The students’ wish to stay in Egypt to watch the protests from the safety of their temporary homes, plus a sudden increase in interest for study abroad programmes in the Middle East, may be part of a bigger trend; that of education abroad being used as an opportunity for a bit of ‘revolutionary tourism’.

Revolutionary, or political, tourism is not a new phenomenon. For example, every election time in the US sees thousands of tourists flock to New Hampshire to see the candidates in person during the first primary in the presidential election cycle. And reportedly after the uprising in Oaxaca, Mexico, against the marginalisation of the poor, large numbers of Americans travelled to the city to ‘experience’ the lives of the poor there. These are not examples of extraordinary cases, but can be seen as common occurrences.

The main draw seems to be the opportunity to be involved in ‘history’ – to see something extraordinary, something of significance that could make a real change to the country, if not the world. Having travelled to Thailand to teach in the midst of the Red Shirt protests in 2010, despite being warned against it by almost everyone and being one of the few foreign employees that didn’t cancel, I can say from personal experience that – although at times worrying – travelling to a country in some sort of state of emergency can also be an exhilarating experience.

However it seems that recently, it is students that are getting more and more involved and interested in world, and home, events. Take the recent student protests over tuition fees in the UK; students came out in their droves to have their voice heard in a way not seen since the mass students protests of the ‘60s against the Vietnam War.

And what better way to get involved than be in the middle of the action? After the tragedy of 9/11, interest in studying in the Middle East sky rocketed; according the Institute of International Education, the number of students choosing to study in an Arabic-speaking country between 2002 and 2006 increased by 127%.

Although Egypt may be quiet on the study abroad front for now, it seems that it will only be a matter of time before students start flocking there again. According to the Times Higher Education, both Stanford University and Middlebury College in the US are still planning to keep programmes in the middle east, and Northeastern University’s international affairs programme and has been receiving emails from interested students.

Safety is, of course, an important consideration and it is important that student’s travelling abroad are informed and aware of the dangers they may face. But if they do decide to travel to a ‘risky’ country, they are sure to return with an unrivalled experience.

Have you studied or travelled as a ‘revolutionary tourist’? Do you think it’s a good idea? Have you had to leave Egypt? We want to know your stories!

Since the 1950’s the Harkness Fellowships programme has been funded and run by The Commonwealth Fund, an American philanthropic foundation.

For forty years Harkness Fellowships supported study in a wide range of fields, but since 1997 have been restricted to the field of health care.

All of that has changed, however, thanks to former prominent alumni who have become leaders in fields such as business, politics, media and education. Together they have raised funds and support that will once again open the Harkness Fellowship to a range of subjects.

The new Fulbright-Harkness Fellowship will be offered annually and is valued at NZ$15,000 (US$10,000) towards the cost of a fellowship in the US for a minimum of six weeks.

All applications for this years award must be received by March 15th 2010. More information and an application form can be found on the Fulbright New Zealand website.

You can find out more about studying in the US and New Zealand through our online guides here at i-studentadvisor.com