London’s got the big clock, the queen and the castle, and loads of people wild about soccer. Paris has food, berets and that museum with all the masterpieces.

But when it comes to studying abroad, Malika Heiller wanted something a little more meaningful, something “off the beaten path,” something that wouldn’t be as easy or as comfortable as a country very much used to American tourists.

So instead of heading to Europe, she did what more and more college students are doing with their study abroad experience: finding locations that are more exotic — or at least nontraditional.

Heiller sent four months in Morocco and four months in India.

“Everything I’ve seen has changed my life,” the Gustavus Adolphus College junior said.

Across the board, study abroad trips to traditional locations such as Italy or Australia remain popular. Gustavus students in increasing numbers, however, are choosing adventure and unknown over comfort and familiarity.

“Students are becoming more aware of a larger world, and the old notion of the junior year in Paris is finally out of this generation’s memory,” says Patrick Quade, interim director of International Education at Gustavus. “This generation is far more interested in locations and destinations that give them a glimpse of a culture they’re not accustomed to.”

At look at statistics from the Institution for International Education, Quade says, shows a shift to non-western destinations that started about 10 years ago and has kept growing.

And it’s not just private colleges. At Minnesota State University, the vast majority of students are choosing traditional locations, especially Australia. But there have always been students, says Study Abroad Coordinator Margie Larson, who have chosen unusual locations, such as the Czech Republic, South Africa and Estonia.

Heiller can easily be included in that category.

Heading to Morocco was, for Heiller, sort of a trip of destiny. Her father — who died unexpectedly in January — lived in Morocco for two years while serving in the Peace Corps.

She spent half the academic year there, and the other half in India.

In Morocco, the culture was drastically different than what she was used to in Minnesota.

“It was hard in the beginning,” said Heiller, whose time in Morocco was spent being one of the few blond and fair-skinned people around. “Walking down the street I’d get people flirting or cat calls. I’ve never had that here living in a small town.”

She wanted something authentic, and something she wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. She didn’t want her study abroad experience to be ordinary.