Hello from a ferry somewhere in the sea in-between Athens and Mykonos! I’m just gonna go ahead and admit I’ve had a little bit of a rough go at it these last few days. My phone decided to break and my computer had issues charging, and if you’ve never been thousands of miles from home with no communication - I can promise you it isn’t so fun. But all is well, my computer is up and running and my phone is due to be fixed as soon as I get to America! (IN LESS THAN A WEEK, WHAT.) That being said, the show must go on, I have things to see and blogs to write! The beautiful views in front of me at the moment don’t hurt either. The past week for me consisted of our FINAL group field trip (tears.) to Bohemia, the western region of our beloved Czech Republic. Our stops included Litomysl, Kutna Hora, and Cesky Krumluv. These towns reminded me of something right out of a story book, with rows of colorful buildings, beautiful churches and castles, and cobblestone walkways. Of all the places I’ve visited in Europe, Bohemia has left it’s mark on me (and over the course of study abroad claimed my wallet and now my phone as it’s victim!). Our adventure’s included castles (what, no way!), churches (surprise, surprise), pretending to be silver miners for a couple hours, and conquering the river on a raft! There were many laughs, some tears, and most of all amazing memories made with my 22 new adventure buddies and our three dads.
Now that I’ve done a quick recap, I want to get to the actual point of this blog. Instead of going in depth on what I’ve been up to, I thought it would be interesting if I could offer up my advise for student travel/ study abroad. Contrary to the title of this blog (good joke, right?) I am by no means a professional traveler, and my experience had been riddled with all kinds of road blocks and mishaps. But I think I’ve learned a lot, and have quite a bit I’d like to share.
#1 - Keep your friends close and your wallets (and phones!) closer.
Now this one might seem a bit obvious. Coming into this trip I did not think that I would be a victim of pick pocketing, after all I’m not an idiot, right? wrong! Ok, idiot might be a little harsh. However, on my first trip of the program I found myself getting a little too caught up in taking pictures I neglected my bag and let it hang behind me. I’m still not positive how it happened, however I did not make it out of the crowd with my wallet. Another girl on the trip also lost her phone as well at a different place. I am all for having fun and taking in the experience, but at the end of the day as a young person abroad your top priority should be yourself and your important belongings. I was extremely lucky in my case! My roommate was able to help me out until I could replace my credit cards and the professors were around to help out. If the situation had been different things could have really taken a turn for the worst. Moral of the story being, stay smart and aware of your surroundings, and keep your people close. The last thing you want is to be in an emergency situation all by yourself!
#2 - Stay positive!
Going off the story from the last tip, bad things happen sometimes! However, you shouldn’t let that ruin your time and stop you from enjoying the moment! Things can be replaced, but you’ll never get a day back once it’s gone. Many of my new friends, myself included have had our bad days. Days when you just don’t feel like it, and days when you just want to go home. During these times we have all been so helpful in lifting each other up! My advice for when you’re feeling down is to talk it out with somebody. It doesn’t do any good to sit and be lonely, and talking to somebody can make such a big difference, I promise! Nothing will kill your day faster than being upset and grumpy about something! You don’t want to look back on the day you went to visit the Roman Colosseum or the Eiffel Tower and it was ruined cause Hank over there wouldn’t stop complaining and Sally just wanted to leave - so don’t be that person!
#3 - Be brave
Coming into this program, there were so many things I was afraid of. I remember sitting in one of the first meetings, close to tears because of all the fears going through my mind. I had never been so far from home, and I didn’t have a single person I knew coming along with me. I was afraid I wasn’t going to make any friends and thought that every single possible bad thing was going to happen to. Quickly I found out that this wasn’t the case. Over the past few months I’ve grown so close to many different individuals, and find that the good times always outweigh the bad times. Say “yes” to every adventure that comes your way, big or small. Even if it’s just a group going out for dinner! Tag along, you never know who just may end up being your new best friend. I’m typically pretty quiet and don’t talk much in situations where I don’t know the people. Chances are many other people feel the same way, so go ahead and ask a question, invite somebody along, and get to know people. Before you know it you’ll be standing around with all your new friends, luggage in hand, saying sad goodbyes. So don’t be afraid to start a conversation! Fear is only in your mind - so by all means, jump off that boat, go swimming in those waterfalls, try that strange foreign food, and get lost in whatever beautiful city you’re headed to next.
#4 - Don’t overthink your packing
It’s always good to be prepared, but I’m my opinion I think that less is more. There are some things I wish I would have brought, and others I definitely could have left at home. But at the end of the day, anything you forgot can most likely be easily purchased at the store once you get here, and lugging around way too much stuff all the time is a lot more trouble than it’s worth. Overall, I think I did a pretty good job keeping to a minimum. I recommend leaving some room in your suitcase for souvenirs! You’re going to have all kinds of memories and gifts to take home with you and it would really suck if you had to end up throwing anything away. With all the things to see and stuff to do it’s so much better to be as stress free as possible and eliminating some clutter can go a long way.
#5 - Document the experience
There are several ways I decided to document my experience. For one, this blog. This is something I probably would have never written on my own, so I’m kind of glad it was a requirement for class. It’s going to be really cool to look back on one day! I also keep a journal where I write a lot more in depth about everything. I liked this a lot because those words were just for me, I got to share thoughts and feelings and I feel like it really helped on my personal development throughout the trip. It’s a great way to reflect and the end of the day, and when I read through it I’m always reminded of little things I would have otherwise forgot! Other than the blog and the personal journal, I make videos, take a lot of photos, and keep a lot of little knick knacks. Whatever you decided, I think this time of your life is something you’re going to want to look back on. I already know I’m going to be watching my videos on the plane ride home crying like a baby and I’m so thankful I’ll always have those memories. I wouldn’t get too caught up in though! You don’t want to be so worried about taking pictures you forget to take in the moment. Some of the best times are going to be when you put the phone / camera down and really connect with the people around you.
I feel like say this almost every single blog, because it’s so so true, but I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity. I’m going to miss this time I was given, and I’m hoping to travel again soon. At the end of the day I don’t have any regrets. I am currently phoneless, broke as a joke, and scheduled to work the day after I get back to America (Red Lobster, explain this??) But I’m headed to a new unknown adventure and I couldn’t be happier to be exactly where I am in this moment and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. In my eyes I’m the luckiest girl in the world and I have so many reasons to be happy!
ALSO: Last minute pro tip, sauces almost always cost extra - so it mayyyy not be a bad idea to carry around a bottle of ketchup in your purse, if you're into that sort of thing.