Big city or off the beaten track?
Your choice of destination for you language study trip will make a huge difference to the experience you have. One of the most important questions you can ask yourself is whether you would rather study in a small town or in a big city. There are advantages and disadvantages to both and it really comes down to personal preference.
Your choice of destination will help you find likeminded people. What’s that old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together?” But beyond that, you will also find a completely different range of activities on offer in different destinations.
For example, the best surfing opportunities are usually (not always) found in smaller towns where surfing is an important part of local culture. Similarly, if you want to ski, there are some cities where resorts are within an hour’s travel, but there is no substitute for the atmosphere you get up in the mountain resorts.
The bigger the better?
In a big city, you will never run out of new places to discover. You can eat in a different restaurant every day (budget permitting!), find new and exciting music venues and nightclubs, enjoy diverse shops and much more.
Larger cities also usually have larger language schools… there are pros and cons to learning in a large school. But you will often find smaller schools in large cities too, so the choice is yours.
One factor that many big cities have in common is that many of the residents did not grow up in the city itself. This means that, not only can you meet a hugely diverse variety of people from all corners of the Earth, but they have all had the experience of arriving in a big city and many will have experienced learning the language there, one way or another. On the flipside, people can be more defensive and tougher in cities.
Another benefit of studying in a big city is the range of transport available to you. This means that you can easily get out of the city for a short trip elsewhere. Smaller towns are rarely as well connected.
But big cities can be lonely too. People come and go, relationships can be fleeting and you will never get to meet everyone. Some people find large cities overwhelming and impersonal. Others wouldn’t have it any other way!
Small is beautiful!
Big cities are not for everyone. Despite the sheer volume of people in a city, it can actually be easier to meet people in a smaller place as the action is concentrated around fewer hotspots. This means you are far more likely to actually get to know people properly.
Smaller towns can also be more welcoming. Living in the city, you naturally put up defences, which is not true in smaller, closer communities. You are less likely to feel like “a number” in a small town, where the pace of life is slower and the appearance of a foreigner is still something of a novelty.
Another advantage of studying in a small town is that you will be closer to nature. Relax in a beach paradise, where you can spend your afternoons lazing on the sand or snorkelling, or in an Alpine town where the mountains can be climbed up, skied down and generally admired after a long and active day… who needs the hustle and bustle of a city metro anyway?
From a language learning point of view, you are likely to find fewer English speakers in smaller towns than large cities.
There are naturally some downsides to smaller towns. For example, you won’t get the same opportunities to see major events like concerts, sport tournaments and exhibitions that can only be found in the city. If you are into music, you are less likely to find musical inspiration in a small town: cities are like magnets for musicians.
So, what’s it to be?
Choosing the right destination for your language study trip is an important decision. You could start by searching blogs or reading forums for an overview of what is out there and an idea of destinations that may suit your style.
If you book your trip with an agency like ESL, you will receive free, impartial advice about destinations from staff with plenty of experience.