What a gift it is to live in a time where we can hop on a plane and head wherever we desire. No matter where you go or what you do, there are some beautiful things you realize when you travel that open your heart forever.
If you’re getting ready to head on an adventure, or want to get yourself in the mood for one, read on! Here is a list of 5 amazing things you’ll learn while you’re abroad.
Some Beautiful Things You Realize When You Travel Give You a Piece of Home
By that, I mean the night sky is the same.
I love the stars and the constellations. When I was young I would take my constellation book into my yard on a clear night. The evening air of the Texas countryside is so crisp and clean – you can see everything. I would stand there, neck craned, trying to match them up. Orion here, the Big Dipper there.
When you start packing up, you realize all the little things you’ll miss about home. The cicadas chirping, the sweet tea.
But one thing remains.
One night, when you get to where you’re going, you’ll look up and realize that the sky is the same.
Orion still here. The Big Dipper still there.
There are some things you bring along everywhere you go.
Some Beautiful Things You Realize When You Travel Keep You Grounded
Like the fact that at the end of the day…. a place is just a place.
The world is so magical and exciting. What a privilege it is to hear a new language in your ears. To eat new foods, to love in new ways. It’s a fantastical universe we live in, full of all the wonderful things we never could have imagined.
And yet… a time comes when those things become normal. Commonplace. Once something to write home about, but no longer.
You can even get bored.
In those moments you might be compelled to panic. You might worry that you’re not grateful enough.
But that is life.
At the end of the day, a place is just a place.
So let it be a place. When you’re ready, you’ll find the magic again.
This One Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity
It turns out that we are all exactly the same.
Landing in a new country is like entering a swirly chaotic twilight zone. Nothing makes sense – not the language, not the customs, not the rules.
Even if you’ve prepared for it your whole life, it still feels like madness.
But you know what’s always the same?
People.
The waitress at the local restaurant who slides you her Instagram and lets you know she’ll braid your hair if you need it – gel is hard to come by here. She’s black, but she’s not American.
No matter. She gets it.
There’s the lady at the DMV who gets you the local visa so you can travel through the country easily. You didn’t bring the right documents. She tells you to go home, get them and come back tomorrow.
The DMV is an hour and half away from your apartment.
She understands. She’ll wait for you all day.
The guy who works at the supermarket asked you on a date. Drinks and salsa. He’s sweet, but you’re not interested, so you turn him down. But you can’t handle the anxiety of walking past him every week. Now you go to the grocery store around the corner.
People are people everywhere you go. Including you.
Some Beautiful Things You Realize when You Travel Lighten the Load
Like the fact that you don’t need much to feel at home.
“I don’t want to see a single American flag while I’m abroad.”
Yes, I know.
Here’s the thing. You won’t miss the politics, you won’t miss needing a car. You won’t even miss the massive meals that put you in a coma.
But the difference in the taste of Coke will make your eye twitch. Paying for water will make your blood boil.
And when you need to use the restroom in the middle of your shopping trip and realize there’s not a single Euro coin in your purse?
That’s when you’ll want a taste of home.
My advice is to go to Starbucks.
There’s something heartwarming about good old American capitalism mixed with coffee no matter where you are. And the influx of California accents will grace your ears like a song from heaven.
They won’t just give you your weekly fix of caffeine.
They’ll give you your weekly fix of home.
And that’s enough.
This One is My Favorite… and It Creeps Up on You
It is that you are braver than you know.
It’s easy to study abroad – that’s the thing people don’t know. Your 2.0 GPA in the States is a 3.1 in Madrid. Your $200,000 tuition in New York is a luxurious life in Frankfurt.
What’s hard is leaving home. What’s hard is embracing the unfamiliar.
There’s something about that 3 month point when you look around and realize anyone could have done it… but only you did.
You wonder what made you so different. Different enough to give it a shot.
The answer is that you are brave.
Plain and simple.
Conclusion
These are some of the most beautiful things you realize when you travel! Some are profound in concept, some are profound in practice. All of them are little blessings that keep your feet on the ground and the magic alive!
Do you have any to add? Let me know in the comments!
Learn how to study abroad here!
I love you!
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