In July and part of August, I studied abroad in Lisbon, Portugal for an international business course. I’m currently a Finance major with a minor in international business, and one of the requirements for this minor is to study abroad or intern abroad. This wasn’t my first time going abroad, so when I needed to pick a location, I knew I didn’t want to go somewhere that I had been before. I also didn’t want to study abroad in a popular destination, so for me Portugal seemed like the perfect fit. I would say that studying abroad requires a lot more preparation than just a regular vacation. I am a huge procrastinator, so it was challenging for me to really be organized before leaving the United States. I went abroad through API, which was super helpful because they helped to organize everything in Portugal, but also reminded me of important deadlines and forms that needed to be completed. I wasn’t nervous or anxious about being abroad or taking classes there, but I was worried that I would either lose my luggage or miss my flights because of delays. One thing I did to try and help with my luggage was putting airtags in all of my bags. With all the baggage mix-ups lately, I was super worried my suitcase wouldn’t make it to Portugal. My luggage never got lost, but I was able to check the airtags to make sure my suitcases were being loaded onto my planes or had arrived at the next airport. I’d also recommend leaving more time in between flights than you think is necessary. All my flights on the way to Lisbon got delayed, and if I hadn’t had longer layovers, I would’ve missed all my flights.
