Before going abroad, I had really limited travel experience that mostly consisted of family road trips and spring break with my friends. I had never been out of the country and was stressed about planning my weekend trips. After having one of the best semesters of my life and seeing so many new countries these are my top takeaways on weekend trips as a study abroad student.
- Even if you’re going with friends, don’t feel the need to plan every weekend before you arrive. You don’t know who you’ll meet and potentially want to travel with. However it is great to have a couple planned in advance!
- Don’t travel every single weekend. I traveled for the majority of mine but enjoyed having a few weekends to explore my home city. As much as you think you can do during the week, I don’t think you get the full experience of your home city without a couple weekends in town. Taking a break from travel also helps you stay healthy.
- Book tickets in advance for major attractions. Places like the Anne Frank House, Sagrada Familia, Colosseum, and other sites can often sell out of tickets. I would look for these at least a week in advance but even earlier if you can!
- Plan the major attractions in advance but don’t plan every detail of the weekend in advance. Some of my favorite memories were formed by going with the flow and just seeing where the weekend took us.
Overall, I highly recommend traveling and making the most of your weekends. There might never be a time in your life where you can travel this easily again!
