1. Don't blow through your money in the first couple of weeks
This tip is extremely important and a terrible, classic mistake that I made. I was so excited to have a bunch of money that I made in the summer that I blew through most of it on clothes and food within the first month. While it is great to want to spend your hard earned money.. be thoughtful of the fact that you are spending a semester in a foreign country and will constantly find yourself in an adorable boutique asking yourself, "do I really need this....?" Trust me, you will thank me for this later. Also! don't spend your money on stuff you can buy back in America.. get that shit when your home. Buy a sketchy pair of llama fur gloves from Prague instead.
2. Pack an extra duffle
Trust me, you're guna need this. If you plan on traveling on the weekends, roll up a vera bradley weekender and shove it in your already overpacked bag. Its easy to pack and a great bag to have with you. Also, you can use it on your trip back home, rather than having to buy a whole new piece of luggage (because we all know you buy way more than you think you will while abroad... oops.)
3. Space out your trips
On our fourth trip in a row, I realized it might have been a better idea to space out our weekend trips... 5 trips in a row was definitely a bit of a struggle. While it was awesome to see one beautiful place after the next.. I wish we had spaced out our trips every other weekend so therefore we could appreciate our time where we were more and therefore, be less exhausted.
4. Make new friends
I traveled here alone, so it was necessary that I made friends on my own- something I suggest! While it was definitely nerve racking and uncomfortable at first, it made me go outside my comfort zone and force myself to make new friends. However, if you plan on studying with people you know, making friends in other countries during your travels is also awesome! We met some great people from all over the world while traveling - staying at great hostels also helps because most likely the people staying there as well as the staff are super friendly and outgoing :)
5. Eat like there is no such thing as calories
I firmly stand behind this tip.... you are only in Europe ONCE. aka enjoy all of the wonderful food there is to offer and don't look back. Also.. don't be alarmed when you see a second chin growing mid semester.
that is all.
6. Don't always have a plan
My friends would call these kinds of days, "Gail days..." It's okay to not always have a to do list... some of the best days were when we literally walked around the city and said left? right? straight? and stumbled apron great cafes or boutiques.. just go with it! Not knowing where you will end up is always a fun feeling and its nice to know you found somewhere great worth visiting rather than somewhere a book told you to go to
7. Expect something to go wrong while traveling
If you don't expect something to go wrong.. you are only going to get frustrated and annoyed that much easier. Pretty much every time we traveled there was either a delay, someones ticket was missing, the hostel sucked or we got ripped off... C'est la vie! Just go with it and work around it.. especially on weekend trips. You have a limited time in the country you paid to see, so enjoy it and don't sweat the stuff you can't control.
8. Say yes to everything
Even if you're like ehhh... idk I'm tired, or scared or iffy about the whole thing. Just go for it, cause you really never know how it will turn out until you're doing it. For example, in Prague my friends really wanted to do a bar crawl. I was soo tired and it was our last trip and frankly, I just wasn't really in the mood. However, I got my shit together and did it, and it ended up being one of the best nights out in Europe. Just go for it!! Sleep when you're home.
9. Travel.
This goes without saying... travel is dirt cheap and quick in Europe... an hour plane ride and you're in another country that can feel like another world. Don't feel obligated to stay in one place and don't be afraid to go even more outside of your comfort zone. See as much as you can! Traveling ended up being my favorite part of my study abroad experience, which I wasn't expecting! Take advantage of it!
10. Stop & Stare
Every once in a while, my friends and I would find ourselves in a moment where we would be like... "seriously... this is our life?" Definitely take moments to just soak up your life and where you are. My most favorite moment was when we were on a sailboat at 5 am in the French rivera with sailors we had just meant enjoying some cold beers. We simply stopped, realized where we were and what we were doing, and simply enjoyed it with gratitude and astonishment.
Thank you to all who have read this blog! It was an unforgettable semester!!!
Au Revoir :)
Gail
