The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect those of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student from CU Boulder's Her Campus chapter.
Tip 1: Don’t forget your passport!
One of my top recommendations when preparing to travel is to always keep an eye on your passport. Your passport is one of, if not the only, super essential item you have with you that could actually be a big problem if lost. I know friends who lost theirs while abroad and it was a nightmare to sort it out for when they got home. Learning from their mistakes, while abroad I made a conscious effort at all times to know exactly where my passport was, leaving it in the same spot on my nightstand every day. Additionally, when I was traveling and needed to keep my passport in a safe place, I always kept it in my messenger bag that never left my side. Making sure it was somewhere I always kept an eye on made it harder for pickpockets to try to steal something.
On that note, I have friends who used ID tags in their passport holders to track them, which is a great idea! I used this tactic and had a specific ID tag for each passport that I moved to each bag that my passport was in. It’s a great idea to have a tracking option for your passport in case the unthinkable happens. Being safe and organized is part of being responsible when traveling, which is a lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way sometimes. There are almost always different solutions to help you get through a sticky situation, but one of my top tips when traveling abroad is to keep your passport and other essentials close to you at all times!
Tip #2: Hostels aren't as bad as they seem
Before I started my trip, I found the idea of staying in a hostel extremely intimidating and dangerous. While I suggest you keep your safety in mind and take some precautions, hostels are definitely a great and cheap option! First of all, when looking for hostels in an area, I always checked reviews on Hostel World and other websites to make sure that the majority of visitors had a good experience. When booking a hostel to stay in, I made sure that they all had at least 4 out of 5 stars overall and that most people found them to be a safe place. I also always booked our stays in an all-female dorm, as I hadn't previously considered the possibility that there would be other people staying there besides young adults. I had heard stories of other young female travelers who had unknowingly been forced to stay in a mixed dorm and were forced to bet in uncomfortable situations with older men. So I would suggest for women looking to stay together in hostels to opt for the all-female dorms, which are a great option. As for safety, when I stayed in a hostel, I brought a small padlock because I found myself locking my stuff in lockers in my dorms to make sure everything was safe. Another great thing about staying in a hostel is that their demographic is mostly young adults looking for a fun and cheap place to stay, so most places have bars and activities on their property for people to hang out. I really enjoyed the time I spent meeting other travelers and having a good time in a safe place at night. I didn't mind sharing a space with the other girls, but I did bring my AirPods to fall asleep due to the disruption of sharing a room. Overall, I would say that some of my best travel experiences have been in hostels with my friends. Even though I had to share a space and bathroom with others, it was a great experience and I got to tell some really unique stories afterwards!
Tip #3: Remember you need rest
When I was studying abroad and trying to travel every weekend, I had a really hard time accepting that I wasn’t doing as much as I could have. The reality of this thought process is that there is no “should or could” when it comes to our own experiences. I had to learn over time that I didn’t have an infinite amount of energy (and funds) to be able to travel to new places every weekend during my few months abroad. While I always recommend traveling and trying to see new things, it’s important to consider your mental health and energy. Towards the end of my time in Florence, I found myself taking every other weekend off to relax and spend time in my home country with friends to decompress. I tried to travel to other countries, but if I needed to rest instead of seeing just one thing in that city, I gave myself time and permission to rest a little.
I found it helpful to travel with people who had similar energy levels as me, as well as likes and dislikes when I visited. It should come as no surprise that if you are traveling with people who want to see very different things and who don’t have the same social battery, there can be unnecessary tension during the trip. I was very open with all of my travel companions about the fact that I might need some alone time during busy travel days. Together, we all worked to create a bucket list of what we all wanted to see, to make sure we all got the most out of the trip. I found it very helpful to talk to my friends in advance and do a bit of planning on how we were going to have a trip that fit all of our views. While traveling can be a very tricky thing to do, it’s worth it to have a good time with some of your closest friends. I have met some of my best friends through traveling and it has not been without its challenges at times. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything in the world and the important thing is to be honest with yourself and others about what you might need to be successful on your trip.
Tip #4: Forget the plan and go with the flow
I have struggled my entire life with the idea of “going with the flow.” I am a very logical and strategic person when it comes to every decision in my life. One of the biggest aspects of traveling that I had to adapt to was the idea of forgetting the plan and being spontaneous. For the first few trips abroad, I focused on planning every second at the lowest possible price and making every second count. As a side note, I would recommend using apps like Omio and Trainline to plan cheap train tickets. Over time, I have learned that I am more successful traveling with other people and for my own sanity by ditching the plan every now and then. What I mean by this is that I always had hostels and public transportation at my fingertips, but left the rest of the trip to our moods. Even though I made lists with friends to make sure we were trying to do things we both wanted to see and places to eat, I found myself going with the flow a lot more than I would have thought possible before.
As for the idea of forgetting the plan, it’s a little harder to articulate what I mean unless I give a good representation. Let me paint the picture: my roommate and I went to France for the weekend and had a great time, but to get back, we quickly realized that we had to manage to meet four different train connections to get back to Florence. We were pretty confident in our accessibility until we realized that it was, dun dun dun, Easter! We quickly realized that the station staff that day was limited and most trains were late all day. Long story short, we continually missed all of our connecting trains and since I had no ability to forget the plan, I was frantically booking new train plans to get us back on track. In the end, I wasted way too much money and we spent the entire day chasing trains. I finally gave up trying to plan ahead and decided that we had to figure it out as we went, which led to us arriving in Milan after all the trains/taxis had stopped running for the day. We had a fantastic time in our only hotel stay for our travels and used their amazing hot water, TV, and wifi the entire night. I also had the luxury of sleeping in the next morning and made it back to Florence without a hitch around 1pm. The point of my story was to show how hard it was for me to change my plans, but I learned that it was okay to do so. It was this experience that shaped all of my travels going forward. I decided to move with more fluidity when I travel and relax when it comes to planning trips.
Studying abroad was one of the most rewarding and wonderful experiences I have ever had. I learned to be organized, but also to relax and go with the flow. I met so many incredible people and I am still very close with many of them today. Most importantly, I gained more confidence in myself and discovered a true love of travel along the way. I was always the person who said I wanted to travel but never felt confident enough to actually plan the trip. I have now grown in so many ways and have truly been bitten by the travel bug. I am already planning many future trips and would absolutely love to see more of the world. So whether you are anxious, stressed, or even just scared, I still recommend doing this scary thing and seeing it become one of your most rewarding experiences. I wouldn’t change anything about my time abroad.
