From Stellenbosch to Trang!

Writing a review about the best decision you have ever made while trying to not get overly excited and sound completely biased is a tough ask, but here is my attempt. The first step in making the decision was when I met with Peter from TravelBud in a coffee shop in Stellenbosch on a Saturday morning.

He was off the clock, it was weekend, but he took time out of his own personal life to meet up with me and chat about moving abroad. This was even when he knew I was not completely convinced about moving abroad and that I was in contact with other agencies on top of this uncertainty. He wanted to make sure I had all the information to be informed before leaving, even if I didn’t choose his agency TravelBud. An incredible gesture considering we live in a world where profit is the bottom-line.

His stories amazed me, they were exhilarating, frightening and hilarious all at once and from this point on all I could imagine was sitting down with my future kids and grandkids and telling them my own tales. I wanted similar experiences; I was completely sold on that day. His raw honesty and enthusiasm was enough to change this eternal skeptic.

To clear up any confusion you may have, TravelBud are essentially your agents before you get to the country of your choice. They help you with the paperwork and hassle of visas, booking flights and provide you with priceless information you need before you jet off. Once you get to your destination, you’re handed over to your agency in that country. That is the norm with every agency, but TravelBud continued to provide support and information, even going as far as to place an employee within our city for the duration of an entire month while we completed our TESOL. No other agent did that, not one, but TravelBud went the extra mile and ensured that we were eased into a new culture and had some form of a support structure as we adjusted to life in our new homelands. They checked in and kept an eye out during the nervy placement process. Furthermore, they organised a fantastic group dinner, study groups, TESOL support and a number of other awesome excursions for us during our free time, which helped with meeting more likeminded people and in the end, form friendships with people from all over the globe. These come in handy when you travel around and need a place to crash in either your own new home country or further abroad!

If you are in two minds, you need only speak to one of the amazing team members and hear about their priceless memories and experiences. I recommend TravelBud as your choice to lead you into your new life, they have the perfect balance of professionalism and fun/friendly/warm that you need, a mould you can use for your own approach as a teacher. Take the plunge, you really won't regret it.