How to Handle Homesickness While Studying Abroad

Hello! My name is Aylin and I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain last summer through CEA CAPA’s Engineering in Madrid program where I took Calc 3 (multivariable calculus) and Spanish Civilization and Culture. Studying abroad has been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid. I love to travel and would love to live abroad in the future. When I got the opportunity to spend my summer in a new country (while still earning credit!) I immediately jumped at it. I knew I’d encounter a language barrier and cultural differences, but what I didn’t quite expect to struggle with was homesickness and feeling alone and overwhelmed in a new place.

Though I am an out-of-state student at my university in the US, I hadn’t experienced a great deal of homesickness when coming to college and it surprised me abroad. I could feel the homesickness creeping up on me even before I had left. If I’m being honest, I was so nervous that if someone had told me the day before my flight to Spain that the whole trip was cancelled, I wouldn’t have even been upset. Everything ended up being more than okay—I made wonderful friends, had a blast, and tried so many new things. But when you’re in the moment and feeling the anxious anticipation, it can be hard to remind yourself that this is what you’ve wanted.

So, here are my tips, tricks, and pieces of advice to help you manage your homesickness and not let it get in the way of your trip!

This is me and my friends at Orgullo, Madrid’s Pride festival. It was on all our bucket lists to experience and I’m so glad we got to do it together.

Stay in touch with the things you’re missing

My biggest tip is to make sure that you keep some connection with your life at home even while exploring something new. It can be hard, but staying in touch will keep you grounded.

The main thing I was missing was my family. I’d already spent the entire school year away from them and had had only a short break between the end of class and the beginning of my study abroad experience. Between the time zone difference (nine hours for me and my family!) and your busy days, finding a time to call can be tough. For me, it was always close to dinner time when my parents were having lunch, or my afternoon while they were having breakfast, so I spent a lot of meals on video calls with them. Though they couldn’t be with me, it was something to look forward to and I got to tell them all about my day.

Try to build a routine for yourself

Beyond having a regular time to contact home, I would highly recommend building habits while abroad. One summer may not seem like a long time to find a whole new lifestyle, but it’s longer than you think! These can be as simple as finding a grocery store you like, going on a walk or run every morning, visiting the same cafe for breakfast, journaling, or joining a local gym. Since classes occur on a regular schedule, it’s easy to structure these routines around those. For me, I woke up at around the same time each morning, took the same route to class (I love line 3 on the metro), and stopped at Rodilla for a quick coffee before calculus. When I wasn’t eating out, I tried cooking different dishes in my apartment. It was nothing fancy—and still allowed for variety in each day—but it made me feel like I had something to fall back on.

Reading and drinking coffee are some of my favorite hobbies, so I made sure to try as much Spanish or Spain-centered literature as possible and go to a few new cafes each week. I read some of "Death in Spring" by Mercè Rodoreda at Cafebrería, a bookstore-cafe hybrid!

Get comfortable with exploring on your own

Exploring on your own is different for everyone—but I’d recommend giving it a try at least once. The people with you on your study abroad program are important to grow relationships with, but your trip is also a chance to grow independence and really connect with your host city. In my experience, it’s best to remember that loneliness is quite different to being alone, and the latter doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Put on your headphones, make a good playlist, and wander around. Don’t worry about having a plan—you get to make all the decisions when you’re exploring solo. I found that museums were where I struck gold when alone: I could take my time and appreciate Madrid’s art scene without feeling rushed or pressured. Being on your own can be scary, but it’s also not often that you get to be all on your own in a historic, beautiful city. So take advantage of it!

I took a solo day trip to Barcelona and wandered all over the city. I stumbled across this beautiful l'ou com balla (dancing egg) for Corpus Christi. I didn’t even know the holiday was happening or that the tradition existed, and now I do!

Reach out to others first, and always keep trying

I know I just said that it’s good to spend time alone but it’s important to strike a balance between alone time and socializing. The friends you make while abroad are special. Everything feels so exciting and limited and getting to share those experiences is hard to replicate. So step out of your comfort zone! Especially for my fellow introverts, I know it can be hard to forge meaningful friendships at the drop of a hat, but don’t put that pressure on yourself. You don’t need to become friends forever. Start off by reaching out to classmates or roommates to go to a cafe or a restaurant or a shop with you. It’s like welcome week in your freshman year—everyone wants a friend. Asking people if they wanted to join for meals was one of the ways I made my friend group in Madrid. Good food is always better with good company. If you don’t click with somebody, that’s ok! At least you met someone new and crossed one thing off your bucket list in the process.

This is me and my friends in Córdoba, a city in the Andalusia region of Spain. We had learned about it in my Spanish Civilization and Culture class, and I immediately knew I had to visit. I proposed the idea to my friends, and we were able to schedule a day trip, which ended up being one of the most fun days of our summer!

Studying abroad can be exhilarating and terrifying all at once. Homesickness is real and can really bring down your mood, so if you begin to feel it, remember that you’re not alone and that it doesn’t have to take control of your experience. Be patient with yourself and take it slow—it’ll be over before you know it, and you’ll be dying to go back!

I hadn’t visited the Royal Botanical Gardens all summer, and in our last week I mentioned to my friend that I hadn’t gone and she planned a visit with me. She had been for her sustainability class and was able to show me around!