While you’re abroad, you may find that documenting your experiences can become a little overwhelming. You’re seeing so many incredible things and meeting new people every day – so what’s the best way to make sure you’re preserving these memories? As we mentioned in this article, planning ahead can help you avoid the anxiety of documentation.
If you’re already abroad and finding it difficult to keep track of your journey, just keep it simple! Taking a few great photos every week and putting them in a digital folder only takes a few minutes, and the best part is that you can easily share these with loved ones back home. You can also consider the way you would preserve your memories at home – do you like using a polaroid camera and hanging up physical photos? Are you a creative writer or a videographer? Whatever your passion is at home, try applying that to your experiences abroad!
Erik from Wisconsin in Denmark
If you don’t know where to start, keeping a journal so you revisit these ideas down the line can make a big difference. One of the biggest pieces of advice we hear from study abroad returnees is to have a notebook or journal on hand wherever you go! If you’re not someone who enjoys journaling, you can also keep a digital journal. You can record voice notes on your phone or even some video tours of the places you go!
Try not to give yourself too much structure – whether it’s pondering one thing you’ve learned every week, describing the events of your day, or recounting some random observations about your host country, you’ll thank yourself later for the daily reminders of your experience.
If you need additional assistance documenting your time abroad, be sure to check out our one-pager here or reach out to our Marketing team at marketing@afsusa.org for support!