Arrival

Traveling can be stressful. But necessary. 

When traveling its always important to be relaxed. Everything will be okay. The ruder you are to the people controlling your destiny (i.e. flight attendant, airport desk worker, ticket man), the worse off your traveling experience will be. So take a deep breath and put a smile on. While I was traveling to Brussels, Belgium from Louisville, Kentucky, my friend Karli and I had a series of frustrating yet uncontrollable experiences. 

1. BOTH of our suitcases were overweight. How embarrassing! We just did some rearranging and ba-da-bing ba-da-boom, we were set to go! Always prioritize what you actually need as opposed to what you just want. Remember, many foreign countries also have body wash or towels!
2. Our flight got delayed on the runway. This was sad. We sat on the Louisville runway for almost two hours, resulting in us missing our international flight. Always pack something to do, like a book to read, and something to eat, like a little bag of nuts! 
3. We had to find a new flight. This is when a smile can be worth more than money. Our delayed flight cause a tremendous amount of angry people. We just kept smiling and thanking our Airways agent, and it was a breeze. She was stressed out too, and thankfully she did everything to help us get our tickets to our new flight to Frankfurt, Germany, then to Brussels. 
4. No one met us at the airport/train station. Which was no big deal really, we are two savy young adults and we found our way. The walk would normally be a short one, but we were lugging a large 50 pound bag, rolling carry on and backpack! 

So my tips for anyone traveling for a long stay visit are: 

1. Weigh your bag BEFORE you get to the airport.
2. Bring snacks and entertainment. 
3. Always bring your best attitude. (Don't forget, you are about to have one of the greatest experiences of your life!)
4. Write down the address of where you are going! This saved us, we had to ask a few people, but we knew where we were going!
5. Write down a few numbers in case you need some help. Like your RA, program director, or even a cab company!