Anytime you choose to travel somewhere new and exciting you’re making a lifelong investment in yourself. I was lucky enough to be able to study in London early in my college career and I wouldn’t trade my time there for anything in the world. Many of the people I studied with have gone back to Europe to study abroad for a second time because of what an amazing first experience it was. Here are just some of the reasons why every single college kid should expand their horizons by studying abroad.

1. To step out of your comfort zone

By spending a semester in a foreign place, you’re ultimately taking a leap of faith by betting that you’ll make the most of your time there. For those who are hesitant about leaving the comfort of your college town, just remember that it will be there when you get back, but you may never be given such an easygoing travel opportunity again.

2. To eat new and interesting food

There will most likely never be another opportunity in your young life to step outside your college dorm and eat your heart out with the freshest, cheapest local cuisine your country has to offer. Bonus points if you live with a Host family and get to eat free home-cooked meals all the time.

3. To meet new people

When you study abroad through a college program, you often stick with the same group of people for your entire trip. Because you all experience such a significant moment in your academic career, you end up becoming tightly bonded by the time you spent together.

4. To learn about new cultures

Something I find really important to learn about at a young age is that there isn’t one definite way to have a happy and successful existence. By studying abroad, you get to look at the day to day from the perspective of a whole new way of living. This provides students a hands-on lesson in tolerance and acceptance of new and unique circumstances.

5. To find yourself along the way

Every time you travel abroad and absorb the newness of an entirely foreign place, you get a glance into how other people go about their day to day life. By being fully immersed in a new culture, you get to pick and choose what aspects of life you agree with and would like to adopt, and what you feel should be left behind.

However you choose to spend your college career, I implore anyone who has the opportunity to spend time in a new country to jump on it. Remember, you’re only in college once.