With fall study abroad exchange programs coming up, I thought I’d make a sort of masterpost with all my pearls of wisdom on packing, traveling and life abroad through previous posts!

Some general study abroad tips, what I did well and what I wish I did differently (please, learn from my mistakes!), packing tips, what I put in my scrapbook to document my time abroad, expectation vs. reality of studying abroad.

For those studying in the United Kingdom specifically, I wrote about the differences in stereotypes, concerts, student housing and university compared to the United States. I also spoke about the reverse culture shock I felt coming back to the United States, geographic terms of the British Isles explained, and fresher’s week. Finally, here’s a fun quiz you can take to test your knowledge of British slang before you head across the pond.

For those hoping to do some traveling during their program, I wrote about tips for solo female travelers, what a good travel buddy looks like, the pros and cons of traveling alone, hostel life, hostels I’ve stayed in, symptoms of my post travel blues, my top five European destinations (so far), travel essentials, quick A to Z travel tips and how to master a weekend away.

Remember that no matter how savvy of a traveler you are, you’re bound to run into some problems you can’t avoid, like I have. Fret not, you quickly learn to roll with the punches.