Those of us associated with One Summer in Europe believe that it is important for people to live an active and informed life.With so much to discover, understand, and enjoy in the world, and so little time, it is imperative for everybody to realize their full potential.

Because many young adults read OSiE in preparation for their travels in Europe, we would like to help such people who are trying to find their way in the world beyond simply providing travel resources. We believe that the list below contains important points about how to live an interesting and rewarding life, in a time when it is so easy to get tied down in unfulfulling routines. What we are after here is one simple but elusive concept: freedom.

1. Travel: The first and most obvious advice OSiE offers is to get out and see the world, sooner rather than later. Travel absolutely creates a curious and open mind, one that appreciates and respects the diversity of different peoples and cultures. The world would be a more peaceful place if more people were able to travel to places far and unknown and to realize that seemingly strange and threatening foreigners were actually similar to them in nearly every way. Beyond that travel is simply fun, the wonders of which continue to inspire and amaze even the most experienced travelers. By travel, OSiE stresses that one or two week-long vacations per year is not at al sufficient. You must find a way to be on the road for several weeks or months at least for one period in your life.

2. Learn history: Of course, nobody really enjoyed or learned much during high school history class. Reading about distant events, places, or eras in a book at that young age carries little meaning, but actually seeing an historic site in adulthood can really have an impact on people. OSiE encourages people to give history another try when they get a little older and, if you do travel, a little historical knowledge of the places you go greatly amplifies the experience. When you combine travel with history, the result is, at long last, a real understanding of the world.

3. Be creative: OSiE believes that everybody has inner creativity buried deep inside and a need to express themselves in a unique way. We encourage you to find and release that creativity in whatever form that interests you or wherever you may have talent. Despite what people may say, creativity can be learned and cultivated from humble beginnings, and we know that each person can find a creative outlet that works for them: painting, sculpting, dance, theatre, photography, writing, poetry, singing, screenwriting, musical instruments, songwriting, film direction, entrepreneurship, website design, etc. To be an artist is a high calling, yet everybody has that potential.

4. Seek alternative information: A person simply cannot rely on the information that comes to them to know what is really happening in the world. Mainstream news and journalism will only provide you with an extremely narrow range of information and exclude viewpoints that fall outsdie this range. You must seek out and acquire information from alternative news and information outlets in order to be truly informed. We encourage you to make full use of the internet, for it is really the only place where some information and viewpoints are allowed to be expressed these days. Please see our links page for our recommended websites to obtain very important alternative news and information.

5. Think as a citizen of the world: Of course, home and nationality are important components of everybody's life. However, the world is now interconnected and interpendent. Flag-waving and jingoism are counterproductive behaviors and will not solve the problems of the world. Only international cooperation, from the largest nations all the way down to conscientious individuals acting alone and who value human life and dignity, wherever that life may be located, will give us progress, a reduction in human suffering, and an optimism for the future. A loyalty to mankind is one way to express this.

6. Be entreprenuerial: In our experience, we find that at least 95% of individuals think and act in terms of getting a job rather than working for themselves. If you want to have real freedom, you will likely have to work for yourself and not somebody else. If you want to really make money, it is more likely to happen if you own something than by making a wage. Of course, the world will always need a mass of workers, but there is no reason why an educated, intelligent, and a curious person should not try to pursue entrepreneurial business opportunities as their livelihood. Most people believe they do not possess the ability to do this, but all it really takes is a good idea, a little luck, and a lot of perseverance.

7. Read: Last but not least, reading and a general interest in lifelong learning is very important. This point amplifies most of the others: if you want to travel, read about places to go. If you want to learn history, read about some important person or time in history. If you want to be creative, read to get your creative energy flowing. If you want to be informed, read alternative news and information. If you want to be a citizen of the world, read about other places and the important issues that affect it. If you want to be an entrepreneur, read and you will be full of business ideas in no time.

We hope you take away some thoughts from this page and apply it to your own life.

To see how OSiE is taking steps to better the world, please visit here.