Milan

When you study abroad, no two people will have the exact same travel itinerary. Some will travel every weekend outside of the country, venturing as far as Africa. Others will spend the majority of their stay exploring the depths of the country that is hosting them. Regardless, there is no right or wrong way to travel while abroad, though I would recommend exploring both within and without the country. I spent my first weekend shedding jet lag and getting to know my roommates by exploring Milan; the next weekend by touring neighboring Verona and Venice; and by the third week, I was traveling outside the country to Amsterdam. In the four months that I studied abroad, I visited 14 different places (not including Milan). It is a number I am proud of, though I know that many other students will seek to experience even more. No matter where you go, solo or with groups, by train or plane or car, within or without the country, the travel tip that rang most true for me was “expect the unexpected”: flight delays, getting on the wrong train, dirty hostels, losing your credit card, getting scammed, etc. Bearing in mind that not everything will go perfectly always eases the anxiety that inevitably arises when things don’t go according to plan. Cheers to all your future travels!

-Jordan

I’ve been home for almost a week now and I’m missing Italy like crazy! It’s so weird not having to unpack and re-pack my suitcase every few days because of a new trip I’m taking. I also miss all of the friends that I have made at IES Abroad. We all facetime each other any chance we get, and if we hear a song that reminds us of our time abroad, we all become emotional wrecks. My host family is definitely high up on the list of things that I miss. They made my transition so much easier and treated me as their own. I’m so appreciative of my time abroad. I have learned so much about myself and can’t wait to start my next adventure. I miss traveling already, and I even miss having to take public transportation (gas has become so expensive!). Being home is the most comfortable uncomfortable feeling. It is very bittersweet because on one hand I am happy to be back, but on the other hand my time in Italy is really over. Nonetheless, all good things must come to an end and I’m sure that my next trip to Italy won’t be too far down the line.