Hello all, here as promised, are my top travel life lessons learned while studying abroad in Madrid!

Ahh everyone’s favorite game! I did my own lil 21 questions of Australia featuring some of my amazing friends that I met at Sydney Uni this semester. This video was a blast to make, but more importantly(!!) it has helped me gather ideas in preparation for when my parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, and all my other relatives ask me wellll over 21 questions about Australia over Christmas break. Thank you to everyone who let me interview them, and hopefully you’ll get a kick out of their candid responses!!

If you’re going to travel for fall break, I recommend checking out a new country. You will have more time to really get to know a place instead of dashing off for a quick weekend getaway. You could also travel in your host country, but I find it easier to save those trips for weekends since you can just hop on a train. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of value in exploring your host country — after all, you’re there for 3 months so you should be an expert on your country by the time your program ends.

Everywhere I travel, I have always purchased a snowglobe to remember my time. Last January, I did some traveling around Europe and brought home 4 snowglobes. After struggling to get all those home, I decided to tone it back a bit during my study abroad. So far I have only purchased one snowglobe and I could not be happier with the story behind it. 

Like every other normal person, I look forward to the weekend. But, I’m not looking forward to destressing with an ice cold drink of choice (cider), I’m looking forward the markets. One of my FAVOURITE things in the entire world is a good ole market. I really don’t know why this burning passion for markets has been instilled in me, but I assure you it is there, and its fiery intensity ignites every single weekend in Sydney.

Traveling is all a matter of preference I guess: some people love to explore on their own, and some might feel safer or just have more fun when traveling in a group. I always find myself somewhere in the middle.

I’ve always considered myself a bit of a history buff, especially when it comes to military conflict. Like many, something about World War II in particular has always fascinated me. The courage of that generation and their ability to stand up in the face of a great evil is unlike anything we’ve seen since.

While I have advocated in earlier blogs to explore the city that you are studying abroad in, I also think that it is important to venture out and see new places. After spending the last 10 months abroad, I have discovered a few very useful ways to get the most out of your time in a new city. While these are not foolproof, they have helped me to really get a feel for the vibe of a place, despite usually only being there for a few days.

In line a man, not older than twenty-five, holds a royal blue lantern in his left hand. It’s almost 3 p.m. on a Friday. A girl in sunglasses walks by with a packet of french fries slopped in mayonnaise, the Dutch classic. It’s a surprisingly warm day in Amsterdam, as is illustrated by the old man biking by in nothing more than a metallic silver speedo. 

As terrifying as it is to admit, here in Amsterdam we’re reaching the end of our study abroad experience. With only about one more month to go, it’s impossible not to let your thoughts spiral out of control a bit. Did I do everything I wanted? Have I wasted my time? Where do I still need to go? Will I ever see any of these wonderful friends I’ve made again?