by Makayla Vasek, Communications Specialist

Needless to say, 2020 was a challenging and unnerving year for most people and many industries. The international education community particularly suffered when travel restrictions and online schooling essentially paused all study abroad programs. After having all Learn from Travel programs indefinitely postponed, like many universities and study abroad providers across the nation, we began to consider what would be the next step in international education.

Instead of spending our summer organizing programs and sending groups of students to various destinations in Latin America as we had initially planned, we used that time to conduct extensive market research on the state of study abroad. We spoke to university administrators, faculty, and students who have previously studied abroad to understand their expectations and concerns for post-pandemic travel. We also sought insight and advice on how we as a company could make study abroad more accessible and inclusive for all students. Finally, we used the knowledge gained in these interviews to focus our attention on a new branch of international education: virtual programming.

A Word From Our Founder

In an interview with Roman Yavich, founder of Learn from Travel, we had the chance to ask him about the progress the company has made in virtual programming as well as his opinions on how this new innovation will permanently change the future of study abroad.

Looking Forward

This is only a starting point. Around the world, educators are beginning to realize the value technology can offer in internationalizing education, and we suspect that virtual programming is here to stay. As universities, study abroad providers, and global partners collaborate, the opportunity to expand study abroad in an affordable and safe way is limitless. I guess this is what it feels like to live history in more ways than one.

If virtual study abroad is something you want to be a part of or something you want to offer your students, find more details about Learn from Travel’s virtual programs here.