How to Travel Across the World By Yourself

Traveling across the world to follow your dreams of studying abroad can seem daunting, especially if you have never flown by yourself before! While I have traveled alone before, I had never traveled across oceans and continents without being with someone I trusted. I was super excited to start my study abroad in Gold Coast, Australia and start my classes at Griffith University, but flying to Cairns, Australia from South Carolina, United States seemed like one of the scariest challenges of my life. However, I can now say that I survived the 30+ hour flight and it was honestly a lot of fun! Traveling that far alone really helped me feel like I could trust myself. So while it’s understandable to be scared, if you’re prepared you will have no reason to stress. Here are some tips that helped me survive my 30+ hour flight to Australia!

Prepare BEFORE Your Flight

Preparing yourself before you even arrive at the airport can make all the difference in your traveling experience! Here are some things that are absolutely essential to know before you arrive at the airport:

• Prioritize your packing!
  • You need to start packing at least a week before you leave so you aren’t stressing the night before! Making a checklist with every item you have ever thought about bringing is also super helpful so you don’t forget about anything. You also don’t need to bring so much! You want an emptier suitcase when you go so you can fill it with things you’ll buy abroad when you come back.
• Have all of your flight information easily available!
  • Print out the full itinerary for your flights so you have it available offline. Printing out your tickets and schedule will also help you know exactly where you need to be and when.
• Have lots of wiggle room in between flights!
  • Lots of unexpected things can happen while flying multiple flights! While it would be best to get there as fast as possible, making sure you have lots of extra time between flight changes will help make situations less stressful, like take off delays and gate changes. For example, my flight got delayed in Chicago by about an hour, which was scary because I needed to get to LA in time for my international flight! But I had made sure I booked the flights with a few extra hours of layover rather than an hour or less, so I still made it in time.  
• Track your checked-in luggage!
  • If you are checking a bag, I recommend getting a tracker and putting it in your luggage just in case it gets lost so you know exactly where it is!
• Know where you are sitting on your flight!
  • I recommend picking your seat while buying plane tickets so you know exactly where you will be on each flight and how comfortable you will be in that spot. For example, I prefer window seats, so I made sure I had a window seat on all my flights for my maximum comfort. Also try getting a seat closer to the front of the plane if possible, especially if you are making a connecting flight. The worst feeling in the world is waiting 10 or 15 minutes from the back of the plane for everyone to get off, while you know you are in a rush to make a connection!

Preparing For Your LONG Flight

If you are traveling overseas, you probably have a flight that is overnight, or between 8-15 hours long. That is a long time to be sitting! How you prepare for this flight can completely change your experience overall. Here are some tips on how to prepare:

• Pack lots of snacks and water!
  • While they might serve dinner, breakfast, or snacks in between, you never know when the munchies are going to hit, so it’s best to prepare in advance! Bring a few of your favorite snacks to eat in between meals if you ever get hungry. Also bring a water bottle and refill it before going on the plane so you have easily accessible water! Remember that you cannot bring full water bottles through security though, so bring it to the airport empty.
• Pack some toiletries in your personal item!
  • This was absolutely my favorite tip that I used on the flight! Bring a small thing of face wash, moisturizer, your toothbrush and toothpaste, and essentially anything else you use before going to bed. Then before sleeping on the flight, do your bedtime routine. This will help your body feel ready for sleep and also just helps you feel refreshed and clean overall!
• Sleep on the local time of the city you are arriving in, NOT when you feel tired!
  • I’m so glad I did this on my 15-hour flight, because I basically had no jet lag when I arrived in Sydney! On my flight I saw lots of people fall asleep immediately because we took off late at night, but I knew the local time in Sydney was nowhere close to “bedtime.” I managed to stay up until around 10 pm Sydney time, and then woke up earlier in the morning. This helped me so much because when we landed, I felt refreshed and excited for the day!
    • I made sure I added the local time on my clock app before flying so I could know what time it was at my destination.
• Get up and move!
  • Movement is so important, especially during these long flights. Sitting the entire time can be extremely bad for your health. You’ll feel stiff, and sore, and are even at risk of developing blood clots in your legs. Make sure you get up at least a few times and use the bathroom, stretch, and even just walk around.

When You ARRIVE

Your arrival might be one of the most stressful parts of your journey! Going through customs, picking up luggage, and making connecting flights in a completely new country can feel overwhelming and scary. Here are some tips that helped me get through this stressful moment:

• Have a change of clothes in your carry-on!
  • Changing your clothes when you get off such a long flight can help you feel refreshed and awake! Also make sure you check what the weather will be like so you know what to wear – I’m so glad I changed out of my sweatshirt and put on a T-shirt and shorts in Cairns!
• Don’t be scared to ask for help!
  • When I arrived in Sydney, the customs process was honestly very confusing. When in doubt, I followed the signs, but sometimes the signs can be confusing too. I managed to get through the process and asked the customs lady for directions for my connecting flight. She was very nice and her directions were very helpful! Asking for directions can be the difference between making your flight and missing it.
• Make sure you know where to pick up your checked-in luggage!
  • This was also one of the confusing moments during my travels, because when I checked my bag at the Greenville Airport, I was told my luggage was going to be taken all the way to Cairns, which was my final destination. However, when I arrived in Sydney, I was told my checked-in bag was to be picked up there! I was unsure but waited and behold, there was my checked-in bag. I had to check it back in for my flight to Cairns, but I’m very thankful I was told to collect my luggage in Sydney. When in doubt, always wait at the baggage carousel or check the tracker!

Have FUN!

I think the thing that helped me the most throughout my journey was the fact that I had fun doing it! While it can be a scary thing to go through, I just reminded myself that I had trust in myself, and no matter what, I was going to get to my final destination. I wanted to enjoy the process of getting there. I ate at a restaurant by myself in the Chicago airport, I listened to “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus when I got to the LA airport, I took lots of pictures of the clouds from my window seat. Even in the scary moments when I didn’t know where I was going, or when my flight got delayed in Chicago, I made sure I remembered all the things I did to prepare so I wouldn’t stress. At the end of the day, this was a once in a lifetime journey, and I wanted to enjoy it!

So preparing for your long journey ahead of time can have a big impact on how much you enjoy the trip. Being able to trust yourself and your ability to fly across continents alone is something that is truly wonderful, and helps you feel more connected to yourself. I know I trust myself so much more and my travel abilities because of this long journey. I hope these tips were helpful, and good luck in your travels abroad!

Lexi Witherspoon, University of Central Florida, is studying abroad in Australia with TEAN.