What is mountaineering?

• Mountaineering can range from hiking in the Alps to mountaineering in the Andes, from free climbing in the Ardennes to a multi-day trek in the Himalayas. For centuries, people have been fascinated by the mountains, reaching mountain peaks and being active in mountainous areas. There are dozens of types of mountaineering, including mountaineering, mountain climbing, fat biking, free climbing, rock climbing, zip lining, ski touring, winter sports, ice diving and ice climbing. In the last century, you have also seen more and more sports in which descending the mountain in an original way has become central. You can go abseiling, base jumping, hang gliding, but also skiing or sledding.

What is abseiling (rappel)?

• Abseiling is independently descending a steep wall using a climbing rope. In climbing it is used as a technique to descend, but in canyoning it has also become part of the sport

What is alpinism? 

• Alpinism is mountain climbing in terrain consisting of rock, snow and ice. The emphasis is on 'vertical' ascent, using arms and hands to get up. Rock climbing and ice climbing are forms of alpinism. Alpinism originated more than three centuries ago during a scientific expedition that climbed the summit of Mont Blanc. Today's alpinism is more about climbing technique, the level of difficulty or the beauty of the route, than about reaching the top of the mountain.

What are trekking and mountain hikes?

• This means that you walk along paved and unpaved paths through the mountains. When you also need your arms and hands, people quickly speak of mountain climbing. Simple glacier walking is also considered mountain hiking. 'Rambling' is a simple way of trekking, and 'scrambling' is a simple way of climbing where one occasionally needs the help of hands or knees.

What is free climbing and wall climbing?

• Free climbing is a form of rock climbing where you climb up using your hands and feet. It does not mean that you do not have any form of protection (that is known as free solo climbing), but it does mean that you are not allowed to use any aids for the climbing itself. Wall climbing: is climbing in a covered area on a climbing wall without aids.

What are other mountain and climbing sports?

• Bouldering is a climbing sport where you climb unsecured to a height of about 4/5 meters. If you fall, you basically fall on a thick mat. Bouldering is very similar to life, and often revolves around finding the right route.
• Hangliding: see air sports.
• Deathriding or ziplining: see air sports.
• Skiing or sledding: see winter sports.

What do you get out of it?

• Better health: from respiratory tract to fitness.
• A sense of humility, and the world around you.
• An adrenaline rush or an ultimate feeling of peace.

What do you take with you?

• Bring a good basic condition.
• Bring sufficient water and food for the journey and for the duration of the trip.
• Use your common sense (so as not to become overconfident).
• Arrange for difficult trips a guide who knows the area well

What are the risks when practicing mountain sports abroad?

• With every form of mountain sports you also run more or less risk of having an accident or breakdown. You can get lost.
• You can have an accident (slip, trip).
• You can be faced with rapidly changing weather.
• Your equipment can break.

To what extend are you insured during mountain sports?

• The consequences if something goes wrong during mountain sports are, if you need help and have to be taken down a mountain, or repatriated from a remote area, the costs can be quite high. The costs of deploying a rescue helicopter alone are around 5,000 euros per hour! In addition, you can be faced with the costs of a rescue team
• If you also end up in hospital, you may have to pay the costs yourself, if you have not taken out insurance that covers your mountain sports activities.
• Mountain sports abroad are generally limited by regular insurance. Usually you also run a greater risk of having an accident or breakdown.
• Read more: Travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
• Read more: Verzekeren en sportieve activiteiten (NL)

Where is the best place to go for mountain sports?

Where can you go for the most beautiful mountain walks and treks?

• The Inca Trail (the route to Machu Picchu)
• Mount Rinjani (beautiful volcano on Lombok, Indonesia)
• Mount Kailash (Tibet, famous pilgrimage route, high and difficult)
• Resurrection Pass Trail (Alaska, through Chugach National Forest)
• Dogon Valley (Mali, very traditional area)
• The South Downs Way (South-East England, Sussex)
• Trollheimen (Norway, several options)
• Olympus (the famous mountain in Greece)
• Western Way (ancient pilgrimage route in Ireland)
• Taquesi (Bolivia, from Andes to Yungas)
• Hiking route E5 (Austria, runs from Swiss to Italian border)
• Gr 11 (Grande Randonnée)(Long distance hiking route through the Pyrenees, runs from the Mediterranean to the Basque Gulf)
• Neltner/Toubkal (Morocco, in the high Atlas Mountains)
• Leh (North-East India/Himalaya, beautiful dry trekking area)
• Darjeeling/Sikkim (North-West India/Himalaya, beautiful green trekking area)
• Retezet (Transylvania, Romania)
• Wildcoast Coffeebay Trail (Transkei, South Africa, coastal area)
• Milford track (South of New Zealand)
• Annapurna (Nepal, well-known but still very beautiful)
• Chang Mai Hill Tribes trek (Thailand, multiple routes)
• The Bear Route (Oulanka, Finland)
• Fish River Canyon (Namibia, desert area and oases)
• Patagonia (Traveler's paradise with Torres de Paine)
• Great South West Walk (Australia, along the coast of Victoria)
• Overland track (Tasmania, lots of wild and varied landscape)

What do you do when you are a divemaster of dive instructor?

• Being a diving instructor or divemaster means that you teach diving theory and practice, you teach about what you see underwater and how to deal with it.
• You are also involved in all kinds of practical matters such as how to handle equipment and what the signals are for mutual communication underwater.
• At the end of a course you will take an exam, evaluate the students and hand out certificates.

What do you learn?

• Becoming a diving instructor means learning to teach students who want to get their diving license.
• You learn to give specific training for navigation or underwater photography.
• You will learn how to advise students on the most appropriate courses and programs.

What do you need as a diving professional?

• To work as a diving instructor you will need to have the appropriate licenses, certifications, sufficient "flight hours and to have a medical certificate from a doctor regarding your health, signed within the last 12 months".
• To be and feel empathetic: feeling for people with a love of underwater flora and fauna.
• To dare to take risks: you should not be too frightened.
• To be aware of your surroundings: being environmentally aware love of underwater flora and fauna.
• To be conscious of the organization: being organizationally aware safety is an element that comes back every minute. You must always be able to stay alert, because you are responsible for yourself and your students.
• To be flexible: do not be too impatient.

Where can you go to work as a divemaster or dive instructor?

• Some of the most favorite diving destinations for instructors and divers
• Micronesia: Palau
• Red Sea: Egypt, Djibouti
• Indian Ocean: Maldives, Pemba & Zanzibar 
• Caribean: Bonaire, Cayman Islands
• Indonesië: Sulawesi (Bunaken!), Borneo (Sipidan!), Lombok (cheap)  Raja Ampat
• Papua New Guinea: Several options
• Australia: Great Barrier Reef, if the right spot
• Central America: Honduras, Cozumel (Palancar reef), Panama (Bocas del Torro)
• India: Andaman islands, Ladakshadweep islands
• Oman

What do you have to insure?

• There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance when doing paid work abroad, especially in the diving sector.
• During work, internship or volunteer work abroad, the coverage of your local health insurance normally expires. You will then need special insurance to remain insured for illness and accidents.
• Local employers usually offer no, or limited, additional insurance. When working as a diver, you may already be insured by your employer during your work. This varies per country and per employer. Check it carefully.
• If you become a diving instructor or diver master, special rules apply and there are specific insurances that take into account the risks you run.
• Some specialized insurances offer opportunities to do (temporary) paid work abroad.
• Read more: Travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
• Read more: Verzekeren van duikactiviteiten in het buitenland (NL)

What does it mean to be a sports instructor abroad?

• A sports instructor is someone who teaches sports in theory and practice. You teach how to master a certain sport, or learn to practice it better.
• In addition, you are often busy with all kinds of practical matters concerning the requirements for the sport in question.

What does it mean to be an outdoor trainer abroad?

• An outdoor instructor is someone who teaches the theory and practice of an outdoor activity. You teach how to master a certain activity, or learn to master it better.
• With many outdoor activities, you pay extra attention to safety while practicing the activity.
• In addition, you are often busy with arranging and organising all kinds of practical matters around the activity.

Why would you become a sports instructor or outdoor trainer abroad?

• Helpfulness: it is rewarding work that you get a lot in return. You are busy transferring knowledge to others.
• Involvement: it strengthens your sense of connection with people and nature.
• Experience: You gain unique experiences in another country, in another nature and in another culture.
• Sense of freedom: especially when you are working outside in a beautiful environment.
• Self-insight: you learn independence, to trust yourself and how to react in difficult situations.

What do you need, or what skills can you acquire as a sports instructor or outdoor trainer abroad?

• Empathy: feeling for the people you teach or guide.
• Having courage: you should not be too fearful in some sports.
• Being aware of the environment, respect for the flora and fauna and the culture in which you work.
• Being aware of the organization: you must always be able to remain alert, because you are responsible for yourself and your students.
• Flexibility: the weather conditions and seasons, the physical condition of yourself and your students can have an influence.

Where can you become a sports trainer or outdoor trainer abroad?

A short list of popular outdoor destinations

• Australia
• Canada
• Chile
• Costa Rica
• El Salvador
• Germany
• Iceland
• Norway
• New Zeeland
• Switzerland
• United States

To what extent are you insured for the risks?

• Are you insured as a sports instructor abroad?
• When you become a sports instructor, special rules apply and there are also specific insurance policies that take into account the risks you can run into
• Read more:Travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
• Read more: Verzekeren van activiteiten als sportinstructeur in het buitenland (NL)

What is a gap year abroad?

• A gap year is a longer period between two courses, between a course and a job or between two jobs. Where you more or less consciously choose not to switch directly from one to the other.
• A gap year is generally not literally a year but can vary from a few months to a year.
• The international term for a gap year is 'gap year', although gap year is more often used when it comes to a less serious way of spending the period.

How can you fill a gap year abroad?

• You can perfect your language skills and you can take classes in subjects of your choice, from art and history to media studies.
• You can also gain work experience and improve your skills by doing an internship at a local company.
• You can help yourself and someone else by doing volunteer work.
• You can fill your backpack with experiences by making a long or world trip.
• You can also do it all and not make it a gap year, but the starting year of the rest of your (meaningful) life.

Why should you take a gap year abroad?

• work or study experience in those areas that may be important for your study choice or career. Before you choose a direction, it is nice to know a little about what you are getting into.
• experience with immersing yourself in another culture, without being bothered by your friends, family or other limitations.
• a mountain of self-knowledge that you will continue to benefit from your whole life.
• a lot of new friends or acquaintances.

What do you need for a gap year abroad?

• A sufficient budget to last as long as you want, or enough work ethic to earn money there.
• The realization that when you return, you may want to leave again immediately.. so take enough time to acclimatize at home.
• The realization that after the period that you have been away, you may think very differently about your future.
• The realization that after the period that you have been away, you might think exactly the same about your future.

What is the best place to go during your gap year?

• Become an au pair: Argentina, Australia, China, England, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Austria, Spain and the United States.
• Backpacking and earning money: Australia, Canada, Curacao, Europe, New Zealand.
• Learn Chinese in China: for example in Beijing.
• Become a divemaster and teach diving: Greece, Egypt, Indonesia.
• Learn German: (Berlin), Austria or Switzerland.
• Learn English abroad: Australia (Sydney), England (Brighton, Cambridge, London), Canada (Toronto), Ireland (Dublin), the United States (New York, San Francisco), Malta, South Africa (Cape Town).
• Learn French: Biarritz; Nice, Paris, Switzerland.
• Learn Italian in Italy: Florence, Rome, Siena, Venice.
• Learn Spanish in Spain: Barcelona, ​​Granada, Malaga, Madrid, San Sebastian, Seville, Tenerife, Valencia.
• Learn Spanish in the Caribbean: Cuba, Dominican Republic.
• Learn Spanish in Central America: Costa Rica (Turrialba), Guatemala (Antigua), Panama (Bocas del Toro).
• Learn Spanish in South America: Argentina (Bariloche, Buenos Aires), Ecuador, Peru.
• Learn Swahili in Africa: Kenya (Kilifi), Tanzania (Zanzibar).
• Volunteering with children or the elderly: you can do volunteer work in almost any country in the world. Check the JoHo country pages for an indication of the work or projects.
• Volunteering as an animal caretaker: Australia (koalas, kangaroos, horses), Curacao (dolphins, dogs, cats), Indonesia (orangutans, street dogs), South Africa (monkeys, cheetahs, sharks, penguins, rhinos, elephants).
• Volunteering: protecting turtles: Sri Lanka, Costa Rica. Traveling around the world: South-East Asia, Latin America or Australia.
• Travel the world: Southeast Asia, Latin America or Australia.

What are the risks of a gap year abroad?

• Your health insurance coverage may lapse if, for example, you go and will work abroad.
• You may suffer from homesickness and want to go home earlier (but there is a lot you can do about it, and prepare for it!).
• You may have problems with the organization with which you are going abroad (read more about solving problems abroad).
• What are the consequences if, for example, you end up in a hospital?
• If you end up in a hospital, you may have to pay the costs yourself if you have not taken out insurance that covers your activities.
• Are you insured for a gap year abroad? A gap year abroad can be covered by your current travel and health insurance if you do not go abroad for too long, do not undertake paid work or special activities. In most cases, special insurance is recommended or really necessary.
• Read more: Travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
• Read more: Vezekeren van een tussenjaar het buitenland (NL)

What is community work or social work?

• Social work and community work are often used interchangeably. In English, people often simply refer to 'social work' or 'community work'.
• In social work abroad, you help other people with one or more aspects of life that they could use help with. For example, think of projects on loneliness, (financial) self-reliance, language skills, hygiene, preventive care or exercise/sports.
• You can also consider your commitment to an organization that focuses on certain social themes as social work. For example, think of helping in a museum or other cultural institution.

Why would you do social work abroad?

• Your involvement with others can take on a new dimension by helping abroad. You will experience a deeper layer in the culture and the specific challenges that people deal with.
• By sharing your experiences in and with other cultures, you not only strengthen your own capacities, but you can also help with the transfer of knowledge.
• By working abroad, you often encounter new sides of yourself and give those sides the opportunity to develop.

What are the core competencies you need, or can strengthen, for social work abroad?

• Adaptability
• Involvement
• Empathy
• Flexibility
• Collaboration

Where is the best place to work for in community and social work?

• Bonaire
• Curacao
• Brazil
• Philippines
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Indonesia
• Madagascar
• Nepal
• Vietnam
• South Africa

What is paid work abroad?

• Paid work abroad means that you have a temporary or permanent job with a foreign employer or that you have been sent abroad by a Dutch employer.
• For your work you generally receive compensation in the form of salary, expense allowance or, for example, board and lodging. In addition, the better jobs may also reimburse you for your travel to and/or from work.

Why should you go to work abroad for pay?

• To gain experience: by working abroad, your work experience increases within your own field but generally beyond. You experience much more during your stay abroad when you go to work than if you were already traveling around.
• To strengthen your empathy: by working in another culture, you often strengthen your own ability to put yourself in another person's shoes. The differences in culture, ways of working and ways of communicating make you accept or take other pieces as they are more quickly. Your own perspective quickly becomes wider, broader and, in particular, more flexible.
•  To increase your stress resistance: you regularly work under reasonable or great pressure; working in a different culture can be a drain on your stress resistance. Especially due to pressures that may arise because you have to communicate in a different language, perform new work or receive limited coaching. Yet for almost everyone, these experiences contribute to greatly increasing your stress resilience precisely because of them.
• To discover and accept your own qualities: further away from your familiar surroundings you discover more quickly what you can actually do and what you really want. It is precisely by going to work that you encounter yourself more often, get to know

What do you need if you want to work abroad?

• Flexibility: you already need some form of flexibility, the rest you will gain during your stay abroad.
• Communication skills: depending on the type of work, you will need a reasonable to good command of the local language.
• Independence and/or self-confidence: you already need some form of independence, and your self-confidence will grow through it.
• Being environmentally aware: an important element for your stay abroad.
• Collaborative ability: also abroad, it is important that you learn, or can, work together when working with others.

To what extent are you insured for risks when doing paid work abroad?

• There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance when doing paid work abroad: 
• During work, internship or volunteer work abroad in many cases, you will then need special insurance to remain insured for illness and accidents.
• Local employers usually offer no, or limited, additional insurance.
• The risk of accidents is present because you are doing work with which you have little experience, for example.
• Some specialized insurances offer opportunities to do (temporary) paid work abroad. See the pages on insuring paid work abroad and the pages on your medical expenses abroad.
• Read more: travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
• Read more: betaald werken in het buitenland verzekeren (NL)

What are the most popular countries to do paid work abroad?

• All countries
• Australia: working holiday, agricultural work, health care
• Austria : tourism, winter sports
• Canada: working holiday, agricultural work
• Curacao: hospitality, communication
• France: tourism, agricultural work (fruit picking), au pair
• Greece: hospitality, tourism
• Italy: tourism, winter sports , teaching (English), au pair
• New Zealand: working holiday, health care
• Portugal: tourism, helpdesks
• South Africa: tourism, helpdesks
• Spain: hospitality, tourism, teaching (English)
• Switzerland: tourism, winter sports
• Thailand: teaching
• United States: working holiday, au pair

What is teaching abroad?

• If you are going to teach abroad, this can range from a paid job as an English teacher at a local school in Asia to volunteering at a nursery school somewhere in Africa.

Where and what can you teach abroad?

• As a non native English speaker abroad, you have the best chance of a job as an English teacher at a school or as a private teacher.
• For all other subjects, from music to mathematics, the possibilities are more limited.
• In addition to teaching English, there are also many Dutch people who work as a Dutch teacher or German people who work as a German teacher or French people who work as a French teacher. Not only at Dutch, German or French schools but also at foreign educational institutions where the language is offered as a study or subject.

Why would you teach or help at a school abroad?

• Helpfulness: for rewarding work you often get as much, or more, back than you put in.
• Involvement: it strengthens your sense of involvement with a group of children or adults who want to develop or need help.
• Experience: you are pulled out of your comfort zone and experience all kinds of things every day.
• Creativity: you can use your creativity well when creating or using teaching materials or lesson content.
• Empathy: you train yourself to immerse yourself not only in another culture but also in the thought processes of your students.
• Flexibility: you strengthen your ability to flexibly search for solutions for situations that suddenly arise.
• Self-insight: there is no better mirror for your own development than a classroom full of children or involved students.

What do you need or can you learn if you teach or work in education abroad?

• Being aware of your surroundings: wherever you teach, you will always have to take your surroundings into account. Every country has its own rules and customs that you will have to adhere to to a certain extent.
• Being aware of the organization: every school or educational institution also has its own way of looking at education or teaching. Here too, you will have to take more account. Just like with the limitations/challenges that some schools have due to a lack of money or facilities.
• Communication skills: knowledge of the local language is not a must but is a great advantage.
• Being able to be convincing
• Being able to shape planning
• Being able to radiate self-confidence

What is the best place to go if you want to teach abroad a volunteer or intern?

• Argentina: for example teaching street children in Buenos Aires
• Bolivia: from teaching English to helping at a local village school
• Cambodia: from teaching monks to helping in special education for blind or disabled children
• Ghana: for example teaching English or mathematics in the countryside of Ghana.
• Guatemala: helping with teaching around Antigua
• India: for example teach children from slums or women and offer them more future prospects in this way.
• Kenya
• Middle East: in many countries in the Middle East there are opportunities to teach English, paid or unpaid
• Nepal: including opportunities for internships and research internships in the field of teaching.
• Thailand
• South Africa: for example teaching sports in the townships

What is the best place to go if you want to teach abroad a paid employee?

• Aruba: working in lower vocational education, secondary education or secondary special education.
• Bonaire: teaching at a primary or secondary school in various subjects
• China: At the moment, more than 300 million Chinese are learning English. No wonder that most (well-paid) jobs in education can be found in China.
• Brazil: Many opportunities to teach within large companies and the thousands of language schools spread across the country; from small villages to the big cities.
• Chile: often has a relatively higher demand for English teachers.
• Suriname: for example as a teacher in the interior of Suriname.
• Italy: there has been a high demand for English teachers in Italy for a long time, for example in Rome.
• Spain: working as an English teacher teaching Spaniards who want to improve their chances on the job market.
• South Korea: for the more experienced teacher.

Are you properly insured if you are going to teach abroad?

• There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance for paid or unpaid work abroad, or at least check your insured situation carefully.
• Local organisations generally offer no, or very limited, insurance.
• There is a chance of accidents because, for example, you are doing work with which you have little experience.
• During your work abroad, the coverage of your local health insurance normally expires. You then need special insurance to remain insured against illness and accidents.
• Read more: Travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
• Read more: Vrijwilligerswerk in het buitenland verzekeren (NL)
• Read more: Stage in het buitenland verzekeren (NL)
• Read more: Werken in het buitenland verzekeren (NL)

Working with children abroad: what is it, why should you do it and where is the best place to go? *

What does working on a farm abroad involve?

• Working on a farm means that you work temporarily as a seasonal or summer worker for an agricultural company. This can range from working as a fruit picker in France to herding cattle in Australia and from milking organic goats in Chile to working together within a permaculture community in the tropics.
• Employment: There is always a chance of work if you knock on a farmer's door. Many farms, especially in Europe, but certainly also in Australia and New Zealand, are usually looking for assistance, especially during the busy seasons. Small-scale farms often have work for unskilled (or non-agriculturally trained) people and will also be more open to a construction with room and board.
• Activities: There is a huge variety of seasonal jobs within agriculture and livestock farming. It can help to have experience with driving a tractor, horse riding or other work on a farm, or to have at least some feeling for working with machinery or farm animals.

Why should you work on a farm abroad?

• To stimulate your sense of involvement: sometimes you work very intensively with the same people on a farm for a long time, you often also sleep in a room with them: you have to like that, but you also make friends for life.
• To make the world around you more sustainable: by looking for work in organic farming, permaculture, or for example in the production of goat cheese, you can nicely combine your work and interests.
• To be profitable in a creative way: Some small farmers will not be able to pay you a wage, but offer a place to sleep and food in exchange for work.
• To gain new experiences: During your stay on a farm and when you go to work, you experience much more than if you were to travel around alone.
• To increase your self-awareness: further away from your familiar environment, you discover more quickly what you can actually do and what you actually want. By going to work, you encounter yourself more often, you get to know yourself better and accept who you are and want to be. To test your environmental awareness: living and working in rural areas allows you to experience a foreign culture in a completely different and more authentic way than, for example, working in tourism.

Where is the best place to go for farm work abroad?

• Australia: working holiday, agricultural work, fruit picking
• Canada: working holiday, agricultural work
• Chile: fruit picking, livestock farming
• France: agricultural work, fruit picking, grape picking
• Italy: agricultural work, fruit picking
• Ecuador: tropical agriculture, coffee, cocoa and permaculture
• New Zealand: working holiday, fruit picking, agricultural work
• Spain: olive picking, viticulture
• South Africa: ecolodges, ranches

What do you need if you want to work on a farm?

• Professionalism: you often have to work hard and hard, which is why the average slacker usually doesn't last long on a farm. Flexibility weather conditions, animal behaviour and plant growth do not always go according to plan, which means that your flexibility will often be called upon.
• Collaborative skills: being able to learn to work together with a group of seasonal workers or with the farm family will always be necessary.

To what extent are you insured for the risks of working on a farm or in livestock farming

• There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance for (paid) farm work and agricultural work abroad.
• During work, internship or volunteer work abroad your local health insurance normally lapses. You then need special insurance to remain insured against illness and accidents.
• Local employers generally do not offer any, or limited, additional insurance.
• The chance of accidents is somewhat greater on farms than with other types of work. A number of specialized insurances offer opportunities to do (temporary) paid work abroad where you run a bit more risk, such as working on a farm.
• Read more: Travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
• Read more: Risicovol werk in het buitenland verzekeren: van sportinstructeur tot boerderijmedewerker (NL)

Werken op een camping of bushcamp in het buitenland: wat is het, waarom zou je doen en waar kan je het beste heen?