As I sat on the plane to Italy I thought about all the things I had done to prepare for my summer in Europe. From getting medications and insurance to spending time with family and friends, it all seemed like a world away even though it occupied most of my time before this trip.  For such a long time it was about preparing for my trip without actually thinking about the trip itself. I spent countless hours on the phone with my insurance company, talking to people about subleasing my apartment, and packing but couldn’t get myself to face my anxiety over traveling by myself for the first time.

It suddenly hit me as I was walking through security in the airport that I was by myself for real, and I actually had to do something completely alone. All of my preparations had led up to this moment and as the plane got closer to my destination I realized that all of my fears and anxieties were ridiculous. I wasn’t truly alone, there were going to be so many people I would meet throughout my journey that I would always have someone to talk to and learn from.

Even though I didn’t know what was going to happen on my trip, I did know that if I was open to new people and experiences that I would be perfectly fine on my own.