What I Wish I Knew Before Studying Abroad in Barcelona
As someone who put countless hours into planning where to study abroad, who to go with and what program to go through, I thought I was very prepared for when I came to Barcelona. But nothing I did beforehand could truly prepare me for how much I have learned and grown as a person over the past semester in Barcelona. Here are five things that I wish I knew before embarking on this unforgettable experience.
Your Sleep Schedule Will Change
While living in the United States, sleep was a priority for me. I tried to get at least a minimum of eight hours every day and it was something that was very important to me. Fast forward to the present in Barcelona, and I've found that eight hours of sleep is often a luxury. It doesn’t come around very often. It may be hard to adjust at the start. And yet, I don't regret a single thing about it. Book the early flight. Maximize literally every single hour of your time here, because before you know it, it will all just be memories.
Take the Time to Plan Your Weekend Trips
With an airport the size of Barcelona's, inexpensive weekend trips will be some of the best memories of your time abroad. My biggest piece of advice with weekend trips is to plan ahead of time. Sometimes it can be hard—you may not know who wants to go at the time, or even what you are going to do in the city. But in the end, you will be saving yourself hundreds of dollars if you plan trips ahead of time.
If you have a friend group you are studying abroad with, I recommend planning some trips in your first couple of weeks abroad. This will save you so much money on flight prices and allow you to budget a lot more easily as you know early on how much you have spent on trips. Booking early doesn’t mean you can’t add new friends to the trip along the way—there were multiple times in my experience abroad where my friend group pre-abroad invited new people we met while in Barcelona on weekend trips with us. But we ended up saving so much money in the long run because we planned just about every trip at least a month ahead of time.
Plan Your Class Schedule Carefully
If you are studying in Barcelona, it’s safe to say you will be spending a lot of time enjoying life in the city. Waking up for morning classes can sometimes feel challenging. In fact, my 11:30am class felt early for me on most days. Early afternoon classes are the best, allowing you to sleep in, but still be finished before the sun goes down. I found that the best days to stack my classes were Mondays and Wednesdays.
Take a Solo Trip
A solo trip may seem scary at first, traveling to a completely new city with nobody you know and where they likely speak a language you aren't familiar with. These were all reasons why I was very hesitant to go on a solo trip, but it was an experience I am so grateful I did. You learn more about yourself as a person on a solo trip then you do on any other type of trip. You do literally whatever you want to do, and there aren't people holding you back or slowing you down. It is a great opportunity to sit back and take everything in.
Try Not to Let Money Affect Your Experiences
With that being said, budgeting wisely is very important. When you are planning how much money you are going to spend, go ahead and double it. Studying abroad can be expensive in many ways. But don’t let the fear of spending too much money hold you back. I came into studying abroad with no financial help from my parents (unlike most of my peers) and had a somewhat strict budget that I tried to stick to. I ended up going a bit over my budget, and as I look back on my study abroad experience in Barcelona, I don't regret it at all.
Sure, there were probably a few times where I didn’t need to buy another drink, or get gelato for the second time in a day. But that is part of the experience. And if I could go back in time, I would spend all the money I had, over and over again. This is likely the only time in your life where you are going to school in Europe; you need to make the most of it. And the reality of it is, money buys experiences, experiences that you will never forget and that will change your life forever. So when possible, I tried not to be the person who skips out on things because I might be over my budget for the day, or week. Spend the extra money. Go on a spontaneous trip. And when you look back on it, it will all be worth it in the end.
Study in Barcelona! You won't regret it.
This post was written by Blake Oltmans, a student at Grand Canyon University who studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain.
