1. Budgeting
Ah yes, I learned this lesson very fast while I was in Scotland. In the weeks prior to my UK trip which consisted of London, Dublin, Belfast, and Edinburgh Scotland, I realized I was running low on funds and that I would need to transfer money from my other accounts to my current one. The bank I was using had very long holds on funds being placed in the account so I would be using the money that I had in my account already for that trip. I had a little too much fun on this trip and I was not paying attention to what I was spending. At the time twenty pounds just seemed like twenty dollars, oh boy was I in for a surprise. When I eventually got to Scotland (the end of my trip) I was very confused as to why I couldn't take out any money thinking that my card had been compromised yet again. It turns out I just had 46 dollars left in my account and the bank would not allow me to withdraw that money. That was the first and last time I made that mistake.
2. Actually visit your host country/ get to know the city you are staying in
One of my biggest regrets about my study abroad experience was not taking the opportunity to explore Italy more. While I did visit thirteen countries I never got further South than Rome. I wish I had taken time to explore the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Sicily, and Sardegna among many other places. The same goes for exploring the city you are staying in. It should be more than just a home base for travel. I cannot even count how many semester study abroad students that I saw totally ignore the beauty and hidden gems of Florence to jet off to other places. I was better about exploring Florence than I was about seeing the rest of Italy but I still wish I had explored more and sooner. For all of the students studying in Florence please cross the Arno, trust me you will not forget it.
3. Keep the number of people on your trip small
The saying “The more the merrier does not always ring true.” Definitely try and keep the number of people on your trip small. It becomes very difficult to try and coordinate trips for large groups of people and clashing personalities can create problems on your travels. My suggestion is to keep trips to groups of no more than 6. Some of my favorite trips were when I was with one or two other people. When picking people to travel with be wary that people often change or reveal their true colors during travel and the potentially stressful situations that come along with it.
4. It’s okay to be homesick
For a while I thought I was invincible and that I would never feel homesick but that day did come around mid January. My Christmas vacation with my family was over, my friends Margaret and Alex had just flown home. All of my friends went home for winter break and I stayed in Florence. For a day or so I was feeling really down and kind of alone (on the bright side the wifi was flying that day!) I learned to accept that homesickness is a totally normal feeling when studying abroad and lucky for me it did not last long. I just kept trying to remind myself that home would always be there but this opportunity however would not be. My homesickness also dissipated when I received Christmas cards from my old high school. Perhaps the biggest cure to homesickness for me though was just traveling some more. I was lucky enough to stay with two families, one in Spain and one in Germany, that gave me the family atmosphere that I had been missing.
5. Break out of your Bubble
It’s honestly so easy to get stuck in a day-to-day routine with the same people despite being in another country. While routine and having a safety net is nice and all, break out of the bubble. Hang out with students from other universities besides your own. Meet actual real Italians. Study in the gardens one day instead of your apartment. Breaking out of your bubble can lead to amazing experiences and opportunities.
6. Remember that cultures are going to be different from your own and try and learn from that.
Each culture has its own special practices and daily rituals and trust me some of it will drive you crazy, but a lot of practices you learn in your host country you may even wish to bring back with you. For me a prime example of this is I couldn’t stand the Italian system of organization, for some reason nobody seemed to understand the concept of a line. I did however love the warmth and hospitality that most Italians displayed all of the time. If you try and get to know your host country’s culture the locals will genuinely appreciate your efforts.
7. Try out classes that you wouldn't normally pick for yourself
Study abroad locations tend to offer some pretty unique classes. Some of these classes include: wine tasting, the business of wine, the history of Italian Mafia, a cooking class, travel writing. If you have the opportunity to take a different class do so! Some of my favorite classes were the unique ones and they are not easily replicated at your home university, take advantage of them while you can.
8. Your study abroad friends are some of the closest friends you will ever have
Chances are you got stuck in airports together, got lost in cities together, and saw pretty incredible things together, these things alone will already make you guys pretty tight knit. These memories are something that only you and your friends you made abroad have the ability to recollect. They understand when you have a rough day and just miss Florence and not all of your friends back home will. That alone makes them pretty special friends not to mention the fact that they are pretty cool people to begin with.
9. You are braver than you think and smarter than you believe
Despite being in another country and living a dream, not everyday is going to be rosy. Remember the advice above because it is true. So many people are afraid to leave their hometown let alone the country.
10. You will definitely appreciate your family more
Not being able to call mom all of the time for help because their is a six hour time difference definitely makes you appreciate her that much more, trust me.
11. Try planning your own trips
Trust me, it is way easier to book it through a tour company, but it is so much more rewarding to plan your own trip. Chances are you will be saving money, travel time, and you will make your own adventure instead of having an adventure that was already pre-planned for you. Some great sources for planning your own trip are: Air BnB, Ryan Air, Sky scanner, hostel world, and Trip Advisor.
12. Be flexible
Things are going to happen, just roll with it. That flight you had, just got delayed three hours, suck it up and explore the airport. Sometimes it is actually better when things do not go as planned. I never would have been able to hike a volcano, ride a donkey, or swim in hot springs in Santorini Greece if our ferry to Mykonos hadn’t been cancelled for three days straight.
13. Journal
I did this for like a month and then didn't keep up, and I wish I had. I wish I had preserved those memories in writing no matter how tedious it was. Now I find my memory is rapidly fading away as I adjust back to normal life and struggle to recall memories from certain trips, especially the trips from the beginning of my adventure.
14. Actually try and learn and practice the language
I loved Italian, and I wish I had continued to take it second semester but I didn’t because I already had an overflow of language credits. I wish I had just said “Screw it,” and taken the class anyway. I know I could have progressed much farther. Once you start learning the language, don’t be afraid to practice it out and about. 99.9% of the time locals will appreciate your attempts to speak their language no matter how many times you keep screwing up that one tricky word.
15. It is called STUDY abroad
You should probably study at some point. Seriously the amount of people that just party all of the time and don’t put in any effort what-so-ever is ridiculous. There is so much to learn. Honestly a lot of people don’t fully believe in the study abroad experience anyway, prove them wrong!
16. Sit back and enjoy the beautiful ride.
Enough said, you are about to have the greatest adventure of your life.
