Traveling Abroad

One of the biggest highlights of studying abroad in Europe has been the ease with which you can travel between the EU countries. There was a lot of uncertainty initially about whether or not traveling would be an option because the COVID situation as we know is always so unpredictable. But luckily, before Europe began going through a big hit by the Omicron variant, me and my friends had the opportunity to travel to quite a few new and beautiful places. We began with Berlin and went on to Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Madrid, and each and every place we went to felt unreal. All of the popular tourist attractions and beautiful historical sites that we had seen on TV and social media were right in front of our eyes and it really takes a moment for that feeling to settle. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, Colosseum in Rome, the famous Barcelona Cathedral all lived up to their hype.

I remember when we reached the Eiffel Tower and honestly didn’t exactly know how to act. So much so that we decided to go a second time and soak up some more of its beauty. The first time we went was during the day and it was already breathtaking, but we were stunned to see it at night with the twinkling lights and we realized that the tower we saw during the day was just a trailer of its real beauty. It was a similar feeling with the Colosseum in Rome. We were just casually walking down the street not realizing where we were headed and it just appeared kind of out of nowhere and we just stopped and went, “Oh. There it is.” When we went inside, it felt so surreal to think of all the things that were happening at that exact time and spot centuries ago. We were standing at the very spot that historical events that are now written in books took place. I mean, that’s a pretty crazy feeling.

This was the first time in my life that I got to see this many places with friends in such a short amount of time and I will always feel extremely grateful for that. I always knew I enjoyed traveling and I had done it with family before but this was a whole new experience altogether. We had classes nonstop these past 4 months so our traveling days were restricted to weekends only so I must admit it was extremely hectic almost every single time, but also definitely worth it. The excitement and rush when we sat together and clicked “Confirm Purchase” and let out a little shriek because we couldn’t believe we had just booked a flight to Rome, it was an amazing feeling.

While traveling is one of the best experiences and exposure to the world one can have, it’s also extremely important to be cautious and aware of your surroundings, especially when you’re going to a place that you’ve never been to before. You never know the type of people you’re surrounded by so have a lot of fun but also be safe. If you go through a negative, dangerous experience abroad it’s a lot worse because you don’t have family around you. So if you’re planning a trip while abroad, prepare to have the best time of your life, and also prepare to have to be extra responsible.