Multiply the college experience by 18 and that’s what it's like to study abroad. Recently, I spent five weeks meandering through seven countries and 10 cities. If you do decide to venture outside of our humble abode, there is so much waiting for you to explore. There are memories to be made (the ones you can repeat out loud and the ones best left to play on repeat in your head) and country sides, rivers, lakes and cities waiting for you. Here are the top 4 reasons you must do study abroad before you graduate!

1. Food

I'm talking fresh meals that will have you convinced they were crafted by the Greek gods. I’m talking pasta, pizza, bread, Nutella crepes, gelato, risotto, burgers, steak and the occasional salad to satisfy your body’s need for greens. The local spots serve the best dishes and it’s just an added bonus if you don’t speak the server's language; it keeps you guessing.

2. History

Yes it’s cliché, but it’s accurate. Standing in a cathedral or castle built in the 15th century rendered me speechless. I remember thinking, "Wow, this is older than America," and it actually blew my mind the more I thought about it. You can see anything from concentration camp remains to countless museums bursting with artifacts of all sorts and art from all eras. There's a richness and depth that exudes from historical sites that's just not conveyed in textbooks or pictures. There’s something about setting foot on sacred ground that makes that part of history real and more than just words you read.

3. Friends

You meet cool peeps! I don’t know about you but I love people. Studying abroad connects you with more humans than you can imagine. You’ll meet other students abroad, so basically it's just a hodgepodge of people exploring and it's fantastic. You will meet so many neat human beings that you will not know what to do with yourself. Do mingle with the locals though, if they let you, because they offer a glimpse into the city's life. Some of the funniest people I encountered were our Uber drivers. They were highly entertaining, so I recommend this very much. I also reached my quota of people watching for the year, so if that is something that interests you, there are places everywhere to indulge. The people of your trip will actually make the trip memorable, the places are pretty, sure, but being with great people makes it that much more special.

4. Memories

The good and the great. Where else can say you went canyoning in the Alps (I recommend searching this on Google), saw The 1975 in Paris, sang your heart out at a karaoke bar for multiple nights or sat on the side of the Seine watching the sunset with your new best buds? That’s what I thought, no where.

So go, get out there and see where you can go abroad all while earning course credits to please your parents.