Whether it’s to Cabo, Paris or Tokyo, many people have the desire to visit foreign countries and explore new cultures. Yet increasing travel costs and a fast-paced lifestyle can keep these dream vacations remaining as exactly that. However, “traveling on a budget has never been easier,” revealed Tina Mangelova ’16, an intern at the Berkeley headquartered startup, Go Overseas.
Mangelova, who’s pursuing an interdisciplinary major, modern culture & media studies, is working in California through the generosity of the Summer Internship Support Fund. Go Overseas is an online directory of opportunities to teach, study, volunteer and intern abroad, with an emphasis on meaningful, transformative experiences.
Appreciating the goal of the organization, Mangelova said, “for the past five years travelling has been a big part of my life and now, more than ever, I am very passionate about it. Working at Go Overseas,” she continued, “gives me the chance to be a part of a community of travelers.”
After discovering the internship on her own, Mangelova was surprised and enthusiastic to learn that alumnus Tucker Hutchinson ’07 was the contact person for the position. Beyond the connections she has made, Mangelova said she is thankful for her time with the organization because it “combined my love for writing, photography and technology, touching on four of the areas I’m most interested in.”
Mangelova is acting as the editorial and marketing intern, “juggling a variety of tasks such as writing and coding articles, communicating with staff writers, maintaining social media, updating requests for teaching jobs, and editing articles and photographs.”
Through her work with Go Overseas, she has “learned about the best social media practices for business purposes, and significantly improved my HTML/coding skills.” Mangelova admitted that “in the beginning of the internship [she] didn’t know anything about Search Engine Optimization or Google Analytics,” but now she feels as though she has “learned the nuts and bolts behind the operation and generally [has] a better grasp on marketing.”
The organization’s website compiles articles about abroad experiences; detailing how, why, and to where individuals traveled. “After reading about travel opportunities around the globe, I can assure everyone that you can travel regardless of your financial situation,” Mangelova confirmed.
Prompting action, she stated, “next time you complain about how much you want to travel and see places, stop. Instead, save up some money, do your research and finally go on your dream trip!” With six continents all just a click away, stop dreaming and Go Overseas.
Tina Mangelova is from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and graduated from Math High School “Acad. Kiril Popov.”
