The late and beloved chef and author Anthony Bourdain once said, “If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can… open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” I plan to do that this coming semester when I study abroad in Florence, Italy. All my life, I have looked forward to studying abroad. My dad used to take business trips to London once or twice a year, and I always asked him to bring me along with him. The idea of experiencing a different culture and living in a place that is totally unfamiliar to me has always been something I wanted to do. I have been looking forward to this since I was very young, and I cannot believe it’s almost here. Though there is a lot of excitement surrounding my trip, there is still so much I have to do and prepare for.
Getting my paperwork together
Paperwork has been somewhat difficult to gather since I am a college student, I live on my campus, and the only time I can grab and make copies of the documents I need is when I’m home. I’m grateful that I don’t live far away from home at all, and I’ve been able to get my hands on mostly everything I need. I must give credit where credit is due and thank my mom for being a huge help with this, knowing where all of my documents are (because I definitely don’t), and carving time out of her day to get me what I need. I have found it so helpful to print out a checklist of what I need and cross each item off along the way as I get them. Staying organized, I’ve found, is the most crucial part of this whole process. Keeping my head screwed on and not getting nervous when faced with a list of things to do comes in a close second. The study abroad process seemed daunting at first, but the further along I got, the easier and less confusing it became.
Get clothes
Another way I’m getting ready to study abroad is by updating my wardrobe. One of the big problems I have regarding my closet is that I have little to no basics. I intend to go to many places within Europe, such as England, Austria, Spain, and Ireland, and I need to expand my wardrobe to fit the places I’m going. I have become a TJMaxx regular in the past few weeks, always looking to add basics to my closet so I can mix and match to make an endless supply of outfits that I will look good and feel good in. I fear that I won’t have enough room in my checked bag for all the clothing I plan on bringing, and never mind the clothes I plan on taking back. To remedy this problem, I will probably end up vacuum-sealing my bath towels and clothing in Ziploc Space Bags.
Buying other necessities
“Necessities” is sort of a loose term here. Things such as outlet converters for most European countries, then another one for Ireland and the United Kingdom, definitely fall under the necessities category. Along with that, another necessity is Air Tags so that I can monitor the location of my checked bags, as well as the location of my passport and my non-checked luggage if I take weekend trips. Shifting away from items that are 100% crucial to my trip and shifting towards things that I want for my experience includes a Kindle. I love to read, and I know I will have a lot of downtime on flights and trains, but I can’t bring over a ton of books. Thus, a Kindle will be great for me, and I will have time to sit down and read the books I’ve been telling everyone I’ll read for years. I have also had my eye on a particular Longchamp tote in the color fawn that I believe will be spacious enough for all of my school supplies.
Book flights
To be completely honest, I’m so anxious when it comes to booking flights and figuring out transportation. I want it done months in advance so I can have a definite plan and not have to worry about it. Since I live in Connecticut, I can fly out of Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, or I can make the longer trek to Logan in Boston for more options. Bradley only offers one flight to Rome that day, and sometimes it doesn’t appear on the website, so I don’t want to rely on that. Logan has multiple flights that day, some nonstop and others with layovers in cities like Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta, London, and Dublin. I will probably end up booking an Aer Lingus flight out of Logan and taking a connecting redeye through Dublin.
Research
I touched on this when talking about booking flights, but I’m big on research, and I love having a plan and being informed. Knowing the customs, some of the language, and being familiar with the currency of the place I’m traveling to is not only smart — it’s respectful. It will also help me as a newcomer to feel more comfortable and knowledgeable. On top of the culture of the area, it’s important to know the climate so I know what to pack, what transportation is like, and local restaurants/attractions. Rick Steves has been my best friend during this process, and I frequently refer back to his Best of Italy guidebook.
Although I have been doing a lot of preparing and researching, studying abroad will give me some of the best months of my life. Change is a good thing, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more open to change in my life than I am now. As I said, I’ve been looking forward to this ever since I can remember, and I’m so eager to see where life takes me next semester in Europe.