Our position is twofold:
1) Now is not the time to back off, it is the time to keep going, even if that means in a modified way. Sure you will have to wear a mask, and sure some things may be closed or have a longer wait time. Just like home, but you won’t be home: you will be travelling and in another country and culture. And from where we stand, that is a much better position to be in…after decades in this industry and having lived abroad and travelled extensively, all of us here in the front office, we just kinda know this.
Adelante Abroad has always been about the Traveler, not the Tourist. Our programs are not like a vacation, by design. Long before covid, we expect, and train, our candidates to live differently abroad: vs. invading our cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Oaxaca, Quito, Vina del Mar, Montevideo); you will dive into the culture by interning at a locally run company, you will live like a local NOT in a dorm surrounded by foreigners, rather in an apartment building with regular families and couples as your neighbors; you, like locals, will go each day to your company / work assignment, go shopping, to the gym, make friends, learn, unchaperoned and likely uncomfortable sometimes, because that is where a true traveler finds their place.
And 2) If you have to take classes virtually because your university has opted to close, why not do it abroad? Ramp up your resume at the same time and become fluent in Spanish while you take those 4 online classes instead of sitting in your bedroom at home.
Practically speaking, due to the complete stoppage of travel for the past months, housing is widely available, internet speeds and Wifi are faster due to less traffic, flights are cheaper than they have ever been and, from an Intern Abroad, perspective, companies as they slowly open back up are sending us signals that they want our foreign interns to begin a new the cultural and professional exchange. From a Study Abroad perspective, Fall in Spain, will be less crowded at our participating University in Sevilla, and the semester has also been shortened so no Student Visas are required. Similarly, many universities here in the US have planned for a shorter Fall 2020 (e.g. once a student returns home for Thanksgiving break they don’t return until January 2021)
While many in the Study Abroad industry feel that there will exist a pent up wave of demand as students who have missed out due to covid realize that they can get abroad now, we don’t see it like that. Based on conversations and just knowing our industry really, really well, it is more likely to be the certain unafraid, intrepid and informed traveler, like all of us here at Adelante HQ, that will travel now. The rest based on fear or looking for that vacation-feel, will wait a long time to plan any travel.