Our generation has grown up using social media, posting all the exciting things that happen to us — whether on the main Instagram grid or a private story. Our friends and acquaintances are all too familiar with the cool things we do, and we strive to create the most aesthetic and creative social media feeds to make all the people who stalk us jealous.
The Doomscroll Spiral
We’ve all been there: a few hours into doomscrolling and you see a friend of a friend spending her semester in some gorgeous European country. Her outfits are perfect, the scenery is perfect, everything is perfect.
Obviously, you know the apparent perfection is a lie — she’s probably so exhausted! Exhausted in Florence, though. It can be easy to feel jealous to the point that when it’s your turn you want to one-up all those who came before you. It is important to be mindful of the real reason behind traveling and studying abroad.
Why We Study Abroad
A study abroad program is meant to expand global perspective. It’s an opportunity to learn and develop new skills while immersing yourself in the culture of a new place. While it is rewarding and fun to document the trip and all the outfits you spent hours planning, taking perfect pictures shouldn’t be a distraction from the real fun of the trip.
The Truth Behind The Post
In reality, traveling, especially for long periods of time as a broke college student, can be exhausting and smelly, and things almost never go according to plan. Taking good pictures can be frustrating when you’re in a bad mood, and hiding behind a screen keeps you from living in the moment and witnessing the scenery around you.
Looking back at pictures later, you won’t have very many real memories to attach to them if the sole purpose of the outing was capturing the perfect poses for your Instagram feed.
Prioritize Experiences
At the same time, studying in a new country is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many, and wanting to capture as much of the trip as possible is completely reasonable. Having photos and videos to show family and friends and to look back on decades later is super sentimental and important. However, candids and quick shots of memorable moments are all that is really necessary. A quick snapshot of a cool building or beautiful scene can bring back floods of nostalgia later on.
Instead of attempting a perfectly composed Instagram slideshow of flawless pictures with hours of effort behind them, put your effort and limited precious time into having valuable conversations and meeting new people, eating delicious food and immersing yourself fully in a new place. Collect memories and souvenirs, mementos just for yourself. The world doesn’t need to see your study abroad for you to have a good time during it!
What are some of your favorite study abroad memories? Let us know on Instagram or X @VALLEYmag!
