As a third-year student at Colorado State University Fort Collins, I jumped at the opportunity to study abroad. Trading a semester of snow and freezing temperatures for beautiful architecture and centuries-old artwork was a no-brainer.
I was so excited that I filled out the application form to study in Florence almost a year before my departure day. Four months in Florence, Italy was comparable to the cost of a semester at my public school. After talking to my parents and my advisor, I thought the cultural experience and travel opportunities were worth it.
I knew that when I arrived I would have to budget my trip, including stays in communal hostels and budget airlines. I was prepared to face overloaded backpacks and bus tickets; But as soon as we arrived, it became clear that making money wasn’t on everyone’s agenda.
Other students jet set every weekend to expensive destinations
The first days in Florence were like a welcome week for first year students. The time was packed with activities, including hikes, dinners, and other miscellaneous activities to bring students together. My roommates and I attended one of the dinners to bond before classes started.
Among groups of strangers, I expected to discuss specialties and hometowns; however, I witnessed a quiet competition among students over who would go more often in the coming months.
Comments like “I’ve planned and booked every weekend” or “I’d love to go, but I’ve already been there” piled on top of each other as my peers tried to compete. At that time, I had no trips planned in total. When I was caught up in these conversations, I felt strangely driven to also fill my calendar every weekend, accompanied by a sense of stress from not being able to afford to travel every five days. I was afraid of being left behind.
I’ve been here for over two months and this conversation isn’t over. Every Monday I hear whispers about where my peers had flown to just days before. Places like Dubai and Morocco were mentioned, leaving me as shocked as that first dinner. I knew that studying abroad was a privilege before I came here, but “a weekend in Dubai” was not what I expected.
Nobody is rough like I thought
My spring break was only three weeks long at the start of the semester, and that’s when I decided to take my first trip. When booking, I looked through sites like KAYAK and Skyscanner, but plane tickets and hotels were still extremely expensive. Ultimately, my roommates and I decided to spend five days in Prague after finding affordable tickets on Ryanair. One of the biggest draws to Prague was that it was walkable, cheap and had a good nightlife – my top three requirements as a traveling student.
My three roommates and I reserved a studio for around $100 each for a total of five nights. It took us two trains, a bus, a plane and a few steps to get there, but the price was right. I was excited for the next week and felt satisfied with our trip and accommodation.
That was until I scrolled through Instagram to see my peers skiing in the Alps and skydiving in Copenhagen. It was almost unbelievable that the people I was taking my classes with could afford this style of travel when my school backpack was filled with a week’s worth of clothes because I had chosen not to pay carry-on fees required by Ryanair.
I thought at this point everyone made sacrifices while traveling, but I was very wrong.
I am convinced that people travel for their Instagram
I find it hard to understand that anyone can discover a new country in 48 hours.
I do know though that people are really good at making their free time look like the best time of their lives on my Instagram feed. It’s as if they collect comments like postcards or put an extra notch in their belt by showing each other how many stamps they have accumulated in their passports.
Traveling while studying abroad is a very expensive competitive sport that no one told me to train for.
I have learned that such comparisons defeat the purpose of travel. Maybe I haven’t traveled on the best airlines or stayed in a beachfront villa, but my experiences abroad have been enriching and allowed me to experience other cultures. The best of all? I didn’t have to spend a lot of money and my Instagram still looks great.
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