Adventures Abroad: Solo Travel, New Friendships, and Lessons from Barcelona

I studied abroad in Barcelona during the Fall of 2024, during which I lived with a homestay family and traveled to seven countries outside of Spain. I’m currently a senior studying international business and marketing at St. Olaf College, a small liberal arts school in rural Minnesota. I came into this program not knowing any of my future classmates or having any friends on the program. In this post, I’ll be talking about my experience solo traveling, meeting European friends during my travels, building meaningful friendships with students on the program, and my own personal growth.

When I first arrived in Barcelona, I was very excited to be in a big city. However, it definitely took me some time to adapt, figure out my environment, and get settled with new friendships. I had to get settled in my homestay, the culture, figuring out public transportation (which took me a few days!) and finding essentials like grocery stores and gyms. I definitely felt some initial stress not knowing anyone else in the program and being thousands of miles away from my support system and friends back home. This feeling of uncertainty took me some time to overcome. I felt like the whole first month of the semester was just about getting things figured out and finding a routine that fit me well.

I definitely recommend coming in with few expectations of yourself and taking the program and its adjustments step by step to reduce any stress or nerves. I also really recommend embracing the challenge of being uncomfortable and trying to be open-minded and excited about what new things may come, the cool places you’ll get to know, and the amazing people you’ll meet.

My first solo travel trip was one of the first weekends of the program when I spent five days in Rome, Italy. I went by myself, which was an intimidating feeling—not knowing anyone and having to navigate transport and my itinerary on my own. I was lucky enough to meet three other solo travelers on the first night: one from Colorado, one from London, and the other from Slovakia. We hit it off and spent the next three days traveling together, getting to know each other, and exploring the vibrant and beautiful city of Rome.

 

I came into the program feeling a bit skeptical about whether I'd connect with some of the other students coming from larger universities. However, I’m excited to say that despite these assumptions, I loved our program cohort! I felt that many students in the program were super social, extroverted, and open to meeting new people, and there was definitely a diverse mix in terms of interests, social energy, and backgrounds.

 

The students on the program immediately share a connection and a purpose to connect, as everyone is wanting to meet new people, explore the city, and go on adventures. It’s really nice and easy to make friends when you already share so much naturally with the people around you. I left with friends from universities all over the U.S. and I am still in touch with all my best friends from Barcelona SAE. Their interactions deeply shaped my experience and outlook on the my semester abroad. It was a surreal feeling to explore Barcelona alongside a bunch of other friends who were in the same position as me and just as eager to check everything out. Through the relationships I made at Barcelona SAE, I became a lot more comfortable in Barcelona as a whole.  

 

Barcelona SAE does a great job of providing ways to meet people in your program and find similarities between what you want out of the experience. Post-program, I still text my friends each week, and it’s super cool to hear about their home-university life. Also, since most people in the program are U.S.-based, there are always opportunities to plan a weekend to go visit some of your study abroad friends!

 

I also think that meeting my European friends and learning about their culture was very influential in my experience. It was super interesting to learn about their way of life, education, and how their daily routines differed from what I might do at my home university. Having an international friend group during my time in Barcelona shaped my perspective as a global citizen, making me aware of not only the fun, touristy parts of each new city I visited but also the cultural context in which each society and city operates.

 

 

Conclusion: What I've Learned and How I've Changed

 

I really enjoyed my time in Barcelona! I still feel like it was some of the best months of my life, and writing this now makes me reflect happily on having had such an amazing opportunity.

 

Going on a study abroad experience solo taught me that I’m a lot more capable, resourceful, and outgoing than I originally thought. It taught me that even though I’m coming from a different state, and sometimes a different country, I can still make so many meaningful connections with others from different cultures. I also got to see the kindness and openness of other people through my travels and how hospitable and welcoming other cultures and people can be.

 

I think through the memories and experiences I made with Barcelona SAE, I’ve been pushed to continue wanting to travel, be adventurous, and stay open-minded about what possibilities are out there for me. I would suggest to anyone wanting to study or intern abroad with Barcelona SAE to be open-minded about the uncomfortable things, like being alone, making new friends, and just not knowing the answer to everything. To me, it was through embracing that discomfort that the most beautiful parts of my experience took place!