Last Spring, I was granted the opportunity to participate in the Western Europe study abroad program. Four months, three countries, and plenty of different guidelines to memorize. From Italy’s “outdoor masks are a must” to Ireland’s “depends on where you go the rules vary”, there were a lot of things to figure out due to the coronavirus pandemic. Then, there were vaccines, boosters, and documents, and if things were not sorted out ahead of time, it would be hard to get them straightened later.
Although going abroad was one of the most rewarding experiences I could have ever asked for, I can not say it was an easy one. It was tedious having to refer back to guidelines and adapt accordingly. I know what you’re thinking, that it’s just reading and obeying, but it’s more than that. It is having to be on a constant alert of having the right type of mask on hand because guidelines can change every day. It is something that had kept us on our toes and made me hesitant to travel further than our recommended borders.
Living in Europe for four months, I wanted to see as much of the world as I could. However, with Covid, it made it nerve-wracking to leave the area we were living in. We were highly recommended to stay in the country we were living in due to these concerns, but there was nothing forcing us to stay in one place. When considering leaving the country we were living in at the time and traveling to the next, we had to rely heavily on the CDC website to prepare ourselves for the next country’s regulations. That being said, this does not mean that this was a total downside of traveling. Seeing 11 countries in 4 months and sometimes multiple in one weekend was incredible. Still, crossing borders and making sure we are prepared for what is next in terms of specific types of proof for vaccines and certain masks was intense.
Even though the world has seemingly calmed down regarding the pandemic, you would be surprised by the number of countries that feel differently about different rules and regulations. Going past the guidelines and rules, there are things that have been shut down and never reopened, which made traveling much different than it would have been in the past. For example, some museums such as the National Museum in Oslo, Norway, were still shut down due to Covid while I was traveling. I was all ready for my trip, I had my flights and my Airbnb booked. However, hours before, I had to cancel my flight because I decided to double-check if the museum was still open; especially since that was the sole reason that I planned on visiting. These types of situations happened to a lot of people during my travels. Traveling guidelines would change days before trips that were already booked. This made traveling tough as well, because there was no way to anticipate the changes being made, what they were, or when they could happen.
All this being said, do I think it would be easier to have traveled pre-pandemic? Absolutely. I think that all this threw a wrench in the ease of planning and traveling. Would I change my study abroad plans and not travel during this time if I knew that I’d face these situations? Absolutely not. I would risk it all to travel again, it is one of the things in life that I am most passionate about. Traveling during a pandemic can bring forth a lot of twists and turns. Yet, I would still recommend studying abroad to any student. Although, I would advise students to take caution in the decisions they make while they are there, and to be aware of the news with rules constantly changing.