---
title: Why I'm Glad I Went For A Semester Instead Of A 2-Week Trip
description: I love to travel, but I always prefer to be gone for an entire semester and here's why.
---

[ILP Blog ](https://blog.ilp.org)

# [Why I'm Glad I Went For A Semester Instead Of A 2-Week Trip](https://blog.ilp.org/why-im-glad-i-went-for-a-semester-instead-of-a-2-week-trip-with-ilp)

 Written by [Emily Henkel](https://blog.ilp.org/author/emily-henkel) | 3/1/17 5:20 AM

I’ve done both types of trips and I’ve got to say, I always prefer to be gone for an entire semester and here’s why. 

I got bitten by the travel bug pretty early on and it’s only gotten worse (or better, in my opinion) as I’ve gotten older. I got my first passport when I was ten and grew up with short little trips ...  but did my first semester abroad during college and haven’t looked back.

**Thinking of a semester abroad? **  
See [what volunteering with ILP](http://ilp.org/learn-more) is all about

Since that first semester abroad, I’ve lived abroad in three different countries and I feel like I’m just getting started — that gap year of traveling has turned into two years ... and might turn into three. 

## **I Like Visiting ... But I Love Living Abroad**

Don’t get me wrong, visiting somewhere for a week or two is great; I’ve seen a few countries that way and have loved my time there. But that’s just it — it’s just a visit.

Two weeks in Europe lets you see the highlights and usually it's the most famous tourist sites like the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben. But a semester living there gives you so much more, it’s not even comparable. You see so much more than the highlights.

I started to [reconsider those 2 week trips](https://blog.ilp.org/a-few-reasons-you-might-want-to-reconsider-that-two-week-service-trip) once I went abroad for much, much longer.  I love being a regular at the same little cafe or being able to think “I love this street; I’ll come back next week.” Finding those hidden gems and meeting friends is just harder to do when you are only there for three days before leaving to see another city. 

## **I Love Having A Home In A Foreign Country**

You’ll get a taste of what I’m talking about as an International Language Programs (ILP) volunteer. You get the chance to live abroad like a local for an entire semester, but [also get vacation time](https://blog.ilp.org/vacationing-while-volunteering-how-it-all-works-with-ilp) to visit other cities and other countries so it’s really the best of both worlds.

It’s fun playing tourist, seeing the classic sites like the Roman Coliseum or the [beaches in Bali;](https://blog.ilp.org/our-guide-to-the-best-and-not-so-great-beaches-in-bali-with-ilp) but then you get to come home to your host family or apartment  (check all of [ILP’s other countries](http://www.ilp.org/countries/) here)…it’s the best! When I came back from one of my long vacations,  I was so happy to be back "home" .... back home in Europe ... because I got to live there for a whole semester!

By the time I left, I felt like I was leaving such a big part of me there, because that city and that country truly felt like home to me. I just don't get that same attachment when I'm visiting for a short time. 

## **I Adore Buying Fresh Fruit **

This makes sense, I promise. When I was living in Asia with ILP I loved getting fruit from the little fruit stands because 1: the fruit is delicious, and 2: because it meant I was going to be there long enough to eat a whole bag of these gorgeous mandarins. I’d see tourists grab one or two, because they didn’t have a fridge in their hotel room or would soon be leaving to go home — home home, not back to their cute apartment.

It was so sad for me to walk past my cute fruit lady my last week; I knew I didn’t have enough time to get a full bag and eat it before I had to say goodbye and leave. 

There are so many little moments like this that seal the deal for me when it comes to the "2-week trip or semester long adventure". I'm much more attached to the memories and the experiences I had when I was living somewhere for a few months than the ones I've had on my shorter excursions. There's nothing like feeling totally immersed in the culture and feeling like a local. 

## **Oh, And I Love Saving Money**

I also love knowing my airfare is pretty much the same whether I'm there for a week or there for 3-4 months; either way, you gotta buy a plane ticket there and a plane ticket home, right?

But wait, it gets even better if you choose to volunteer abroad with ILP. [The program fee](https://blog.ilp.org/what-does-my-program-fee-cover) that you pay as an ILP volunteer to live somewhere for about 3-4 months is easily about the same that you would spend to travel around Europe for 2 weeks. Volunteering for a longer amount of time is the best bang for your buck if you want to travel.

So save your money and just stay longer! Just travel- there are so many little [ways it will change your life](https://blog.ilp.org/the-little-ways-travel-has-changed-my-life). 

**If you’ve even thought a tiny bit about going abroad, do it! **

I heard about the chance to live abroad for an entire semester with a program fee that included your flight, visa, 3 meals a day, housing, and opportunities to delve deep into the culture, and I haven’t looked back — ILP has totally changed what I thought my life would be like, giving me so many friends and adventures all over the world. 

[View full post](https://blog.ilp.org/why-im-glad-i-went-for-a-semester-instead-of-a-2-week-trip-with-ilp)

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