After illustrating the joys of teaching religious studies abroad with an anecdote from my trip to China, I warn of some of its inherent pedagogical and ethical challenges. I argue that teaching some of the "new directions" in religious studies scholarship might address these challenges. These include a turning away from the abstract (texts, beliefs, theologies) and towards the concrete (bodies, places, rituals); moving away from teaching religions as unchanging, ancient verities and instead emphasizing the impact that colonialism, modernization, and secularism have had; moving from searching for authenticity to questioning it; and emphasizing methodological self-consciousness. Keeping these new directions in mind will help ensure the study abroad experience is educationally successful. This essay serves as an introduction to a series of six additional essays comprising a special section of the journal (see "Teaching Theology and Religion" 18:1, January 2015). [See the essays in ERIC at: EJ1049971 (Andrew Irvine); EJ1049973 (Kerry Mitchell); EJ1049975 (Norris W. Palmer); EJ1049977 (Wendy A. Wiseman); EJ1049979 (Calvin Mercer); and EJ1049982 (Response by John D. Barbour.)]