You imagine your few months in Europe will resemble that family vacation you took to Italy that one time in 5th grade. The only difference: your fellow travelers are now 20-year-olds with the freedom to do anything they want. Here's some tips for you future travelers and some memory joggers for the ones who already have...

Every college student has either studied abroad, thought about it or known someone who has. Here are the things you learn while supposedly "studying" in a different country. 

1.    “Free Wi-Fi” are now your two favorite words.
Even if that means staying in a two star hostel instead of a five, or camping out at McDonald’s for 30 minutes so you can FaceTime your parents to let them know you’re alive, Wi-Fi is the only way to communicate with the outside world. AKA desperate times call for desperate measures.

2.    Finding a €20 flight is totally doable.
Ryanair flights could potentially qualify as a new torture tactic, but hey if you’re going to get me from the Netherlands to Portugal for €20, it’s worth it. And no I don’t want to purchase an e-cigarette or lottery ticket from the stewardess, so please stop asking.

3.    You don’t travel by car – train, bus and walking are now your options.
Prepare your feet and invest in a pair of converse. Also make sure to always follow the traffic laws. Trust me, nearly getting arrested by Roman police for not paying the €2 bus fare, isn’t worth it… or so I hear.

4.    XL T-shirts and Nike shorts aren’t appropriate to wear… anywhere.
It’s a requirement to dress up for class in Europe, even wearing sandals is pushing it. Get seen wearing a sorority shirt and you probably won’t be let in class, or even worse, seen as the “stupid American” for the rest of the semester.

5.    Find someone who speaks English and suddenly you’re BFFs.
Whether they are from the U.S., the UK or trying out their English on you for the first time, speaking the same language bonds you and no matter how weird they might seem, you will appreciate this and probably even become F.B.O.

6.    “Coffee shops” don’t actually sell coffee.
Unless that coffee has a little something extra in it of course. Walking into one for the first time, I can only imagine my expression when I realized this was nothing like a Starbucks.

7.    Wine is the new water.
And cheaper than water too. No matter the time of day, even if its 6 a.m., wine is always acceptable. Hey, do as the Roman do, right?

8.    Converting currencies has never been more difficult.
Going from euros to Czech korunas to Swiss francs to British pounds to Hungarian forints and back to American dollars… you learn it’s not worth it and just start praying for your bank account instead.

9.    You don’t leave the clubs at 2 a.m.; you GO to the clubs at 2 a.m.
Europeans are on a totally different time schedule. They wake up late, they eat dinner late and they go out late. If you want to hang with them, you have to dance until the sun comes up… literally.

10. Sleeping in a train station is bound to happen at least once.
This isn’t ideal in anyone’s book but when you’re on a budget and trains and planes are getting delayed, you do what you have to do. And sometimes that means cuddling with your backpack and a homeless man.

11. Studying abroad involves probably 10 minutes of actual studying.
Don’t tell anyone, but it’s true. Just load up on coffee and Red Bull and write your term papers all in one night. Trust me, you’ll still make an A and now you’ll get to see Ireland too.

12. Hostels are nowhere near as scary as people think.
This is where you meet your friends! Here and pub-crawls of course. They also give you directions, free walking tours of the city and if you’re lucky, free breakfast.

13. Carbs are now your one and only food group.
Spaghetti, pizza, sandwiches, toast and noodles, the list goes on and on. Unless you’re made of money though, it’s time to invest in some stretchy pants and just go with it.

14. Wearing the same clothes for a week is not only possible, but will happen.
How else are you supposed to fit clothes for 3 weeks into a carry-on size backpack required by Ryanair and easyJet? You might get sick of wearing the same striped shirt, but just wear your hair a different way and hope no one looking at your Instagram pictures notices.

15. What happens in Europe, stays in Europe.
Everyone changes a little while abroad; some get crazier, some more adventurous and some just plain stupid. The stories can be told, but the saying “I guess you had to be there,” pretty much explains it all. Unless pictures of your friend doing body shots at a bar get posted on their website… well that’s a different story.