Travel Tips: Make the most of your time abroad

As cliche as it sounds, my soul loves traveling. I feel my best when lost in a foreign city, and am always looking for a reason to hit the road and escape my familiar town.

I was 13 years old the first time that I visited Europe. We hopped around countries trying delicious cuisine, visiting friends, and learning to communicate with the locals. Three short years later, I traveled overseas for my exchange experience in Sweden, where I lived with a host family (initially strangers), attended high school, and played sports. In 2012, I went back with a Eurail pass and journeyed across eight countries in five weeks.

Through those experiences, I've picked up a few tips on transportation, how to learn the native language, connect with locals, and discover new food dishes. Here's my advice to you as you prepare for your next (or first) trip abroad.

How to make the most out of your time abroad:

1. Keep a journal. Fill the pages with lists of food you've discovered, train tickets, cafe receipts, and even jot down the songs you hear on the radio. It's a fun keepsake that you can refer back to years later and will help jog memories you potentially forget after time. Write how you're feeling, how you spent your day exploring, and the people that you've met along the way. It's been almost ten years since I lived in Sweden, and my journal is my favorite way to reminisce on my time abroad.

2. Learn how to say "Thank You," "Hello," and "You're Welcome" in the native language of the country you're visiting. Whether you're shopping at the grocery store, hopping on a bus, or being served at a local restaurant, it goes a long way to be able to thank others in their language.

3. Read as much as you can in the native language. Now, this tip goes for those traveling for longer periods of time, but helps a lot with language skills. Read the newspaper, a children's book, or magazines. Not only is it cool to see how publications are produced in other countries, but if you do this often enough you'll start to recognize words and be able to pick up general concepts. This is one of the ways I learned Swedish during my exchange year. If you'd like a little extra help, download the app Duolingo. It's free, and helps with general phrases and pronunciations!

4. Embrace the moment, put down your phone. During my year abroad, I only spoke to my mom on the phone once a month for an hour. It helped me with homesickness to stay detached from what was going on back home. I didn't have a smart phone or laptop - just my host family's old desktop and a flip phone. While this might not be as realistic anymore, it's still important to limit social media use and live in the moment. Dedicate a time once a week to upload photos and catch up with peers back home. Also, upon returning, it's more fun to have stories to talk about that others haven't seen on Facebook already. If you post every moment of your trip online, you'll have little to talk about upon your return home.

5. Use cash, not your card. Most debit and credit cards charge a small conversion fee every time you purchase something abroad. My recommendation is to take out cash as to only have to pay the fee a handful of times, rather than with every purchase. That being said, be careful how much money you have on you at all times.

6. Get advice from the locals. Talk to people you meet around town and get their advice on what museums/hikes/restaurants you should check out. They might introduce you to a funky local spot you wouldn't have otherwise heard of.

7. Try everything at least once. No matter how strange the dish might sound, I always live by the motto of trying everything at least once. In Sweden, pickled herring and blood pudding are two dishes that are very popular but have always intimidated me. During my exchange year I made it a goal to try everything and even though I wasn't a fan of either dish, I can now say I know what it tastes like. You aren't getting the full experience if you don't try things that push you out of your comfort zone.

8. Have a picnic! Go to a local farmer's market or grocery store and stock up on cheeses, meats, veggies, fruits, crackers/breads, and sweets. Set up shop in a local park, on the steps of a popular building, or by a body of water. This is a great way to spend less money on a meal, people watch, and taste test a variety of local foods.

9. Travel by train. While it might be faster to travel by plane, I'm a big fan of taking a train to my destination. Given that it's a form of transportation not as common on the West Coast of America, it's a cool way to see the beautiful countryside while experiencing something new. Take this time to play cards, snack on food, research your next destination, and catch up with your travel buddies. Another perk? You don't have to worry about the stress of renting a car and driving in a foreign country. It allows you the time to just enjoy the ride.

10. Pick a good travel buddy. I can't express how important it is to have a good travel buddy. At a time when you're most out of your comfort zone, it's vital that you're with a person who is patient, flexible, and up for anything. Also, it's important that you exhibit these same qualities. A bad travel buddy makes for a bad trip. My favorite person to explore with? Definitely my mom. She pushes me to try new things and to always have fun.

What are your top travel tips? I'd love to hear your experiences and advice. Shoot me a note!