Last Fall, I studied abroad at the Universidad de Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain. It was the most rewarding, amazing, and stressful three months of my life, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I have some advice for anyone thinking about going abroad and for anyone who is already picked a program and is going soon.

1. Picking a Program and Housing
Make sure that when you pick a program, you’ll be happy. Make sure when you’re looking into programs, you’re being true to your wants and needs. Keep in mind: finances, access to transportation, dialect and language spoken (i.e. Catalan in Barcelona and Euskera in País Vasco), length of program, location, and many, many more.
Whatever you decide for housing, make sure you’re being true to yourself. If after a couple of days you truly do not like your living situation, talk to your program director because I’m sure they can help you figure some things out, and even move you to a different housing situation if needed. If you don’t like fish, tell your host family you don’t like fish. It is better to be honest with them than not eat the food they put on your plate.

2. Packing
Figuring out what kind of clothes you should pack and how much is very stressful. I spent months before I left for my program deciding my wardrobe and buying new clothes. The first thing you should do is look at the climate of where you’re going. What are the high temperatures? What are the lows? If you plan on traveling, take that into consideration. You may be going somewhere where it rains a lot, or gets colder than where you’ll be studying, so you should be prepared for that as well.
You must also decide if you’re going to work out. If you don’t work out at UMass, you won’t work out abroad. Don’t bring workout clothes if the only time you’d wear them is to the gym. Definitely bring sneakers, you’ll be doing a lot of walking and possibly hiking.
Stick to neutral colors, things you can mix and match. Being able to create 10 outfits out of 1 shirt or 1 pair of shoes saves so much space.
Don’t be afraid to buy an extra suitcase! You’ll be much happier being able to bring everything home than you’d be if you threw a lot away. You also need room for family gifts and souvenirs!

3. Traveling
Decide if you want to travel every weekend, here or there, or not at all, as soon as possible. The best time to purchase a flight is on Tuesday night, 2 weeks before your planned travel (it’s science). The best website to find cheap flights is skyscanner.com . It’s such a great website because you can choose your departure airport, and look at the cheapest cities to fly to on the weekends you want.

4. Cell Phones and SIM Cards
Many American companies like Verizon and AT&T have international data plans, but they can be very pricy and limited. My best advice is to make sure your phone is unlocked before you depart, and to purchase a SIM card in your country.
FUN FACT: T-Mobile’s data plans work internationally, so you don’t have to change your SIM card or phone number when you go abroad.
DOWNLOAD WHATSAPP! Use as much WiFi as you can, you can use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, and even iMessage if you’re using WiFi.

I hope that this advice helps. If you think of anything else you’d like me to answer, feel free to comment!