Participating in international MUN conferences is a fantastic way to learn more about international politics, visit exciting destinations, and forge lifelong bonds. However, the logistics surrounding moving fifteen to twenty teenagers across the world can be daunting for even the most seasoned travelers. This article will break down some of the best tips and tricks for traveling to international conferences at both the high school and collegiate level. Ideally, through this and all international week articles we hope that your MUN community feels inspired to explore the possibility of MUN around the world.
Choosing a Conference:
Perhaps the most challenging part of travelling to international conferences is the selection process. Through the last decade, MUN has exploded onto the global scene as one of the most popular activities for high school students. As a result, there are more conferences than ever before with many varying substantially in size and quality. Choosing your international conference is a combination of multiple factors that all need to be considered to find your best match (think of it a bit like the MUN Bachelor).
First and foremost, it is essential to consider the financial ramifications of travelling to international conferences. While travelling with large groups abroad is certainly not inexpensive, there are ways to reduce your base cost and still receive a fantastic learning experience. It is important to keep your geography at the center of your travel plans. For example, if your school is on the East Coast of the U.S. it will be far easier to travel to a European conference than an Asian one and the opposite usually rings through for the West Coast. If you are travelling from North America, one area to reconsider may be South America itself. Flights into South America from the continental U.S. tend to cost similar prices or even more than flights to Asian and European destinations due to a lower volume of passengers. Consider your city’s major airlines and where their high volume (usually leading to cheaper tickets) destinations are and you might just be able to snatch up a fantastic price.
Furthermore, it is also crucial to evaluate the style of the conference itself. Although the goals of Model UN are universal, rules of procedure certainly are not. THIMUN conferences, while common in Europe and the Middle East, are quite rare in North America and may be more difficult for delegates unfamiliar with the format to adapt to. Simultaneously, THIMUN’s resolution and lobbying focused procedure helps teach valuable writing skills that may not be as fleshed out at standard North American conferences where resolutions take more time to emerge as into committee. If you want to attend an international conference as a North American student but still feel comfortable right away in committee, you may want to consider collegiate-hosted conferences such as WorldMUN, ILMUNC India, or NAIMUN China all of which possess chairs familiar with UNA-USA rules of procedure.
The final major consideration you may want to take in when choosing the conference is the location itself. MUN conferences are held in practically every major city around the world but there may be certain cities that appeal to your team more or will make your life just a bit easier. Consider the composition of your team (particularly in college where it is common for not all members to be U.S. citizens) and think about choosing destinations that have visa-free or E-visa access available. Some conferences may also naturally match up better with your institution’s calendar and prevent your team from missing classes.
Visas:
If you are going to a country where you will need to get a visa for travel, it is important to start the application process as soon as possible. Some visa applications can take over 2 weeks to process at a standard time, and starting early avoids possibility of setbacks. The easiest way to learn about visa requirements is to visit the embassy website in respect to your home country. Many countries also offer group visas that may or may not be applicable to your team at a significantly lower cost so be sure to do a good amount of research before applying.
Large international conferences that tend to attract delegates from a variety of countries may also possess invitation forms to help you with your visa process. When in doubt ask, and see if there is any assistance you might be able to receive. Another common pitfall that travelers run into is passport validity. The standard rule is that you will need to have at least six months (if not more) of time before your passport expires and multiple blank pages available. Passport renewal processes have become much faster in recent years, but this does not mean that you should wait till the very last minute.
Finally, consider using a visa operator such or travel agent to help you with your applications. There may be a nearby city with a consulate that is well-known for having faster processing times that you wouldn’t be aware of without a third-party.
Flights:
Flights tend to almost always be the most expensive part of international travel, but there are ways to make sure that you’re getting the best fare possible. Naturally, consider choosing conferences that occur outside of peak travel times. You ideally don’t want to be going to a conference in Costa Rica during March or April or one in China during February because tickets are inevitably going to be much higher. Budget airlines can also be a great option especially if you are flying to Europe, but keep in mind that extra fees for baggage (there needs to be somewhere to fit all those gavels on the way back) can really offset those savings.
To book your flights, it is highly recommended that you use a flight booking engine such as Expedia, Kayak, or Skyscanner to compare fares and find the best route. Skyscanner also has a great feature where you’re able to input the dates you want to travel and find the cheapest international flights from your city by selecting the everywhere option Meanwhile Kayak can set alerts that will email you when they believe that prices for the destination you set will rise or lower based on travel trends. Even if you find a great deal on one of these websites, try to see if you can piece together a better one by combining other modes of transportation. It may cheaper to fly in to Amsterdam than Brussels but the latter is only a short, inexpensive train ride away. Remember that flight booking engines and airline websites track your cookies and tend to increase fares as you search around so clear your web history before searches to get the best prices.
Finally, booking group tickets can work in your benefit. For high school teams, by designating a faculty advisor as a group leader you will not be required to coordinate the printing of boarding passes and worry about someone forgetting their documents as they arrive at the airport. Some airlines also offer deposits on group tickets and thus don’t require a full payment upfront when booking tickets. This gives you a bit more time to collect money from team members or to fundraise if needed. Simultaneously, many airlines allow you to change passenger names on a group booking up to a certain day before the flight. This will help you save money by switching out delegated in the case of an untimely drop-out and will give you a longer selection time. Ensure that you also ask if any form of group rates are available for the tickets or for baggage to help cut costs further.
Hotels:
While you cannot beat staying in the conference hotel for convenience purposes, there are other options available for accommodation that may suit your team far better. Within Southeast Asia and areas of Europe in particular, suites can be less expensive than booking multiple rooms. A quick price check on the hotel website can save you money and secure you nicer accommodation. Once again it is recommended that you use a hotel booking engine such as Hotels.com to compare prices.
In recent years, there has been a tremendous rise in the use of Airbnb’s for housing MUN teams. Airbnb’s allow you to save money on food with your own kitchen and can oftentimes fit more people than a standard set of hotel rooms for much cheaper. If you know your team is quite noisy it can also be a great option to prevent the noise complaints you would incur at a hotel. Airbnb’s can end up being farther than the conference venue than you may like, but there are benefits worthy of careful consideration.
Conclusion:
While international MUN conferences can be challenging to organize travel to, there are few better ways to take committee skills and apply them into real world situations. It is highly encouraged that your team investigates the possibility of international MUN travel. You may be surprised to learn that it can cost much less than you assume. Above all, this is a chance for your team to learn and grow together while still gaining the educational benefits of MUN while also being exposed to brand new styles of their favorite activity. Traveling halfway across the world for Model UN may seem daunting, but nothing could be more memorable either.
