Studying abroad is often described as exciting, transformative, and life-changing — and it truly is. But what people don’t always talk about as openly is homesickness.
At some point, whether it’s during your first week or halfway through your program, you may feel that sudden wave of missing home. It might hit you especially hard after the adrenaline of the first few days wanes. And that’s completely normal.
Missing home doesn’t mean you’re not having a good experience. It just means that the people, places, and routines that shaped you still matter. Most people abroad do feel homesickness is some shape or form.
Recognizing Homesickness
Homesickness can show up in different ways. Sometimes it’s obvious: when you’re sitting in your apartment, residence hall, or homestay, and you realize you miss your family, your friends, or even small things like your favorite coffee shop or your bed.
Other times, it’s more subtle. You might feel unmotivated, overwhelmed, or disconnected from your surroundings. Even though you’re in a new city or new country, you may not want to roam about and explore — which is completely fine.
For me, it hit during quiet moments when I would wake up in the mornings in Spain and realize that my 3 p.m. class was hours away. I wouldn’t have the energy to get up, get ready, take the bus, and walk around the gorgeous city.
And to make matters worse, no one from back home would be awake for me to call. The realization would hit me in those early hours of the day that I couldn’t just call someone or see them in person. At times, I missed home-cooked food, hanging out with my friends from home, and the ease of traveling around with a car. It wasn’t constant, but when it came, it felt heavy.
The key thing I learned is that homesickness isn’t something to “fix.” Instead, it’s something to understand. It’s a sign of connection, not weakness. Eventually I realized that there were some days when I felt ready to go home immediately, and other days when I felt just right in Spain.
Building a New Routine
One of the best ways to manage homesickness is to establish a structure and routine. I established the habit of calling my friends and family at night, when it would be daytime back in the United States. My best friends would expect a FaceTime from me around 5 p.m every day, and my family shortly after that.
Having a routine with calling helped give me a sense of stability, and the calls were both a breath of fresh air and a good way to close off my night.
Routines can also be as simple as finding a go-to café, taking a walk through the same park daily, or setting a consistent study schedule. Trying to wake up at the same time while you’re abroad and setting a goal for exploration can be helpful (for example, trying as many coffee shops as you can while abroad!)
Over time, these small habits start to make your new city feel less like a temporary place and more like somewhere you belong.
For me, it was helpful to find a few spots I kept returning to. Eventually, those places became comforting in the same way familiar places at home once were. I found my favorite restaurant to visit when I missed home-cooked meals, my favorite ice cream shop to go to between classes, and my favorite shopping area to roam after classes.
Letting Yourself Feel Both
One of the biggest lessons from studying abroad is learning that you can feel two things at once: You can love where you are and still miss home. You can make new friends while still maintaining your friendships from back home. You can feel grateful for the experience and still feel lonely sometimes.
Those emotions coexist; they do not cancel each other out. And honestly, that’s part of what makes the experience so real and meaningful.
Over time, I realized that homesickness didn’t detract from my experience abroad; it actually deepened it. Setting a routine and establishing my structure motivated me to go out into the city and explore often.
I felt lighter when I was interacting with people from home in the evenings, while I also became familiar with Spain during the day. It made me more aware of what I value and more intentional about how I spend my time. In fact, at the end of my trip, I wished I had more time to stay in Spain.
Homesickness is something almost everyone experiences while abroad, even if they don’t talk about it. If you feel it, you’re not doing anything wrong, nor are you ungrateful for your opportunities. You’re just human!
So give yourself time. Explore your surroundings. Build new connections. And remember that home is something you carry with you, wherever you go.
This blog was contributed by Kripa Kohli, Peer Mentor for Spring 2026. Kripa is a junior biology major in the College of Natural Sciences participating in the Peer Mentors program. Kripa studied abroad in Seville, Spain, through the Evolution: An International and Cultural Perspective program in Summer 2025.
