If you had told me on July 5th—the day I landed in Salzburg, Austria—about everything that would happen in the months to follow, I would have laughed. Never would I have imagined experiencing the kind of highs and lows, laughter and tears, that have shaped this journey. I have felt every emotion in the book over these last two and a half months, but I wouldn’t trade a single moment of it for the world. I’ve made unforgettable memories, met incredible people, and built resilience along the way. Most importantly, I have learned a lot about myself.

I arrived with only a week of hotel stays in Salzburg booked. No plans for what to do afterward, just a vague idea of eventually making my way back to Konstanz, Germany, for a while. In June, I had applied to a few Master’s programs in Innsbruck, Vienna, Salzburg, and Konstanz, but I had no idea whether I would be accepted. When I say I came out here on a whim, I truly did. But it was the best kind of whim because, somehow, I ended up exactly where I needed to be.

The Unexpected Turns

A lot has happened between then and now. After leaving Salzburg, I stayed in Konstanz for a month, knowing I had a place to stay there. Around that same time, a friend from the Czech Republic invited me to visit her in Geneva, Switzerland, where she was finishing her summer internship at the United Nations. Without hesitation, I booked a train and stayed with her in her small village just across the Swiss-French border. Living on the French side is significantly cheaper than Geneva, one of the world’s most expensive cities. The experience was eye-opening, as I learned about the workings of the United Nations and discovered a potential future career interest.

Coincidentally, that same weekend, I received an email informing me that I had been accepted into the European Union Studies Master’s Program at the Paris Lodron University in Salzburg. After weeks of uncertainty, this news provided me with a much-needed sense of direction. Not knowing what my future held had started to weigh on me, and this acceptance gave me clarity. However, despite the excitement, I kept my guard up, given my past struggles with obtaining a visa in France.

As time has passed, I have gradually allowed myself to embrace the excitement of what’s ahead. The visa and residence permit process has been a challenge in every country I’ve applied to, and Austria has been no different. As of now, I still don’t have my residence permit in hand, but I have a strong feeling that everything will work out. My paperwork is in, and for the first time, I feel like I can finally exhale. This past week, I have let myself feel excited about my future because this means I will be in Salzburg for the next two years, working toward my Master’s degree in my favorite city. I have a good feeling about the journey ahead, and I am eager to see where the next two years will take me.

A Message to Future Travelers

I want to end this blog by sharing a couple of things. I have a dream of seeing the world and embracing all that it has to offer, and as I continue developing this blog, I hope you feel inspired to chase that dream too. I feel incredibly blessed to have visited 21 European countries, and I am excited to embark on this next chapter. My goal is to encourage other ordinary college students to step outside their comfort zones, explore the world, and most importantly, pursue their dreams.

It is my dream to help and inspire people to find the confidence to leave their home country, even just for a moment, and experience life beyond what they know. My Norwegian friend from my time in France put it best: “Your money comes back, your time does not.” We are only getting older, and there is no better time than now to put yourself out there. I won’t lie, it’s not easy. If anything, it’s incredibly hard. But I can promise you this: it will change your life, your perspective, and the way you see the world.

Ultimately, I hope you find the courage to book that one-way flight. It will change your life in ways you never imagined – just as it is changing mine. And in honor of Jimmy Buffett’s passing, I’ll leave you with one last quote:

“Life is a journey that’s not measured in miles or years, but in experiences.”

Xoxo, Harleigh