I believe this is a question that some natives/heritage speakers hardly think about. Generally, most of us want to study abroad before we even arrive on campus. We’ve either heard great things from family members or friends who have studied abroad, or an advisor somewhere in the world strongly recommended doing so before graduating.

However, many native speakers often come to UMass from other countries, or at least once in their life have the opportunity to visit the country from which their heritage originates. So, is there really a need to study abroad?

Arguments can be made both ways, but I’ll be going over why we should be doing so.

1. The experience cannot otherwise be replicated. The time spent abroad is unique in that you’re only there for an established period of time. You’ll be immersing yourself into a culture you may have never been in contact with previously. Whether you speak Spanish or Portuguese, you’ll learn a new dialect or pick up idioms or phrases that are very local knowledge–things you won’t learn in a classroom in Amherst. Furthermore, the people you meet there (host family, locals, UMass classmates, local students, etc.) are bonds that you will have for the rest of your life. Studying abroad might happen during a short time span, but that country will always feel like a second home to you because of those bonds.
2. It goes without saying that you won’t be vacationing while you’re abroad like you would during a family or personal vacation to another country; but, there will be room for excursion trips to other parts of the same country or to neighboring countries. You won’t be stuck in el campo the entire time unless you want to be. Trips like these are very common and play a function on the economy, so you can find affordable prices for these adventures.
3. In a similar sense, given you’ll be studying abroad and going to classes, you’ll be in a mindset of learning as much as you can, and this spans to many areas. You will be free to explore your interests without anybody looking over your shoulder. Community service is popular among students like volunteering in local causes or at orphanages. 
4. Lastly, you will be given the space you very much desire: a space to eat, sleep, and breathe Spanish (or Portuguese).

I had the opportunity to “study abroad” while I was in high school. It was a 3.5 week immersion trip to Spain where we would stay with a host family in Cadiz. The program was run by API, and there were weekly trips to places like Seville and Granada. Despite being a native Spanish speaker, I benefitted dramatically from being able to speak (and listen to) Spanish in a way that I hadn’t before. For the most part, I spoke Spanish only to my family members or neighbors. Being abroad allowed me to practice speaking Spanish beyond those groups; and when I returned, I possessed not only a better vocabulary but also greater confidence when I spoke.