Argentina happens to be the eighth largest country in the world, so there is no reason to just stay in one city while studying abroad here. There are so many places to travel to, and with the exchange rate from U.S. dollars to Argentine pesos, traveling is pretty cheap for international students.

If you struggle with choosing which places to visit and what activities there are to do around the country, there are several programs that organize groups of international students to travel. One that is very popular is called Buenos Aires International Students Argentina (BAIS). They divide their events into categories: BAIS by Day, by Night, Travel, Sports and Volunteering.

By Day

There are events almost every day in Buenos Aires. To explore the culture and get to know your surroundings, join BAIS in Palermo at the Japanese Gardens or go to the planetarium for a tour of the constellation patterns in the southern hemisphere.

They have “Movie Days,” a class to learn basic Portuguese, “Relaxing Days” in February Park and tours of La Recoleta Cemetery.

By Night

To experience the wild nightlife of the city, BAIS makes reservations at popular bars and clubs. They sometimes organize groups to go to La Bomba, a famous percussion show in the dark with neon lights every Monday night.

For the month of October, there is also a Halloween party in the center of Buenos Aires. Yes, they do celebrate this fun holiday here.

Sports

If you want to stay athletic while abroad, there are gyms, or you can have some fun playing competitive sports against students who are hopefully now your friends.

For less competitive activity, there is a picnic and rollerblading in Palermo.

Travel

As for making long distance trips outside of Buenos Aires, BAIS plans everything. Every month during the school year they take a bus of students to Iguazu Falls in the province of Missiones, which is on the borders of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, so it is highly recommended that you take this trip. Also, while there, students can take a day trip to see old Incan ruins from pre-colonization.

Once a semester, a group flies to Salta and Jujuy in the northwest part of Argentina where you can see a desert of pure white salt and red mountains, terrain much like the bordering country of Bolivia.

A trip to Mendoza in the middle of spring allows students to go horseback riding in the Andes Mountains, as well as enjoy the famous Malbec wine the province produces and distributes to the rest of the world.

Visiting Córdoba in October is a great trip because you can take part in the third largest “Oktoberfest” celebration in the world, but there are so many other activities in the city where the current Pope, Pope Francis, grew up.

If you want to visit Patagonia, San Carlos de Bariloche and El Calafate are options for hiking, seeing the Andes Mountains, the largest mountain range in the world, and getting up close and personal with giant ice glaciers.

BAIS organizes events all the time. Going to one of their events is a very great way to meet other people your age and practice your Castellano, the language spoken in Buenos Aires. Most of the other students are from Latin America, but activities are open to all foreigners from any country.

Studying abroad in Buenos Aires opens up many opportunities to meet and make friends from all around the world.