Be Spontaneous
Sometimes it's nice to just decide to go adventuring and see where the day goes. When I was in Madrid, I did not know what I really wanted to do so I left the hostel and just did whatever caught my attention. I went to El Retiro Park, where I explored a glass castle, rowed a boat on the lake, and listened to a guitarist play while I admired the landscape. After I grew tired of the park, I returned to the main square and wandered the smaller alleys, where I found a small flier for a flamenco performance. I grabbed a quick dinner and I went to see the performance. The flamenco was one of the best things that I did while I was in Spain. The performers' talent and passion were apparent and I will always look on that night with fondness. Plan to not have a plan because the days that I went with the flow were my favorite days throughout this semester.
Quality over Quantity
Don't try to fit the world in a week. While the urge to try to cram a country in a amount of short time is strong, try to avoid it. When I went to Europe in high school, I went to seven countries in about 15 days. While I liked it at the time, my experience this semester has shown me how superficial those trips were. I never really got to immerse myself in a country and the trips I took in the last three months really allowed me to take in the places I went. Strive for the quality of your experiences in the places instead of how many places you go.
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