Have you always dreamed of traveling to cool places, meeting lots of different people, and maybe picking up a language or two? No matter what country you live in, you can fly over the world's highest waterfalls in Venezuela, learn world trade in Japan, study art in France, or take dancing lessons in Ghana.

How? Join a study abroad program, where high school and college students live with a host family in a foreign country. Semester, summer, and year-long programs allow you to attend school, take intensive language courses, or perform community service in another country. Read on to learn more about study abroad programs.

Why Study Abroad?

Besides the excitement of travel, one reason to study abroad is that you will experience new customs, holidays, foods, art, music, and politics firsthand.

"I learned the language and am now fluent, but perhaps more important was how much I learned about cultures, people, and myself. I learned this from the viewpoint of an active member of the community and my [host] family, not from the tourist's point of view," says Andrew, who studied in Poitiers, France.

Another reason for studying abroad is that you'll gain self-confidence. Christina studied in Caracas, Venezuela, a city of 10 million people and a huge change from her hometown of 35,000! Christina says she learned how to better stand up for herself and her beliefs and to express herself in another language. What could make you more confident than that?

Living away from home can also help you adjust in the transition to college and adulthood. Matthew says he returned from studying in Australia with confidence, social savvy, and a genuine interest in international affairs that really set him apart from his peers. "After having gone abroad in high school, I found the transition to college to be a breeze — moving 560 miles from home didn't seem particularly daunting after having lived thousands of miles away."