Continued from HERE...

You are going to plan, plan, and plan some more when it comes to free travel. I have 3 weeks of free travel split up over two different months, and I have been thinking about where to go for months. It begins by listing a few countries you want to go to. Then you get on Pinterest and realize that you basically want to go to every country in Europe while you're there (but you sadly decide that this is impossible). So you narrow it back down again and try to figure out what to do in each country. This is when you realize that you probably have to spend at least a year in every country in order to visit all of the places that you want to see (which is also sadly impossible). Now some people, like my roommate, are just up for the adventure, and they are willing to go anywhere you take them. Others, like me, love to plan and want to figure out what we're doing, where we're going, and all the likes. Sorry people like me-- you're going to spend hours looking at plane tickets and train rides and hotel rooms (Airbnb is a great place to look at accommodations by the way). Part of this adds to the excitement; part of it adds to the stress. While I love looking at all the things we could be doing and seeing it all come together, it's frustrating when you find out that certain areas don't have flights to other places or trains only leave at certain times. Sometimes things just don't work out, and you have to find another way around them. Here's some advice: don't stress, take a breather, and come back to it later; it'll all work out in the end, and I'm sure you'll have a great time regardless of what happens.

In the midst of packing and planning your free trips, you are going to get emails upon emails from a variety of people telling you what to do for your trip. I've got professors sending me information about classes, directors telling me about the facilities, and many other people giving me group travel plans or work-study forms. Online classes are hard, because sometimes the instructions are vague, and you don't know what you're doing. Travel plans are complicated, because it's hard to plan things when you aren't talking face-to-face. It's a lot of details to have running through your brain all the time, but don't get discouraged; instead, get organized. Planners are a blessing. Use them daily. Also notes-- on your phone, laptop, actual post-it notes-- anything that helps you organize your life and remember things will help. Check your email often, respond to people in a timely fashion, and take deep breaths, because it'll all be worth it when you get there.

Finally, the best part about pre-departure planning is all of the excitement you will have along the way. Buying new things for your trip, talking with others going with you, dreaming up all of the fascinating places you'll go and people you'll meet. It makes all of the stressful aspects of planning worth it. Even though you'll get overwhelmed at times, you can always FaceTime your soon-to-be adventure buddy, complain about all the stuff you have to do, and psych yourselves out for all the delicious European food you guys will eat. Now, I will soon be boarding a plane that will take me across the ocean and on the adventure of a lifetime, so here's to hoping that all of the planning I've done is well worth it!