Good Morning Travel Bugs!
Semester at Sea for me has been anything but normal! It was a whirlwind of emotion and I honestly have no words to express all of the feelings that I had. One thing that I do know is this semester taught me more than I could have ever thought it would. There are things that I took away from this crazy semester I would like to share with you. They are things that everyone going on Semester at Sea should keep in mind during their own voyage. I hope that this helps anyone on Semester at sea not let their experience slip away and appreciate every moment!
First, the most cliche thing that I’m sure everyone has heard a billion times…
Enjoy every moment!
On my voyage, there was a bit of heartbreak. I was often angry at the world and sad that something I had been dreaming of for so long was not going as planned. I don’t think that I gave my 100% at enjoying every moment both good and bad. Even when things aren’t going as planned, keep your head up and put on a smile! Make the best of every day. Take in the ocean breeze and don’t let anything get you out of your groove. You will miss it when it is over. Looking back on my experience, we had only four days’ notice before the abrupt end of the semester. At this point, it was too late to make sure I didn’t waste any time. I don’t regret anything I did on Semester at Sea but if I could go back I would have given it my all to not let the millions of itinerary changes and the constant uncertainty affect me as it did. Now I am sure your voyage will go much smoother than mine but, whenever you find yourself in a bad place, do something that makes you happy to get out of the funk! Don’t waste a single second being sad or stressed. Live in the moment and with every day find something good that happened!
Watch as many Sunrises and Sunsets as possible!
Okay, so I am not a morning person in any way. I will be the last one up in every situation and love my sleep. I often missed the sunrise because, well I love my bed, when I did wake up for it though, I felt so good. I felt so productive. Not to mention they are all so gorgeous! So if you are a morning person this may be an easy task. If you aren’t pushing yourself to do it whenever at sea! As for the sunset, GO! Never let a sunset pass you by. Even if you are busy pop your head outside around sunset just to make sure you aren’t missing the most gorgeous sky ever! The sunsets at sea hit different I swear!
Make lots of Friends!
Time on Semester at Sea won’t be the same if you sit in your room and spend it alone. Be open, talk to people you don’t normally talk to. Hang out on the pool deck, buy a few smoothies. Go to drink night. Do homework with your friends. Enjoy being able to knock on your friend’s door all the time because ship life is sometimes just as amazing as port life. This is probably a silly one because who doesn’t make the friendships of a lifetime of SAS, but spend as much time making connections and don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone if you are not super extroverted. The one thing about SAS is everyone already has something in common, everyone wants to see the world! So get out and make the most of it!
Don’t skip out on things you want to do in port!
As you will soon find out when planning in-country travel oftentimes (especially if you have a large group) not everyone will want to do the same thing. You may luck out and find people that want to do exactly what you want to see. When planning for your in-country travels if there is something that you want to see voice it. You will regret it if there are things that you didn’t get to see because your friends just wanted to party and sleep in. If there are people doing something one day you really want to do tag along with them and meet up with your friends again at the end of the day! In-country time it is okay to voice the things you want to see and do!
Go to Evening Seminars
This is one thing I wish I had done more of. I didn’t go to many because this or that didn’t interest me or I was doing other things but some of the ones I went to just because my friends were ended up being so interesting! Learn as much as you can on this voyage and take in everything. Some of them may suprise you and teach you something you didn’t even know you were interested in.
Be Present
Be present in everything you do. Present in your classes. Present at Sea. Present with your friends, your classmates, your professors. Present in Port. It will make a world of difference and you will learn a million more than you would without it!
Have the most wonderful time on Semester at Sea, I wish I could go again!
See You Soon
xoxo Gina
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