Eight Pre-Departure Study Abroad Tips

I’ve been in Spain for almost a month and think I am finally getting used to the culture and education system in the country, but it definitely took a lot of time and adjustments to get to this point.

Yes Parents, We’re Studying Too

When you think about study abroad, you think traveling, meeting new people and having the time of your life. This is all very true: I have made so many great friends and had life-altering experiences while abroad. But there are also those classes that I have had to attend, as well.

From Scared, Unfamiliar, and Intimidated to Adapting, Growing, and Accepting: My Last Days in the U.S.

Groeten Uit Rotterdam! Greetings from Rotterdam, Netherlands. My name is Salvador Terrones and I am a third year interdisciplinary major at San Diego State University. Although I have barely spent my second day in the Netherlands, I feel that I have much to share about my last days in California and my first days in Rotterdam.

New Vegan Finds in Växjö, Sweden

As a vegan, there is nothing better than finding the vegetarian/vegan section of a grocery store; I am always pleasantly surprised when I find these sections in Sweden because they are sometimes a little harder to find.  The other day I discovered two amazing places to get vegan food!

Six Things I Learned in My Sophomore Year

How’s everyone’s first week of school so far? I’m so excited to be back to school as a junior! But first I’d like to offer some suggestions to those new sophomores.

My Study Abroad Action Plan

It has been two weeks since I’ve officially begun my study abroad exchange in Europe. When asked by friends and family “how is it, Kels?,” the only reply I can muster up is “completely surreal.” I’ll be living in the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands for one entire academic year and this tiny portion in the beginning has already been a wild ride.

Easing Pre-Departure Worries as a Vegan

I am heading off to Sweden in a few days for a trip that will last me nine months. Like most people traveling to a foreign country I am a little worried: Will I have too much stuff with me? Will I have too little? Will I stick out? Will I make friends? But there is one question I ask myself that may be a little more unique; what will I eat?

How to Afford Traveling (Working Student Edition)

I’ve been traveling internationally for the past 10 years and one question that I’m consistently asked is “how can you afford it?” As a full time student and restaurant server paying her own way in life, most people cannot understand how I could whisk off on an extended vacation every summer. Well, the answer lies in the bag of tricks I’ve accumulated along the way and below are a few of my best tips!

Passing Judgement: Amazon Boat Rides, Cultures, Giant Moths and Cariacu

The second two places I visited had my mind working a million miles and hour and jumping around like an Amazonian spider.

Five Reasons I’m Still Alive

Before I left for Ecuador, a good 90 percent of the people I told about my upcoming trip warned me that it was too dangerous, the country too unstable, that I was going to get sick, die in an earthquake, maimed, drugged, robbed, killed etc. The general consensus seemed to be “dude, why didn’t you just go to Europe?” and “I don’t think you thought this through.” Stubborn as I am, I took most of this advice with a grain of salt. And I’m glad that I did.