When you commit to traveling abroad or to a study abroad trip, you expect certain things. After all, people travel for the experiences. New ideas, new places, and new people are enticing options for all and there’s something thrilling about the prospect of packing up and leaving “life” behind for a while.

With all of these new things around you, you expect certain intangible yet invaluable things from traveling. Things like personal growth and development, exposure to new cultures and ideas, and learning by doing. I don’t consider myself much of an adventurer or an experience globe trotter by any means, but even I believe in the idea of learning through experiences.

When it comes to quieter and more introverted individuals like me, stretching the boundaries of my comfort zone while abroad becomes a daily occurrence. Contributing complex ideas and opinions in a classroom full of strangers who don’t speak English as their first language. Holding up the line at the local grocery store while painstakingly fumbling with currency that seems so unfamiliar. Public transportation feels like a nightmare for people like me who are anxious about asking for help. With these situations though comes small victories and I’ve learned to celebrate the little things.

During a week off from lectures, I planned and arranged a weeklong trip around some of the “must see” sights of the Nordic and Baltic states. I traveled completely on my own and that’s something that I have never had the courage or the confidence to do before. I let myself be spontaneous and even ducked into a random hair salon in Helsinki to ask for a walk-in haircut. I was a last-minute sign up for a food tour in Stockholm and tried a little bit of everything that was placed before me, even if I barely knew what I was nibbling on at the time. I was surprised to find myself enjoying the traditional pickled herring, elk meat, and thinly cut slices of reindeer heart. I absolutely loved it. I have taken small risks and have stepped away from the rigid schedules and refused the dull hum of an everyday routine that I’ll inevitably fall back into when I return home. For me, this is an equally liberating and almost unfamiliar feeling. It was like the spirit or essence of traveling enveloped me in a tumult of impulses, instincts, and acting on my feelings. It was absolutely thrilling.

With this study abroad opportunity, however, I found myself stepping out of my comfort zone in more ways than one. While everyone likes to talk about the exciting new experiences and adventures, there is another kind of “comfort” that is often glossed over. Let me elaborate by sharing my own experience. When packing for my seven weeks abroad, I opted for a single carry-on backpack and one small rolling carrier. This obviously called for compromise as space in my luggage was at a premium and that meant giving up some of the comforts that I was so used to. To elaborate further, here’s an example. I opted not to pack a pillow or bedding. I’ve spent the last few weeks in a sleeping bag on top of the barely-there mattress promised. The sleeping bag rolls up to a bundle the size of a large pencil bag, so it was a clear option for saving space and money even if it wasn’t the most comfortable. I’ve also made do with an old pool towel that I stole from Hampton Inn some time ago. It’s an old, scraggly thing on it’s very last legs but I planned ahead to throw it away when I leave. This towel took up less space than my fluffy, everyday ones so it was the obvious choice.

Limited clothing items and outfit options called for more loads of laundry than I might have originally anticipated. I left my flashy clothes at home (not that I own articles of clothing that aren't black, white, or gray) and opted for more versatile clothing options. A significant portion of the clothes that I brought were intentionally ones that can be thrown out or donated when I leave which makes room for all of the mementos of my trip that I plan on returning with. During my week of traveling and living out of a different hotel room each night, I opted to only carry a single backpack which meant and even smaller selection of clothes for that week.

These are the small comforts that one may often take for granted, but my point is that doing without some of those seemingly “necessary” items can be more than worth it. Traveling light is certainly a skill, but one that is worth honing. Not having to deal with excess baggage is just one less thing to worry about on top of navigating a foreign country, a new language, and a different society. I have barely touched those accessories that I deemed as “must-haves” during a moment of weakness while I was packing. It's also comforting to know that anything that I truly desperately need is only a quick trip to the S-Market down the road.

So let me repeat myself… Giving up some of your comfort items is so worth it. Be a minimalist. Question yourself when you go to pack that third or fourth pair of shoes. Do you really need a different pair of jeans for each day of the week while abroad? I’ll confess that I packed poorly for the climate in Finland (Who knew that summers here could be so cold?) and have, thusly, been forced into alternating between three pairs of long pants during my stay. It has been a lot of extra trips to the laundry room, but ultimately that won’t be what I think of when I remember this trip and this experience abroad. I’ll think back to the experiences, the people, and the moments that have changed my perspective or that have made me smile. My outfit or my miserable sleeping conditions don’t make the experience. I do.

So push yourself to be uncomfortable in more ways than one and surprise yourself.