No matter what you're up to this semester, we all have that one period of time when our parents come to visit us in any place that we're currently located if we're not home. They usually come while you're studying abroad because they care, but also, it means a free trip to wherever in the world you are and a few days that they can take off from work. You obviously want to make the most of your parents' visit to show them where you are, but you also want to make sure you're showing them things that they're also interested in. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your parents' visit.
1. Get Them Settled
If your parents are visiting you while you're studying abroad, they've probably been traveling for over 24 hours and are jet-lagged and sleep-deprived. Do not, and I mean really, do not let them sleep when they arrive unless it's night time. The worst way to adjust to a time difference is to sleep during the day time. Plan something small that requires little energy or thought, like a tour of your school, a bite to eat at your favorite cafe or a visit to your stay. Obviously, let them check into the hotel and make sure they can get to the room okay, but once they drop their bags, don't even let them sit down so that they don't fall asleep.
2. Find Non-Touristy Eats
Your parents came to see you, so you could take them to get food, traditional food. Tourist food, while convenient, is also extremely overpriced and low quality. Make sure you search your city far and wide to find traditional places that locals eat at and not tourists. One way to spot tourist food is to check the language of the menu and the chalk boards that stay in front of the restaurant. If you're studying in an area where the main language is English, do not eat at places that have English only menus and English on the front boards. Find places where the native language is on the front of the restaurant, along with the native language menu. These restaurants will most likely be in nifty places on side streets that you may not have seen before. Be on the look out for some good food.
3. Depth Perception
Remember, you've been living in your city for a bit now, so you have a bias in how far things are and how long it takes you to get there. Things might be different when you're with your parents. Make sure you either overestimate how long the walk is somewhere or figure it out and try to calculate it accurately. If you don't, your parents will be exhausted walking for 20 minutes after you told them the walk is seven minutes. You don't want unhappy, exhausted parents on your hands; trust me.
4. Steer Clear of Tourists
Yes, there are times where you will have to face the tourism because of the experience. For example, if you're studying in Rome, you have to go see the Colosseum and the Vatican no matter how many tourists hang around the area. However, after the first two or three days of your parents stay, start steering away from the large groups of people and show them places and things that you've found while you've been studying there. This way, your parents can see all of the tourist spots but also a different side of life in the city that you're studying, where they wouldn't see otherwise.
5. Give Them Tips
If you're staying in a city that has certain quirks, make sure your keep your parents informed. For example, if your city has a big pick-pocketing problem, make sure that you continue to remind your parents to keep their hands on their valuables, especially in large crowds. When your parents ask you certain questions about your city, see if you can answer them in a way that would be helpful to them during their stay. Your parents will appreciate your knowledge and stay safer this way, instead of finding out the hard way.
6. Recommendations
Your city or country most likely comes with things that are specialized, like a certain type of dish, specific types of food or drinks - like alcoholic drinks - and other things that people typically like or do. When you eat somewhere, give your parents suggestions based on the popular items in the country, like good, local beer that most people drink or a typical dish that people eat. If you're studying in Ireland, get your parents some bangers and mashed and Guinness, or if you're studying in Germany, get them some schnitzel and a good beer. Remember other things too, like good places to go shopping where the prices aren't too high or maybe your favorite park or bar where you can hang out. It's always good to show them a side of the culture that they came there to see.
7. Leave Time for Relaxing
8. Take a Trip
If your parents are visiting for a longer amount of time, you may want to consider taking them on a trip somewhere. Whether you decide to do a quick day trip or a few nights in another location, it's a good idea to plan ahead so that you and your parents have a good timeline for what you can accomplish in the city you're living in and the city you plan to visit. This gives you and your parents a good change of scenery while they're visiting you, especially if there's not much to see in your city.
9. Spend All of Their Money
Don't spend all of their money. However, their visit does come with a nice financial break on your part, so try to stay on the cheaper side of things and not use a lot of your own money to buy things while they're visiting. This gives you a good chance to save your money and spend it after they leave on other things.
10. Spend the Whole Time With Them
Your parents are only there for a limited amount of time, so make sure you spend all of the time that you can with them so that you don't regret not seeing them for a certain period of time. This might mean sacrificing some of your alone time or your routined life, but it shouldn't matter. Try not to get into any serious fights or arguments while they're here and enjoy your time with them. Your family only comes to visit you in an international country every so often, so take advantage of your time with them and have fun while they visit!
