Alright this might be niche but, NOMAD/TRAVELER ACADEMIA:
Becoming an expert at fitting as many books as possible into your suitcase
Ending up putting most of your books in your carry-on because you’d have to pay overweight luggage fees if you put them in your checked bag
Learning as you travel the world by going to museums in different cities/countries, talking to people from all over the place, seeing and experiencing different cultures firsthand
Knowing phrases in a bunch of different languages to help you get around in foreign countries
For real you can now say hello and thank you in at least 20 different languages
Practicing your foreign languages with locals, ordering at restaurants, or even just by reading signs and menus
Acquired cultural sensitivity
Visiting the campuses of famous universities around the world when you happen to be in the city they’re located
Study abroad semesters!! Internships abroad!
Keeping a travel journal with handwritten entries about what you did in each place, what surprised you, what you learned
Decorating the travel journal with pictures, ticket stubs, stamps, receipts, etc.
Carrying a little notebook in your pocket as you explore new places so you can take notes or check items off your list of must-see sightseeing spots as you go
Sending handwritten letters and postcards to your friends and family at home from abroad
Collecting stamps and postcards from everywhere you visit
Always carrying pens with you everywhere you go for the above reasons
Reading on lengthy train journeys or on long-haul flights
Bonus points if you pick up and read books about the culture or history of the country you’re going to before you get there
Buying secondhand books in foreign languages you’re trying to learn at little street markets you stumble upon
You’ll figure out how to squeeze those into your luggage later
Seeing places with your own eyes that you had only ever seen on textbooks and documentaries before
Visiting the Arcopolis in Greece! The Colosseum in Italy! Angkor Wat in Cambodia! The Taj Mahal in India! The Great Wall of China! Machu Picchu in Peru! The Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt! Chichén Itzá in Mexico! All those remnants of ancient civilizations that we’re so lucky to still be able to visit and wonder at today.
Alternatively, going somewhere you’d never even heard of before and falling in love with the place
Becoming extremely good at geography without even trying
Visiting the locations where major historical events you had previously studied about happened
Learning about new cultures by inmersing yourself in them, reading their literature, listening to their music, eating their food, talking to the locals
Studying maps nonstop trying to pick your next destination or piece together your next route
World maps on your bedroom wall with the places you’ve visited marked by pins, spinning your world globe and going wherever your finger lands when it stops spinning, city maps tucked in your pocket
When you’re somewhere remote and the power goes out at your guesthouse so the staff bring you candles and you spend the evening by candlelight
Filling your bedroom at home with little trinkets from all over the world
A Venetian mask hanging from the wall, a small glass figure from Murano resting on a shelf, a carved wooden elephant from Thailand, hamsa hand amulets from Jerusalem and Istanbul, a small pebble from a beach in a Greek island, seashells from the Caribbean, a vintage poster of the Sydney Opera House, a square of Portuguese tile, a small porcelain box from Delft, a hand-painted Korean music box, traditional Khmer scarfs in your closet, a paua shell necklace from New Zealand…
Traveling on a tight student budget: staying in hostel dorms, eating cheap street food or cooking in the hostel kitchen, joining free walking tours, taking public transport or walking for miles instead of paying for taxis, couchsurfing to save on accomodation, showing your student ID at museums and attractions to get discounts, haggling at bazaars (where appropriate)
Feel free to add :)
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