The Technicalities of Traveling Abroad

If you talked to me during the weeks leading up to studying abroad, you probably heard me say something along the lines of “I’m not even that nervous to live in another country, I’m more nervous to travel there.” The impending doom of international travel hung over me like a raincloud. I had stress dreams about losing my luggage, getting on the wrong plane, and being stuck in an airport with no help. Alas, I arrived safely in Spain, so here is a detailed breakdown of my journey abroad for anxious travelers like me who don’t know what to expect.

My first flight was out of Seattle. I arrived at the airport three to four hours before my flight was set to take off, again, because I’m an anxious traveler. As I stood in line at the check-in counter for my airline with my sister, I burst into tears. It was finally hitting me that I was going abroad for four months. I was overwhelmed with emotions, and even worse, I was scared my bag was going to be overweight. I had packed and weighed my bag a couple days before, but there were some last minute items that I had added, thinking they were light enough to make no difference. I abruptly realized that was faulty thinking as the flight attendant at the check in desk told me my bag was overweight. Great! Luckily I had plenty of room in my roller carry on, so I stepped to the side, took things out of my checked bag and put them into my carry on. I weighed my bag again and it was under the weight requirement. One problem solved! But no. The flight attendant then asked to weigh my carry on, which also ended up being overweight. I think she saw my face drop, because thankfully, she let me check that bag for free. Now, it was just my backpack and I, all the way to Malaga. 

After being confused on if I should take my electronics out and keep my shoes on, I made it through airport security. I took an airport train to the international gates, bought a bag of chips, and stared out the window as I ate, trying to distract myself from the shock of what lay ahead. After some time, I finally boarded my nine hour flight to Ireland.

Upon arriving in Ireland, I was sleep deprived, hot, and hungry. I navigated the airport to the best of my abilities, grabbing caffeine and food to power me through the next couple hours. After searching the airport screens for my gate, discovering it was changed, and a passport check while I walked to my terminal, I finally found where I was supposed to be and boarded my next flight to Malaga. I settled in to read my book, but soon found myself cranking my neck on my travel pillow to try and sleep.

With blocked ears and a pressure headache, I arrived in Malaga. After following signs I could only hope were leading me in the right direction, I arrived at customs where I had my passport checked. This was much easier than I expected and honestly went very quickly. As I passed through the customs gate, I went to the baggage claim that my bags were supposed to be at. 

My bags were not there. 

I checked the next baggage claim over. Still nothing. I walked the entire baggage claim area three to four times with neither of my bags in sight. This was actually my worst nightmare. After stress calling my mom, I found the lost luggage help desk and informed them about my dilemma. The woman working frustratingly pointed me over to a closed off area where bags from people who had taken connecting flights were. I had zero clue how I was supposed to know this information, but almost cried tears of joy as I finally found my bags.

After taking a moment to recenter myself, I followed the taxi picture signs to the taxi area, somehow managed to get myself a taxi and arrived at the meeting point for IES Abroad Granada students arriving in Malaga. 

Overall, traveling internationally can be extremely overwhelming. You are often in areas where you don’t speak the language or know the culture. There are things that will happen that are unexpected, but you are going to be okay! I’m currently sitting in my homestay room after my first week of classes, and even though I am barely into this program I can tell you it is worth it. So many new people, views, and experiences are in your future. I promise you, if I can do it, so can you!