If you are given the opportunity to travel the world definitely take it, especially if you are a student with no real job, commitments or responsibilities. Traveling the world will not only make you feel smarter and way more cultured, but it will certainly allow you to step out of your comfort zone.
Some of the most common reasons people are hesitant to travel the world seem to be the fear of missing home, the amount of time it takes to get to the other side of the world and cultural barriers.
Although missing home is totally normal (as I discussed in my last article), home will still be there once you return from your travels. Long plane rides are not ideal, but a lot of traveling makes flying much easier. Yes, I won’t deny cultural barriers do exist in other countries, but I truly do believe that traveling to different places around the world helps you to grow as a person. Traveling will also teach you a lot about yourself as well as what you like and dislike.
I personally always knew I wanted to study abroad and constantly made sure I was on track with my credits, so I would be able to pursue this opportunity. Although I considered studying in various cities, my final decision to study abroad in Florence came to me with the help of friends who had already studied there and loved it.
Now onto the more exciting stuff… Before leaving for Europe, I made a list of all the places I wanted to travel to (knowing I would most likely not make it to each of these cities) along with a “bucket list” for each of the cities I hoped to make it to. Although I did not end up traveling to every city on my initial list, I traveled to some great I did not expect to travel to. I was able to take advantage of each city I had the opportunity to travel to and made it to as many noteworthy places, in each of these cities, as possible.
As I see a lot of Facebook statuses with abroad phone numbers, I have a few pieces of advice...
- Do your best to make it to each of the cities you have been dying to explore
- Take thousands of pictures, you will want to look back on each memory
- Enjoy the food and don’t worry about the calories, you can deal with that after abroad
- Use the guides you got from people who already studied abroad, they are SO helpful
- There are great stores in Europe, so don’t worry about not bringing enough clothes
Go explore the world with your own eyes, whether you are a college student studying abroad or are given this opportunity at a different point in your life. Go experience different cultures you had no idea about before. Don't take this opportunity for granted, you never know when you will have the opportunity to live abroad again.
