Stepabroad

Use this program if you've never travelled overseas, or done a working holiday before. After you discover for yourself just how easy it can be to move across the world, the biggest benefit of the program becomes the social element. The program activities were really fun, but the most that I've taken away from it (now five months after completing the program), are the friends that I still talk to regularly because of it.

After your program ends, do not work straight away unless you absolutely have to. Try to venture out by yourself, find things that scare you and conquer them. Use this opportunity to grow and become a better version of yourself. After you've traveled around the country a bit, try to live like a local and enjoy the comfort in the every-day if you get tired of the backpacker life :)

Throughout the week-long adventure program, each day consists of exploring new places and partaking in fun activities. It was a lot of fun - I went sand boarding, held snakes, enjoyed lots of beautiful scenery and got up close with unique wildlife!

After the adventure program ended, I lived the typical backpacker life for two months before settling down in Hobart. This was amazing, and the major highlight of my time down under. It was the perfect jumping point for day-adventures or week long adventures. It's what allowed me to get a bike and bike-pack in so many beautiful places on the island of Tasmania, and have incredible and unique experiences that bring me so much joy to reflect upon, while having the comfort of a home base and routine to help ground myself in the day-to-day grind of working as a bicycle mechanic.

Australia is a very safe country to travel. I didn't have any fears about travelling itself, or Australia, but rather used my time abroad to help conquer some existing fears.

For example, I had a fear of open water (specifically looking down and not seeing the ocean floor). To combat this, I went scuba diving in the Whitsundays, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, and entered a great white shark cage in Port Lincoln. Choosing fun ways to conquer fears gave me stories to tell for a lifetime, and let me experience so much of what the country has to offer while becoming a better human!

I also had a fear of falling from heights, so I went bungy jumping in Cairns. Even after my jump, I'm just as terrified about heights as I was before - but a cool thing to have done, nonetheless!

Use your time adventuring abroad to grow, and a great way of doing that is pinpointing insecurities and fears and facing them head on!

I wouldn't have expected the emotional response and growth that happened to myself while I was abroad. I seemed to gain a little more clarity while reflecting on past points in my life, and got better at critically evaluating my own decisions. This is helping me to live a better life now, after returning home, and helped me shape a better life while I was abroad! And embracing vegetarianism along the way has been great for my physical and mental health!

In terms of an activity that I wouldn't have seen myself doing, I wouldn't have seen myself volunteering on an organic vegetable farm for a week, or volunteering (albeit briefly) with Sea Sheppard, or bungy jumping, or skydiving!

Working at Stepabroad has been an incredibly rewarding opportunity, and I am very grateful to be able to be a part of such an amazing team. Working with the company made me realize that anything is possible, and there are no limits to the kinds of opportunities we can provide Canadian youth. It's just a matter of spreading the word about the opportunities available to them, which is what I'm here to do!

Hearing how much participants enjoyed living in a new place and experiencing life as a local is always exciting to me. Whether it's exploring a local market or discovering a local pastime, learning about new ideas and ways of doing things, it is always eye-opening for a young person.

Experiences like these widened my perspective and helped me appreciate other cultures as well as my own, so it is exciting to hear participants undergo similar experiences. When participants come back expressing greater personal and professional confidence, I feel proud to have been a part of that!

Tough choice – Japan is high on my bucket list and would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the culture, sights, and food in depth as a local as opposed to a tourist. But New Zealand is one of my favorite places on Earth because of its out-of-this-world beauty, laid-back vibes, and friendly culture so I would never pass an opportunity to live in the land Down Under!

What makes us unique is that our programs are designed specifically for Canadians by Canadians, so there is no chance of getting lost in a large global company.

It has been very rewarding seeing our program participants embark on the journey of a lifetime. It continues to make me more and more excited about the work we do here at Stepabroad. Our team consistently places our participants’ needs first, no matter which stage in the program they are on.

It's this level of dedication that makes me very proud to work here. When we hear the excitement from a newly registered participant, I feel like I get more excited than they are because I know how much fun they are about to have!

Critical to our success as a work abroad experience provider is putting our program participant's needs first and ensuring they feel confident they can rely on our team to support them every step of the way. It can be nerve-racking to take the leap and move to another country, so it is wonderful to hear from participants how we relieved their concerns and stress from planning a trip abroad.

That, and the fact that we are a friendly, non-judgmental group of travelers ourselves, who are eager and excited to answer any hesitations or questions so our participants can get on the work experience of a lifetime!