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Culture

Tips and Tricks for Traveling Abroad: Beginners Edition

Leigh Poteat
Mackenzie Smith
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Furman chapter.

This past May I was lucky enough to be able to study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, marking my first adventure Europe. Along with new experiences, new friends, some frustrations, and lots of laughter, there were a few tips and tricks I picked up along the way. 

 

Bring less shoes

You’ll never wear every pair you packed. Bring a few cute and comfortable pairs that go with everything and that way you’ll save room for clothes/shoes you buy.

Stay organized

One thing that I noticed is that whenever my stuff was all over the place or disorganized, I felt all over the place and disorganized. Keeping my clothes, personal items, electronics, etc. all clean and organized helped me feel like my shit was together so that I could focus on other fun things like exploring!

Be open to new things

You’re in a brand-new place! Go out and explore with people or alone (once you get the hang of things) and enjoy the moment. It sounds cheesy, but you may not have another experience like this one, so do all you can.

It’s okay to take a minute for yourself.

it’s easy to get caught up in everything and everyone going nonstop 24/7, and it can get overwhelming. It’s okay and pretty necessary to take a few hours for yourself to gather your thoughts and be alone for a minute.

Don’t live behind your camera

I’m all about the photo mems, but in the beginning I often found myself getting too caught up in making sure I captured everything so that I could go back and remember it. By doing that, I wasn’t really focused on what I was doing and just enjoying being in the beautiful city that is Copenhagen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about a good insta photo, but once my mindset changed to being more present, I was able to capture what was truly important to me and then just be there to experience it. 

 

Traveling abroad for the first time was overwhelming, exciting, nerve-wracking, fun, and unforgettable, and I can’t wait to go again someday!

Leigh Poteat is a writer for Her Campus at Furman University. She is a psychology major from Columbia, South Carolina. She is a firm believer of women supporting women and finding new and creative ways that we can support that! She loves good wine, great coffee, and collecting candles!
Mackenzie Smith is the Campus Correspondent and Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus at Furman University. She is a senior majoring in Public Health with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Mackenzie has a passion for making sure women feel empowered and important throughout all stages of life which can be seen through her work with Girlology and The Homeless Period Project.