If you knew me at the time I was preparing for my trip to Florence, Italy, I was a spitting image of anxiety from the Inside Out 2 movie. The more I was asked about this trip, the more I overthought everything.
Knowing how my trip turned out, I wish I could just tell myself that everything was not that deep. I had never traveled by myself, let alone flown internationally, but getting over this fear opened doors for me that I didn’t even know existed.
Here are some tips and advice I have for students who are studying abroad for the first time:
Study abroadees have always said that you should pack light because of what you might buy. While this is true, bringing my comfort items is the thing that kept me from being homesick.
I did, in fact, have to fight the scale for my baggage on the way there and back, but I did not regret one thing. Something as little as a blanket that smelled like home was an extra push for me.
As much as you are going to want to buy new clothes before your trip, I would recommend borrowing from friends or using what you have. I hate to break it to you, but saving that extra hundred dollars will get you farther than clothes will.
Another misconception about studying abroad is that you have to say yes to everything. The nights that I spent not at a club or bar were honestly my favorite.
My roommates and I would always get creative with our nights in. I specifically remember one night when we decided to stay at the apartment; some of my roommates and I did a photo presentation of what our lives were like at home.
My roommates were from all over and seeing their family and friends brought me much closer to them. It made me understand where they came from and who they are as people.
It also gets very exhausting to be in a new environment completely different from your own. Additionally, I was battling Italy’s hot June sun with no AC. Aside from that, it is very important to listen to your body. Sometimes your body knows how you’re feeling before you do.
I went abroad alone and came back with amazing lifelong friends. The students you come across when you’re studying abroad have the same itch to travel and gain different perspectives on the world than you do.
Your people are out there; maybe they live on different sides of the world. Once you realize that you are not alone in this, it makes it really easy to become friends with anyone.
I engraved in my mind that I was going to study abroad in the summer of 2025. I convinced myself I had enough courage to travel alone as a young 19-year-old. Little did I know of all the anxiety this would cause.
I had my application open on my computer for about a month. Over winter break, I would tackle this little by little, overthinking everything. Was I actually ready for this?
Once I got the acceptance letter, a wave of anxiety captured me. Booking the flights, going to meetings, applying for housing. All the logistics felt too real, even though I had time to digest them.
When I arrived in Italy, I felt like I was a whole different person. I was morphing into this confident, outgoing, adventure-driven individual— almost because I had to. I do feel that I have those characteristics at home, but they had a different meaning to them when I was alone in a foreign country.
On my way to the airport to travel home at the ripe hour of 6 a.m., I was talking to a middle-aged woman and helped guide her to the airport with me. She had studied abroad in Florence many years ago and she also lived in Minnesota. I saw myself in her, and I think she did the same way.
It was a type of comfort I never knew I would find in a complete stranger.
This is something that you will hear more than once, but it’s one of the most important takeaways from this article. You’re never going to be this young, experiencing the world for the first time again.
Don’t be attached to your phone. Don’t give in to your anxious thinking. This opportunity will come and go so fast, and you’ll be like me, taking every opportunity I can to talk about it.
Something that I did to be in the moment was not listening to music on my walks and instead listening to the sound of busy tourists and the beautiful language of Italian. This kept me aware of my surroundings but also made me more in tune with the city.
I knew the distinct smell of sweets from the secret bakery near my apartment as a sign I was almost home. At one point, I would walk past the same tour group at the same shop each day because that’s where our routines both aligned.
Your trip abroad will become a part of your personality when you get back. Take it from me, you will be craving those experiences and memories for the rest of your life.
Studying abroad was one of the best decisions I have made and I intend to go again in the future. You will come back with a whole different perspective on life.
Hattie Goethals can be reached at [email protected]
