Ever since I arrived in Spain, I had a short list of places I definitely needed to visit during my four months abroad. Many of those places, including Italy, Switzerland, and the U.K., were easily checked off my list. I was also craving to go to the Canary Islands, because why not? It is a beautiful and tropical destination that is like no other place in Europe. I knew that I had to go, but as my weekends became booked up throughout the semester, it seemed as though my island dreams would not be fulfilled. However, when two of my friends in the API program mentioned that they were looking into going to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, I jumped onboard right away! I couldn’t let my dream slip away.

We took a late night flight into Tenerife and started our day off the next morning to discover what the island had to offer. As soon as we stepped outside of our airbnb, we were greeted by the Tenerife Sea and black sand beaches. What a site. We were in the perfect location to shop, eat, and of course, lounge on the beach. Despite some early clouds on our first day, our long weekend in the Canary Islands was full of sun and heat–just what I needed after 3 months of Salamanca cold. 


This trip was unlike any of our other trips, because we literally sat on the beach all weekend. Forget the classic cathedrals and cobblestone roads that most of Europe had to offer. We were having a new kind of trip… a literal vacation. We spent some time in both the south and north of the island, got our feet kissed my little fish, and pretended to be pirates as we laughed our days away. Leaving to go back to Salamanca, for the first time, was difficult. I could have stayed on that island forever. 


Now that I am back in Salamanca, I realize just how lucky I was to go to the Canary Islands. Had I not decided to study abroad in Europe or Spain, I probably would have never had the opportunity to go to Tenerife. It is to say that traveling to the Canary Islands from the states is extremely expensive, and it probably would have been a trip far out of my financial reach. However, studying in Spain made this trip possible, of which I am very grateful. But as I think about it, I see that all of these trips I have been on (10 countries by the time I go home) would not have possible without studying abroad. Flights within Europe are far less expensive than from the states, and I am truly living out an incredible dream. Studying abroad, among millions of other things, makes traveling possible and more affordable. So study abroad, and travel, and live life. Do all the things. Make your dreams a reality, just like I have been making mine my own little reality.