1. Take as many pictures as you want, but make sure to still live in the moment.
Living in a new city is amazing and it’s super understandable that you want to take a picture of everything you see and do. And you should! These are memories that you want to last a lifetime. But make sure that you are also spending just as much time experiencing the city as you are recording it. This is a once in a lifetime experience and you don’t want to miss out on living in the moment because you were too focused on getting that perfect Instagram pic.
2. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
You’re in a foreign country, how cool is that!? This is a time to be adventurous and spontaneous. Climb that mountain in Cape Town even though you hate anything having to do with physical activity. Go to the top of the Duomo in Florence even if you’re scared of heights. Visit the art museum in Paris even if you don’t “understand” art. Be sure to appreciate your surroundings and don’t let your comfort zone from back home dictate what you can and cannot do while abroad!
3. Do not worry about gaining weight or not working out everyday.
In the culture we live in, it’s normal for us to stress out about eating too many calories or binging on too much junk food. But being abroad is not one of the times to stress about these things. It’s totally normal to gain weight while abroad and there’s a saying that goes, “if you didn’t gain any weight while abroad, then you didn’t do abroad right.” You’re going to eat a lot of pasta, or bread, or crumpets (whatever food your abroad country is known for). And you’re going to love it! This is four months to eat what you want and enjoy it without thinking about anything but how delicious it tastes.
4. Blog!
Blogging can be time-consuming and annoying at times, but writing down everything you did is so helpful. All the funny things that happened or the amazing sites you visited are now recorded and will never be forgotten. Even if it’s just a couple of sentences of what you did that day, it’s worth the five minutes of your day because the memories are so special and it’s something you’ll be thankful you did when you get back home.
5. Plan all of your trips as soon as possible.
Booking flights and hotels is a pain in the butt, but so worth it. You won’t have to worry about last minute planning, which will save you a lot of stress. Also, flights and hotel rates are much cheaper the earlier that you reserve them. And you have more time to get excited about your trip because you’ll have more time to research all the fun and amazing things to do in the city.
Images courtesy of: Giphy