The year abroad: a roller-coaster of emotions that isn’t always a smooth ride, but definitely won’t leave you short of an anecdote or two.

Whether you’re a first year considering your options, a second year about to take the leap, a third year coming to the end of it all or a year abroad veteran, we’re pretty sure you’ll relate to our stages of the year abroad…

Here at My Baggage, we understand exactly what its like to be a student – we’ve done it many moons ago! One thing we know for certain, is that when heading on that highly anticipated year abroad, you need and want to bring all of your worthy possessions with you.

How will you get all of these things to your destination though?

That’s where My Baggage comes in. We are experts in shipping luggage around the world quickly, safely and cheaply. Third year abroad can be a busy and stressful year, reduce that stress and travel luggage-free by shipping your luggage with My Baggage.

1. At the beginning of second year, you feel like you’ve got all the time in the world to get your year abroad sorted, and you’re not sure why everyone’s getting so worked up about it. 

pokemon panic this is fine no worries wooper

2. Before you know it, all your friends have got jobs/placements/university places lined up, and you suddenly panic.

panic stressed tv the big bang theory sheldon

3. You get your year plan sorted and you’re super excited and tell anyone who’ll listen (and plenty of people who won’t) what you’re doing.

The Voice excited yes christina aguilera yay

4. As your departure date looms, you wonder why you ever thought you could survive in a country on your own for a whole year and you panic again.

5. You arrive in your new city, spend a few days getting spectacularly lost and forget every word of  a language you’ve been studying for 7 years. 

what 30 rock confused huh kenneth

6. You get through your first day at work/manage to enrol at university/ find somewhere to live and start to think there’s a small possibility you can actually do this. Maybe.

The GRAMMYs reaction happy reactions yes

7. You start to have the BEST TIME EVER and make sure social media knows all about it.

Barstool Sports laughing selfie phone barstoolsports

8. You start a year abroad blog, and vow that you’ll post twice a month for your whole year abroad.

easy the hills lauren conrad

9. You realise it’s been 2 months since you last posted. 

reactions shrug meh shrugging

10. You suddenly and inexplicably get incredibly homesick and things about your host country start to really wind you up.

wizard of oz dorothy gale toto there's no place like home

11. You spend hours on social media convincing yourself everyone else is having the time of their lives whilst you’re miserable.

winter kate winslet horrible i hate my life hate my life

12. You go home for a visit, and pretty soon everything about home starts to wind you up and you can’t wait to leave again.

music britney spears stop annoyed shut up

13. One day, you realise you’ve started thinking in your target language and couldn’t be more proud of yourself.

giphy (6)

14. The day someone mistakes you for a native speaker, you feel like you’ve arrived. 

giphy (17)

15. You try to speak the other languages you study, and realise you can’t remember a word. 

movie disney ugh frustrated annoyed

16. You start to really annoy your English speaking friends by throwing in words from your target language into every sentence, because Spanish/French/German just says it better.

arrested development eye roll lucille bluth

17. The end of your year abroad is coming up pretty quickly and, if you’re unlucky enough to have to do a project whilst you’re away, you realise you better actually start thinking about it.

community school study studying

18. You can’t turn down any invitations for trips or nights because you know, YOLO and FOMO, so you get nothing done and end up writing your whole project in the space of a week.

fomo the simpsons homer simpson marge simpson simpsons

19. You realise the year is nearly over, and get depressed at the thought that you’re going to have to go home and face fourth year in rainy England.

WE tv sad rain emotions emo

20. You have to pack up your life in your new home, and you really don’t want to leave.

sad not fair crying anne hathaway fair

21. You remember that you’ll be able to drink decent tea/eat cheddar cheese again and feel a bit better.

disney princess charlotte princess and the frog

22. You get home and have an awesome few weeks catching up with your friends and family.

hug feel better group hug go team get well

23. Then you suddenly realise you’ve already forgotten everything you learnt on your year abroad, and wonder how you’re ever going to survive fourth year. 

disney ariel the little mermaid facepalm

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