The College Guide to Romanticizing Your Life Abroad​

There’s something to be said about traveling abroad as a woman in her 20s. That thrill of adventure being on your own and seeing a new place. Very “Monte Carlo,” “Eat, Pray, Love,” “the world is mine for the taking”-esque.

Even as you become more well-traveled, you can still be the “Grace,” romanticizing every new moment you have abroad. This doesn’t mean pretending everything is perfect, it’s about letting yourself feel how special it is, while it’s happening.

Here’s your guide to doing just that.

Set the scene

Your life abroad doesn’t need to be dramatic or picture perfect to be cinematic. The magic is already there in everyday moments, you just have to look at it like it matters. Sometimes setting the scene involves a mindset switch.

Buying groceries? You’re literally in a foreign country, independent, and sustaining yourself. No other girl in the world is doing this. (We are all doing this, but you have to accept your role as the main character in your life to truly embrace the romanticism.)

Waiting for the bus? It’s a pause in the story, where something good is about to happen, and the plot is on the cusp of something.

The moments are already there. You just have to look at them like they matter.

Fall in love with the little things

Romanticizing is about details.

The sound of a new language around you, the way cafes smell in the morning, the way the city looks at golden hour, the feeling of being anonymous but somehow seen, the realization that everyone around you is living their own story too.

You don’t need a big moment every day, you just need to notice the small ones. Seeing a couple walk down the street in love, seeing the old man on the bench with his dog, seeing a group of friends have the night of their life. As some would say, love is all around us. You just need to look.

Let yourself be the version of you that only exists here

There’s a version of you that only lives abroad. No one knows you and there are no preconceived notions about you or what you did when you were in middle school. You don’t have to fit in the mold that has been set for you. You can be braver, say yes more, laugh louder, and even have a fling. Being abroad is where you figure it all out, because who cares? Traveling is full of possibility. Romanticizing your life is giving that version of you the space to exist, without rushing back to who you were.

Document…but don’t perform

Take the photo, write the caption, save the memory (we all do it). But don’t live for the proof, because then you aren’t living at all. The worst moments I have had abroad are the ones where I am stressing over my Instagram dump or getting THE photo in Paris. Literally WHO CARES. The best moments won’t be the ones you posted, they’ll be the ones that were too fun and perfect for you to even remember you had a phone. Sometimes the most romantic thing you can do is leave your phone in your bag and just be there. And if you are scared to forget…JOURNAL!

Create rituals that make you feel grounded

Find your cafe, your park bench, your favorite walk home. These tiny routines turn a new place into your place. They make you feel like you belong, even if you’re only there for a season (or a weekend). A lot can change in a few days in a new city

Say yes to the unplanned

The biggest way to make your life romantic? BE SPONTANEOUS. Some of your best memories won’t be on the schedule (duh). A spontaneous train ride with a new friend. A late-night conversation with the new love of your life. A detour that changes everything and makes you fall in love with a city. Romanticizing your life means trusting the story, even when you don’t know the ending yet.

And lastly, remember: This is your chapter

Not everyone gets to live this part of the story. One day, you’ll look back at this version of yourself and feel proud and in awe that you got to live and experience what you did. For being brave enough to go. for being open enough to feel it, for choosing a life that’s bigger than your comfort zone.

So slow down, look around, and take it all in. It really is that cool and it really is that special. Because you’re not just abroad, you’re becoming who you truly are (and falling in love with your life).