Going into the beginning of my freshman year, if you had asked me how I thought I would be spending my Thanksgiving break, my answer would probably be pretty basic: at home, visiting my family and gaining back all the hours I lost during sleepless studying nights.
Let’s just say that’s about the complete opposite of how it turned out.
Instead, I hopped on a nine-hour plane to Copenhagen by myself, bound to make my way to Vienna, where I would be spending the better part of my week missing my family’s Thanksgiving for the first time in my life.
So how did I get here? How did I make this happen? And would I do it all over again?
Spoiler alert: the answer is yes.
Traveling has always been a big part of my life. I made my first international trip to China when I was 8 years old and was able to visit 16 countries with my family throughout my time living at home. So, when I got the opportunity to take this trip, I jumped at it immediately.
From my travels, I’ve made lots of international friends, who I love to stay in contact with and look forward to visiting in the future. But this specific opportunity actually came through an invitation from my American friend who was studying abroad in Vienna for the semester.
Flying to Europe? By myself? Missing Thanksgiving?
It seemed pretty impossible. I couldn’t stop asking myself, “Why would I waste my time doing this? Why would I do something so out of my comfort zone when I could be spending my break at home?”
But as I thought about it, the “why?” questions slowly began to turn into “why not?” ones.
So, I started to turn my focus to how I could make the impossible possible.
I planned this trip just over a month before it would take place, and it wasn’t easy, but budget travel is a lot more accessible than people think, and with the proper preparation, it can be made very safe too.
I ended up getting a cheap flight through Denmark, where I ended up spending a day during my layover, and planned out everything I could think of.
It didn’t even feel real until I was stepping onto the plane.
Getting to spend the week in Vienna with my friend was one of the best experiences of my life, and I’m so happy that I was able to push my boundaries and take a chance on what seemed like a crazy idea in the beginning. I spent the entire week exploring all different types of Christmas markets, going to different art museums to see all kinds of original pieces and drinking an unhealthy amount of hot chocolate at local cafes.
Being able to travel like this was such an amazing opportunity to reinforce my sense of independence and to be able to further my cultural exposure. Experiencing Austria during the Christmas season is something I’ll never forget and it was so fulfilling to be able to let this adventure be a part of my first semester of college.
Traveling by yourself is like the freedom of college without a safety net – you’re all alone in a foreign country where not everyone speaks your language, and on top of that, it’s up to you to navigate all sorts of obstacles like public transport, directions and safety. And while that is a lot, holding that responsibility can build a lot of character and grit that can be so important as you come into your adult years. That’s one of the things that makes traveling so important.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone can be really scary, but the results it produces can easily outweigh any of that fear. Traveling is a perfect way to approach this and I am so grateful that I’ve been able to use it as a way to explore the potential I have.
So don’t be afraid to do things that seem hard or not worth the effort – a lot of times they’ll end up becoming some of the most important things you’ve ever done.