Tenerife 
Cudillero 
Tenerife 
Lagos de Covadonga 
Cangas de Onís 
Madrid
Hey, it’s me again! Now that I’ve been taking classes for a couple of weeks, I’ve had time to schedule the rest of my semester in regard to traveling. Although I’ve mostly stayed within Spain so far (there’s A LOT to see), I’m visiting Italy next month and France in December. All I can say is that I’ve quickly learned how difficult planning weekend getaways or trips in general can be. I honestly don’t know how my parents do this all the time, it literally feels like a part-time job. Any time I go on vacations while in the United States, I have an adult who books the flights and excursions, while I just transfer them the necessary amount of money. All of a sudden, I’ve become that adult (wild, I know)! I just want to emphasize a couple of things I’ve learned along the way.
First, it’s extremely helpful to have a planner where you can write everything down. I know a lot of people would rather just use their phone calendar and reminders, but I had to switch over eventually because I began to feel very unorganized and unprepared. Since traveling often times requires missing a class or two due to flight times, it’s important to know when all of your assignments are due so that you can submit them prior to leaving. This allows you to travel without feeling that annoying stress or having school in the back of your mind. It also helps you maintain your grades up, since you ARE studying abroad after all!
Second, I’ve realized that budgeting is rough when you have several trips pending. I personally decided to only use one specific credit card for booking flights and tours for example, while using a designated amount of cash for food, public transportation, and any shopping I wish to do. I also think that downloading a budgeting app to accurately track how much you spend at each location can be effective (Trail Wallet is super simple and perfect for this). Another easy way to save money is by only taking out large amounts of cash at ATMs, to avoid frequent transactions fees.
Lastly, do yourself a favor and socialize with other students as soon as you get the opportunity. Most people want to travel and it’s definitely more exciting when you have friends to explore with. Some semesters abroad (like here in Oviedo) are shorter than at Rollins, meaning you have less time to build connections with others. This was frustrating for me during the first few weeks, since one of the main reasons I decided to study abroad was to meet new people. However, as soon as I felt comfortable in my classes, I began to make friends and am currently planning a trip to Sevilla with them!
To summarize, traveling requires more effort and planning than I imagined, but it’s been rewarding!