As I come to the conclusion of my study abroad experience in Madrid, Spain, I find myself reflecting on the traveling I have done. From London to Florence to Morocco, my travels have even taken me to my third continent: Africa! As my thoughts wander through whether I bought enough souvenirs or if I took enough photos to remember the cities visited, another question often pops into my mind — was all the traveling worth the stress it brought me?
It is not a question that you often hear when people reminisce about their study abroad experience, but I feel that it is an important one to reflect on. For me, the main planner of my friends’ trips and a self-diagnosed control freak, travel brings me much more stress than it would for the average person. This often leads me to resent the traveling I am so privileged to experience, rather than feel excitement or anticipation. So, how do you balance a feeling of overwhelming stress with a supposed excitement you are expected to feel?
I think it is important to note that my study abroad experience is not my first time traveling to different countries. I have been extremely privileged to travel to Europe with my parents multiple times — often visiting my grandparents who live in England and continuing onward from that stop. Before even coming to Spain, I was somewhat familiar with aspects of European culture. I already knew about the lack of dryers, continuous hot water and iced coffee in most areas of Europe. Most importantly, I understood that European life was not for me. While I disagree with many facets of America and American culture, dryers, large showers and access to ginormous sugary iced coffees are certainly not among them. In leaving the U.S., I knew that traveling would bring continuous disappointment along with these and many other features of European travel. While I was extremely grateful for this experience, I went in already sort of jaded.
As my friends would likely tell you, I have quite the need to control and plan out all aspects of my travel. That leads me to often research, plan and book all parts of our weekend trips. While at first I jumped at the opportunity to create itineraries and book the best hostels possible, it soon began to pile up among my stressors of homework, homesickness and trying to cling to hobbies I once enjoyed. What once was a source of pride and enjoyment quickly turned into resentment and dread as more and more trips piled on.
This article is not meant to persuade you away from studying abroad. This truly has been an extremely rewarding experience that I will remain eternally grateful to have completed. However, as social media and people around you speak largely of the positives surrounding study abroad and traveling at large, I feel it is important to also acknowledge the potential downsides. Traveling abroad can be extremely stressful — and not everyone is meant to love it as much as others do. Whether it is because you love American culture and amenities or traveling is a large stressor, not enjoying the traveling aspect of study abroad as much as others do is okay.
However, it is important to push yourself out of your comfort zone, and I recommend everyone do so! Immerse yourself in other aspects of study abroad — the food, culture or people of your host country. Find methods that lessen travel anxiety by talking to your friends, finding group tours or allowing others to take control of the planning. Most importantly, remember that even though traveling can be stressful and overwhelming, the memories and experiences that it brings you are irreplaceable.