Four summers and a minimum of bad experiences

"I'm not sure if I'm the right candidate to answer these questions - because it might seem that my answers are too positive with a minimum of negative and sound like pure advertising. However, during four summer seasons in the USA, I must truly say that every little negative that may have happened to me was instantly overshadowed by a lot of good experiences."

Dominik Pavličko from Mlynice

Student at UMB in Banská Bystrica

What type of people do you think this program is best for?

I would say that I don’t know a person who wouldn’t find at least one positive thing during the summer in the U.S. This program is especially good for people who want to get more out of student life and its benefits than just free trains, who want to see, get to know and experience the world from a wider spectrum than just from the BA-KE IC. Of course, Slovakia is also beautiful, but those who have traveled abroad certainly know what I’m talking about.

Most powerful experience you had during Summer Work & Travel?

In my case it was the beginning and the early days. Breaking down all the prejudices I had against Americans, but also foreigners in general. The realization that not only “at home” is the best, but also in a world with completely new people, one can sometimes feel almost at home. And of course, the very feeling of being in the U.S.

Is there something you didn’t expect, and the program brought you?

I did not expect that this opportunity to travel would make me return to the US every year. It wasn’t just about the program, but mainly about the people I got to know and the places I got to see and visit. It may sound like a “cliché”, but if you are somewhere in the world in a new place, the people you meet will make the entire American trip an unforgettable experience. And I didn’t expect to fall in love with their donuts. But not the ones from Dunkin’ donuts (“forget about it”), but the ones from Shoppers, definitely go and try 🙂

If you had to repeat your summer in the USA, would you do anything differently?

Definitely yes! I wouldn’t wait until the second year of university but would have gone right away in the first year.

Would you prepare something else?

Definitely “mindset” for the first summer. I know that everyone wants to bring some money home, but from my own experience I recommend spending that money on traveling and getting to know the places that you only watched on TV as a child.

Any travel tips or practical advice on what to pack? Don’t go there with a suitcase full of things because you think you’ll need them! That feeling of saving and not buying stuff to bring something home, those outlets everywhere will change your mind right after your first paycheck. At the end of the summer, you will throw out all the old things from your suitcase, just so you don’t have to put on that third sweatshirt and jacket at the airport in Miami, because otherwise your suitcase won’t pass the weight limits. Travel tip – go wherever you can! During the first summer, I recommend classics like a cruise ship from Miami or indescribable road trips in the west with beautiful Las Vegas at the end of your unforgettable summer in the USA!

Four summers and a minimum of bad experiences

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