Traveling Far: Is It Worth It?

Hi everyone! I am so glad to be writing on here again! Today I would like to talk a little bit about my experience abroad, more precisely in the United States. It was a terrifying but amazing experience for a small-town girl like me who had never left France, and I would like to share with you some tips and stories that I feel are worth sharing.

First of, if you would like to do one, big long trip far away from your current home, think about it and list the pros and cons. I am a very realistic person, and I just hate seeing people coming back because their trip was not organized enough, or badly organized, and they end up disappointed whereas it could have been the trip of their lives. Doing a trip far away from your home is an amazing, ambitious and legitimate experience, it is a total dream. Before leaving, ask yourself some questions! Are you leaving at a good time of your life? Have you ever been on your own long enough? Are you okay with not seeing your family and friends on a daily basis? If your answers to these questions are no, that does not mean you are not ready. Sometimes you just have to take the great leap, but not everyone is strong enough and sometimes it's just not the good time. Positive thing though, don't worry it comes fast enough! You also have to ask yourself some pragmatic questions, do you have sufficient financial resources, especially if you are going on a roadtrip? Do you have a place to stay when you arrive? Money is super important. You'll need it for everything, food, car rental, going out, paying bills... Some people will say that it is okay not to know, because the taste of adventure is more thrilling. I do not really disagree, but yet I will tend to say that for someone's very first trip abroad, not knowing where you will land and not being sure of having enough money is one more stressing element. The more prepared you are, the more relaxed you will become and then be ready to enjoy your fabulous trip at 100%!

If you are still hesitating, remember that there are always a million reasons not to do something. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to travel, if this is what bothers you. Do not do it because the others are doing it, you should travel to accomplish yourself, fulfilling your dreams and if you can gain experience or improve another language, that is a plus. If you do want to travel on the other hand, then nothing stops you. Some people have asked me how I had managed to afford an 8-month trip to the United States by doing everything by myself. I have always refused to be helped by anyone including my parents and family. So I worked hard at a supermarket all summer while everyone was out at the beach or paradise islands. I worked hard and saved around 3000€, just the amount to book a plane ticket and be ready to face anything that would come up, but as I was doing a paid internship, I had nothing to worry about on a daily basis. So that's how I made it, and I am not particularly wealthy whatsoever. Everything is possible, so don't forget to ask yourself, why not me?

To talk a little bit more about my particular experience, I was a legal intern in an American law firm based in Houston, Texas. When I was first told the destination — I did not have the possibility to really choose — I was a little bit scared. I just imagined faraway lands, heat and people with guns. It turned out to be a wonderful city with a thousand of things to do, I had an awesome boss who would let me go on weekends and roadtrips so that I could enjoy the United States properly. When I first came I had no apartment yet, I had to stay in a youth hostel, with Hostelling International. It was late at night, my plane had landed around 10 p.m. and I had to wait for a shuttle because naturally, I did not know anyone yet to pick me up. I waited one hour at the airport surrounded by my luggage, a couple Asian students and one old man. Then the shuttle took me to Houston. I saw the skyline from afar, and I felt something I cannot describe. I was really tired, so I still didn't realize that I was 8000 kilometers from home, in another continent, another place of the Earth, where absolutely no one knew me or knew nothing about me. It was a really weird feeling. I then arrived at the hostel and was conducted to my room, a shared male/female room with already people in it, of course. For someone who has never slept in other things than fancy hotels, that was quite the shock. There were two people from Venezuela, an English girl, and one man from the US Army. I went to the upper bed, I put all my things down and I thought, "What the hell am I doing here". Well let me tell you something, the following day I had made five friends and had already acclimated to the environment. Don't be scared if you think such things, it is totally normal and trust me, the best is totally, totally yet to come. Also, do not be scared of all the paperwork. It can seem horrible and very frustrating but it is something you have to do in order to travel properly and carefree. I hope I helped you guys figuring out more a little bit about what you want to do, and to answer: YES, traveling far is totally, totally worth it.

I hope this article was helpful to help everyone struggling with this horrible thoughts, "am I going or am I not going?". I apologize for the structure of it, it is kind of messy but I will definitely make other articles about other aspects of my particular trip or even other things that people would like to know, I am also from Europe — France, especially — and I will be glad to answer any types of questions for people who would want to go there. Thank you so much for reading this and feel free to let me know in the comments what you think! xoxo