteers are just a short flight away from what may be the most perfect beach vacation ever.

Anyone volunteering in Mexico could spend every single weekend visiting one of the rad cities that are just a short bus ride away, but definitely make sure to spend at least one weekend in Guadalajara! 

With lush jungles, hikes, zip lining, cloud forests, and more in Monteverde, you can't skip out on a vacation here. 

If you're wanting to save the most money but still have weekends full of adventures, you'll want to check out our most affordable ILP countries. 

I know you’re here in Zanzibar for the beyond dreamy beaches, but you’ll be missing out if you’re not spending at least some time in Stone Town. 

If you want to see hilltop ruins and have some of the best food around while you're in Mexico, you should plan on visiting Oaxaca — this part of the country boasts dozens of day trips we love, like the imposing ancient ruins of Monte Alban. 

Beaches perfect for surfing and surrounded by lush jungles are only two things you’ll find in Jaco ... can you see why this is one of the prettiest weekend getaways for our volunteers in Costa Rica?

When I talk about my trips abroad, I'm all about sharing the highlight reel (even though traveling was hard for me at times). After spending several months abroad and taking dozens of international trips, I think I've finally found that balance between the good parts and the hard parts (and am here to share some advice).