Living a day-to-day life in a new country is an invaluable part of studying abroad, but the opportunity to travel is what makes the experience so special. If you book early enough, you can get a $50 round trip flight to almost anywhere in Europe. There are certain parts of travel that are universal — waiting in line for security at the airport is annoying; seeing the Eiffel Tour in person for the first time is mind-blowing. But what makes a trip truly unique is the people you're traveling with. They decide whether you're spending every night partying or if you're going to be too exhausted to stand by the end of the day. In every group, however, there are always certain characters you're sure to find as you're making your way around the world.
1. The foodstagrammer
In my opinion, this is the most fun person on any trip. She's sure to look up the best places to eat in the city you're in. She knows the trendiest cafes, the coolest coffee shops and the food carts that are all over Tumblr. The only caveat with this person is that you're not allowed to eat your tantalizing food until after she's gotten her perfect shot, but once you can try it, you realize that it is a worthwhile price to pay.
2. The serial Snapchatter
This person is sure to take a selfie in front of every monument you see. She tries her very hardest to make it onto the city's official Snapchat story. Every once in a while, she'll pause to ask how many snaps is too many. The answer to that question, of course, is that when you're studying abroad, you're allowed as many snaps as you want. Your friends want to see the cool things you're doing. Or at least that's what we tell ourselves.
3. The professional photographer
Ideally, this person has a professional camera, but if not, it's the one with the newest iPhone or the most storage left, or the one who just has the uncanny ability to take a perfect panorama every time. She's bound to take your next profile picture or ensure that you have the perfect shot to put on Insta the next day. As soon as you get back into your room for the night, this person's camera gets passed around so everyone can see the pictures of themselves and decide which are allowed on the Internet, and which ones should be deleted forever.
4. The navigator
It's unrealistic to assume that any 20-something-year-old knows how to read a paper map in this day and age, but reading something as simple as Google Maps can be harder than it looks. The person with the most battery left on her phone will look up directions to the next location, but half the time, that phone immediately gets passed along to the person we trust to get us there the fastest. Incidentally, that person is never me. And for good reason.
5. The all-knowing
This person is a gift sent from the travel gods. She speaks the native language. She's been here before. Her cousin lived here for three years. Somehow, she knows everything that the rest of the group does not. She is filled with recommendations of where to go next, she knows where the trendy, local neighborhoods are and, best of all, she can decipher all of the street signs. If it weren't for this person, the rest of the group would be wandering around like lost puppies.
Everybody has a different approach to travel. Each person is looking to get different things out of it. Some people want to hit up the nightlife; some want see every museum; others are looking for pure adventure. No matter which type of person you are, as you explore the world during your semester abroad, you're bound to have the experience of a lifetime.
