Studying abroad can feel a lot like starting college all over again—you’re in a brand-new place with all new people and, for me at least, you’re the farthest away from home you’ve ever been. Now, for some people that’s a thrilling experience, but if you’re a little more introverted (like me), it’s hard feeling like you’re back at day one. It can be hard to make connections when studying abroad, especially since you know that when the four months are over, you’ll go your separate ways.

Each year, American students study abroad and travel to Europe during their semester-long stay across the ocean. Many people seem like they’re heading to a new country or city every weekend, and on paper, it looks incredible. From the outside, it can feel like something to be envious of. You see their carefully crafted Instagram posts and hear stories about their “life-changing” trips, which can often leave you wondering how they fit it all in so perfectly.

It’s now been about a month since I’ve arrived in Milan. So far I’ve traveled to Rome, Venice, Florence and have Barcelona underway for this weekend. All beautiful places and amazing trips…but all learning experiences. Although I still have a lot to learn and haven’t quite mastered the weekend traveling skill, I have picked up a thing or two that I wish someone told me before I began planning for my trips. So here’s a little 411 that might be able to save you the stress and worry—and most importantly money. 

For me, the greatest burden and barrier to studying abroad was financial. Paying tuition, navigating scholarships, applying to loans—it’s a lot to manage. Once you get through all the hurdles, you might be left wondering how much you need to have saved to survive abroad. 

January 22 meant freedom.

Since my arrival in Dublin, there has been a nightly, looming curse that has turned everything into a pumpkin, simultaneously packed and emptied restaurants, and morphed what I expected to be bustling city streets into eerie, empty movie sets. 

I think it may be impossible to express how alive seeing a new part of the world for the first time makes me feel. Traveling has been something I’ve dreamt of as long as I can remember. I don’t know who inspired it—probably my grandmother, who spent the second half of her life traveling all over, all on her own. Or maybe it was my aunt, who’s told me countless stories about her one-year trip around the world. More likely, my travel bug came from many sources. My obsession with Harry Potter and One Direction landed me in London at the age of 13.

Five connections, two flight cancellations, and one forty mile-per-hour wind accompanied landing later, I have safely arrived in the Netherlands. Only one problem: the same cannot be said for my two neon orange suitcases. 

Let's be real here, anyone can make their life look amazing and perfect on social media if they try hard enough. Who is going to post real life on instagram for the world to judge? So... I am going to show you pictures I have posted on instagram, and then explain the background of taking the photo, exposing myself in the process :)

Photo Number ONE!