Before I was onboarded to the Alternative Routes team, I had a great experience offered through Dalhousie University’s Student Exchange Program to travel abroad to Strasbourg, France for four months. While Sam was waiting to jump on a call with her amazing future co-op match (me), I was stressed trying to catch two trains to my hostel in Lagos, Portugal. I learned how to be a better traveler, and adapt to a place foreign to me and wanted to share some of the lessons I wish someone had told me:

1: Spread out the hostel life

This lesson I learned after staying at…let's just say a below-average hostel experience, where we got free shots (mostly juice) every night, but we also had see-through curtains, guests with night terrors, screamers, and more! We should have known it would be an interesting experience based on the price. The one thing that made that hostel worth it was the fact that there was an even better private hostel waiting for us on the other side. The best way to travel for long periods and to keep your sanity is booking private, or smaller dorm rooms in between the cheaper stays. Even though free breakfast and cheap accommodations seem perfect, remember there is always a reason for the price, and if it turns you into an awful cranky version of yourself it is not worth it, trust me.

2: Do It. DoItDoItDoIt!!!!

About 70% of my brain capacity before deciding to go on exchange was spent deciding whether I should or not. I am guilty of having immense FOMO (fear of missing out) on time with family, and my amazing friends and roommates here in Halifax! I am sure I'm not the only one (or at least tell me I’m not to make me feel better). My point here is before going on exchange I worried about everything possible I could be missing at home and because of this I found every reason not to go because I knew the change and loneliness of being somewhere new would be harder than if I stayed. I tried to get everyone to decide for me, but in the end, you need to know you can push yourself to do it. Getting on the plane and the prep beforehand is the hardest part. I was lucky to have brothers with quite vocal opinions rooting for me to go, but for those who don't this is your message. Do it!

3: Walking Tours! Do Them!

After going to Amsterdam and starting the day by accidentally walking into “coffee shop” expecting to find coffee and breakfast, we quickly found out coffeeshops in Amsterdam are really cannabis shops,( it probably didn’t help that it was in the red-light district). My friend and I decided we should hop on the bandwagon and start doing walking tours to get a lay of the land before popping off our bags and exploring more. This was the best decision we made while traveling. Walking tours most commonly have students or locals leading them, they are cheap to do, often only suggesting a tip, and the tour guides really know their stuff. We got some of the best local advice which was helpful for the remainder of our trip and gave us a chance to meet other travellers.

4: Flixbus Is A Beautiful Creation

I could go on about the creation of Flixbus in Europe for a long time. This beautiful, slightly sour-smelling green bus is one of the best ways to travel around Europe. Their pickup points are usually in weird parts of town and sometimes run late (never for me though), but if you arrive early and have patience they are a great way to travel cheaply. We took countless day trips to Germany and also took the bus to and from Paris and had a great experience, and I recommend this for travelers looking to explore outside of the city and see more for less. You can also now find Flixbus in Canada.

5: Living somewhere as a foreign speaker is Hard?!

This point is funny to me because I didn't think twice... well, I thought twice, but maybe not three times, about moving to a country where I didn't speak the language. I got mixed advice from grandparents, teachers, and parents who told me, "Don't worry! Everyone there is used to tourism, they'll speak English, and it'll be great!" Deep down, I knew my limited elementary school French lessons and three-week Duolingo streak weren't enough to launch me into French society, but I tricked myself into thinking I would be fine.

I found myself lost on trains, yelled at in grocery stores, and stared at on trams many times before I got the hang of living somewhere new. I was lucky to have my friend, Paige,close by for most of the exchange (she's a French speaker), but when she wasn't around, I felt shy and discouraged trying to do simple tasks like grocery shopping and traveling. This trip made me realize just how much work it takes to live somewhere far from home. I took a four-month holiday to practice French, while many people around the world and in Canada leave their homes to find education, jobs, and a whole new life. Having just a small taste of this made me gain patience and a greater understanding of the people around me, like for example my finance tutor from Bangladesh who left his family at a young age to pursue school in Canada or my roommate from China studying English while living here. You never know the story of the people around you and I think that without this experience I wouldn't have had the thought to ask of the stories of those around me. My lesson here is to A: Get better at Duolingo, and B: Have patience for others, you never know what they are going through.

6: Arrive Everywhere Early

As a student traveling on a budget, you probably already know arriving early is a must. Buses can be late or you can be at the wrong terminal and not realize. Once I even left my suitcase in a bookstore 10 minutes before our train, but because we were early I knew exactly where to find my platform so I didn’t miss my train. Getting excited about a trip or flight and missing it (especially when you don't know the area) is not a position to be in while traveling, so to make the best out of your stay, give yourself time for each step of the journey, even when you might not think it's needed.

There it is! Some of the key things that got me through the experience of moving to France for four months. I hope travellers reminiscing on past trips, or students looking to travel but don't know where to start can take something from my stories and advice!

5 Lessons Learned While on Exchange: