How to Minimize Homesickness While Studying Abroad

Words and photos by Britton Grossman, who studied abroad with ASA in Maastricht, The Netherlands, during the spring semester of 2020. 

No matter how excited you are for your new adventure, homesickness is inevitable. I thought that there was no way I was going to miss home when I was abroad because I was so eager to go and I am not really a homebody in general, but I did.

I missed home the most when my friend from college came to visit me in Prague, and he had to leave the night before I left. Although I was with five other study abroad friends, I was still upset after he left because it felt comfortable.

I have three solid tips for how to minimize homesickness:

TIP 1: MAKE A PICTURE WALL.  My first tip is to make a picture wall of all of your friends from back home. This was actually my roommate's idea! Because we couldn’t bring a lot to decorate our dorms, a picture wall was a great way to decorate a boring wall without it taking up too much space in your suitcase! My roommate and I talked about each friend on the picture wall. This was a great way for us to get to know each other and for us to think about our friends, which helped my homesickness a lot!

TIP 2: EXPLORE! Another way to minimize homesickness is to explore your new city!  Although you will only be there for a short time in the grand scheme of things, your new city will feel like your second home very soon. When I felt sad, I reminded myself that I was in Europe! As a pastime, I would go on a walk and explore the new environment I was in. My roommate and I walked around together the first two or three days we were there to  become more comfortable with the city. By getting out of the dorm and exploring, I forgot that I missed home because I was reminded of the cool new adventure I was on!

TIP 3: PLAN TRIPS. My last tip to minimize homesickness is to plan trips! After I felt more comfortable being in my host city, I could feel the nervousness and sadness take over  again. To minimize this feeling, my roommate and I would plan different trips that we were going to take while we were there. Going on trips in Europe takes a lot of planning and research. While it can be overwhelming, it is also one of the most fun parts of being  abroad. My two best friends and I planned each weekend out and as each one got closer, we would get together and find hostels, flights, trains, and activities for each city we were going to visit. It made me excited and ready for the next adventure.

While studying abroad can be exciting and new, it can also be overwhelming at times. My best advice is to be in the moment while you can. Your time there is going to go by much faster than you anticipate, so try to enjoy it and soak up every moment you have with your new friends. Plan trips, talk to as many people as you can, and explore as much as you can. You will have lots of different emotions when you are there, so do your best to embrace every new experience!

Thanks, Britton!