Study abroad may be defined broadly as "the international movement of students and scholars." US education abroad, for these purposes, includes short- and long-term programs, exchange programs, service learning abroad, internships, and all other program types in which students from the US fulfill part of their education by traveling to a foreign country. As higher education institutions and study abroad providers offer students more options for studying in the African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern regions, students are responding in a positive way. Because of increased student interest, institutions are offering more of these programs, and a mutually reinforcing cycle has appeared. This paper examines current literature, policy, and theory, and creates a framework for analyzing the personal, societal, and institutional rationales for education abroad in nontraditional locations. The author concludes with policy and research implications based on the analysis, including a specific call for more empirical research into the outcomes and impacts of nontraditional study abroad destinations. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table and 16 notes.)