Make It Last: 5 Creative Ways Students Documented Their Time Abroad

Contributors: Annika Sundberg (UC Berkeley), Chloe Margulis (UC San Diego), Corra Nordheim (UC San Diego), Jolene Marie Ku (UC Davis), Leanna Chin (UC San Diego), 2024 blog writing contestants

You’ll take thousands of photos during your study abroad semester—that’s a given. But what about the inside jokes with your roommates, the taste of that life-changing pastry from the corner bakery, or the moment you realized you could navigate a foreign city on your own? Those details fade faster than you’d think, and a camera roll full of unorganized photos won’t bring them back.

The good news? Students have found creative ways to capture not just what they saw, but how they felt and who they became during their time abroad. From weekly blog posts to leather-bound journals, travel videos to photography projects, these five UC students discovered documentation methods that fit their personalities and actually stuck.

Here’s what worked for them—and what might work for you.

1. Start a Blog or Digital Diary (Chloe’s Story)

Before Chloe set out for Barcelona, Spain, she had an idea brewing: starting a blog. Though this wouldn’t be just any blog—this would be “Chlo and Behold,” a virtual scrapbook of her upcoming adventures. The anticipation of documenting her time abroad gave her the final push to officially kick it off.

Every Monday, she recapped the week before, sharing photos and her experiences from picturesque architecture to tantalizing tapas. Creating the digital diary allowed her to document everything she did while visiting different countries and cities on the weekends.

Every Monday, I would post a recap of the week before, sharing my photos and experiences of the picturesque architecture to the tantalizing tapas. Not only did this serve as a personal keepsake, but it also kept my friends and family across the pond in the loop.

The beauty of a blog is that it keeps everyone updated without the constant need for phone calls or long text threads. Your family gets to live vicariously through you as you navigate new cultures, face new challenges, and explore every nook and cranny of your host city. It’s the perfect balance—keeping them in the loop without sacrificing your adventure time.

Why blogging works

Connection without constant communication. Studying abroad is a whirlwind, and it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of exploration. A blog lets you share your experiences on your own schedule, so you’re not fielding the same questions from 10 different people.

Memory preservation you can search later. Writing weekly recaps cements every memory in a way that scrolling through photos doesn’t. Whether you’re reminiscing about a specific country or recalling how you felt during a particular experience, your blog becomes a personal time capsule. Plus, when friends ask for advice later, you can easily check back and give detailed recommendations.

Alternative digital documenting options

While writing a blog can be a public window into your adventures, many students also keep a private journal for more intimate reflections. Chloe did both—her blog captured the highlights while her journal recorded her thoughts and feelings, capturing the essence of her personal growth, which was sometimes absent from the polished posts.

Chloe wasn’t alone in finding digital ways to document her experience. Her friends found their own platforms too.

TikTok: The go-to platform for quick and entertaining snippets of life. Some of Chloe’s friends posted day-in-the-life or even week-in-the-life videos of their routines, adventures, and occasional mishaps. Short-form video is perfect if you’re more visual.

Instagram: Many students create Instagram accounts dedicated to their study abroad experiences. They post daily, weekly, or simply when they experience something especially significant. Each post becomes a snapshot of their journey, shared through carefully curated photos and captions.

Private photo albums: Not into public sharing? Create a shared album on Google Photos or iCloud that only the family can access. Pro tip: Add captions to photos as you take them, so you can remember the context later.

The platform doesn’t matter as much as finding something that fits your style and that you’ll actually use. If writing feels like homework, try video. If you hate being on camera, stick to photos and captions. The best documentation method is the one you’ll keep up with consistently.

2. Keep a Physical Journal or Scrapbook (Annika’s and Leanna’s Stories)

There’s something special about holding your study abroad memories in your hands. Two students discovered that a physical journal or scrapbook became more than just documentation—it became a companion, a creative outlet, and a way to truly be present in their new homes.

The classic: A leather-bound time capsule

On the second day of her semester in Florence, Italy, Annika was perusing the many street markets of leather goods when she found it. There, on the wooden booth of one of the merchants amidst purses and wallets and belts, lay a stack of leather journals. Despite her excitement about being in Italy, she was admittedly overwhelmed and scared out of her mind. She remembers the feeling of love at first sight when she first pulled her journal from that stack—a navy blue book bound in leather and embossed with the emblem of a lily, the symbol of Florence.

For five months, Annika’s journal never left her side. It traveled with her to nine different countries by every mode of transportation imaginable—trains, planes, buses, gondolas, taxis, cars, and boats. Along the way it collected stories as well as receipts, photos, postcards, sketches, and stickers from all across Europe.

Many of my journal entries I imagine as a report about my experiences to myself 20 years in the future. Essentially what I created for myself is a study abroad time capsule that is filled with my unequivocally candid and unfiltered thoughts and experiences.

What went into the journal

Annika didn’t just write—she created. Her journal became a multimedia scrapbook that captured every dimension of her experience. She documented everything from restaurant reviews and opinions on new foods she tried to small phrases to remember in Italian to inside jokes with friends.

Her sunny afternoons in Florence were spent in sprawling green gardens, sketching marble statues or friends lying on picnic blankets beside her. On rainy days, she frequented local cafés where she would confide in her journal about her struggles with homesickness, sitting at a table for one and sipping a cappuccino while writing to her future self about missing her boyfriend and In-N-Out hamburgers.

The journal also doubled as a place for class assignments and expressing her passion for visual arts. She would spend hours at night in her dorm with a glue stick and a small photo printer curating collages alongside her entries. Her Introduction to Drawing class assignments appeared in the book alongside her personal notes and collages—sketches of museum artworks and assigned subjects mixed with her own observations.

How the journal changed her experience

The journal didn’t just document Annika’s time abroad—it actively shaped it. Her little blue book and favorite pen brought her to meet new people and observe corners of the city she might have otherwise never truly seen. At many cafés, she returned so often that she became friends with the staff, who would greet her by name every time she walked through the doors.

Not only did it give me a way to reflect on my time abroad, but it also gave me a way to be present in my surroundings and to really observe both the city of Florence and the people and scenes from my travels.

The meticulous record-keeping allowed her to physically see the development of deep friendships. She’d mention one person in her journal and 10 pages later, she’s talking about how they sang karaoke at a local bar together or went on an unexpected weekend trip. It made her more engaged and spontaneous, more willing to go outside her comfort zone because it showed her how rewarding being uncomfortable can be.

When her program in Florence ended, Annika took her journal with her on a two-week solo travel adventure throughout Britain, the Netherlands, and France. It was just her and her little blue book against the world. In those two weeks, the journal taught her a life lesson she didn’t think would be so hard—how to be alone. She emerged from that experience a more confident and independent person, and her journal entries from that time only confirm it.

A low-maintenance alternative: Bullet-point scrapbooking

Not everyone wants to write lengthy journal entries, and that’s okay. Leanna Chin, studying in New Zealand, found a simpler approach that worked perfectly for her lifestyle.

My initial idea behind creating a scrapbook was to record the finer details of my time abroad that I would otherwise forget years later. I like to journal, but I knew that if I wanted to make sure that I actually wrote in my scrapbook consistently, I needed to do something low maintenance.

For her, that looked like jotting down bullet notes at the end of the day about stories like her friend having to walk barefoot through mud on a hike, her thoughts after trying marmite (she thought it tasted like salty hoisin sauce), or even everyday observations like how all the elementary school kids in New Zealand wear cute little bucket hats because of the intense sun. She left some space on each page for photos, which she printed every few weeks with the university’s printer. She used a cute notebook she found at a gift shop.

After returning home, Leanna keeps her scrapbook on display in her room. She barely looks at old photos on her phone, but she loves to flip to a random day in her scrapbook and reminisce about her time abroad. After showing people her travel video, she brings out her scrapbook for them to flip through as they talk.

The key is to find what works for you!

Whether it’s an elaborate leather-bound journal filled with collages and sketches, or a simple notebook with bullet points and printed photos, the magic is in making it your own. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s preservation. Choose a method that feels natural enough that you’ll actually keep it up, because your future self will be so grateful you did.

3. Create a Travel Video (Leanna’s Story)

When everyone inevitably asked, “So… how was studying abroad?” Leanna Chin had the perfect answer ready. She whipped out her travel video—a compilation of her semester that captured the emotions and the personality of New Zealand in a way words never could. There’s only so much that words can explain, especially when studying abroad in such a beautiful country. A video gave her friends and family a quick overview, allowing them to ask more specific questions. Here’s her advice for creating a travel video to document your study abroad adventure.

Don’t be intimidated

Making a travel video might sound daunting, but it can be as simple as compiling all the different videos you might have already taken for your Instagram stories and adding a song that reminds you of your time abroad. Leanna hadn’t even intentionally been taking videos with the idea of a travel video in mind until halfway through the trip.

It is very doable to take videos while staying present in the moment! With my first travel video, I hadn’t even intentionally been taking videos with the idea of a travel video in mind until halfway through the trip. I was already taking quick videos whenever I saw very beautiful locations or even just eating super yummy food.

After getting her shot, Leanna was intentional about putting her phone away and taking in the breathtaking views. In one of her favorite memories, she and her friends took some photos and videos at a glacial lake, then sat there for 3-and-a-half hours just taking in the view and watching the icebergs turn over, even napping in the warm sun.

The power of the right soundtrack

The song choice matters more than you might think. Leanna used a song she heard during her first week traveling in New Zealand, and now whenever she hears that song, it reminds her of the awe she felt looking out of the car window at the rolling green hills and blue sky. That emotional connection transforms a simple video compilation into something that transports you right back to those moments.

Keep it simple

The key is balancing documentation with presence. Take the shot, then put your phone away.

Most of the videos were taken on an iPhone—everyone is always shocked when they find out. You don’t need fancy equipment or professional editing skills. The beauty is in the authenticity and the memories, not the production value. Take short clips throughout your time abroad, choose music that means something to you, and let a simple editing app do the rest.

Your video will be a beautiful reminder of your experience, but the experience itself—sitting by that glacial lake for hours, feeling the warm sun, watching the icebergs—that’s what you’re really there for.

4. Document with Photography (Corra’s Story)

Sometimes a single moment changes everything. For Corra Nordheim, a UC San Diego student studying in Sweden, that moment happened in a tiny photography gallery in Iceland—and it transformed more than just how she documented her study abroad experience.

A last-minute trip and an old camera

Before her fall term at Lund University began, Corra decided at the last minute to take a trip to Iceland. As she was packing, she rustled through her belongings and found an old camera her mom had barely convinced her to bring. She decided to try it out—maybe she’d capture some memories along the way.

Driving down roads that twisted along coastal cliffs, the beauty of Iceland’s nature fully entranced her. Herds of sheep, gushing waterfalls framed by lush foliage, glaciers, and lava rock left her in awe.

Perplexed, I quickly grabbed my camera, pondering how I could possibly capture the immeasurable beauty of the landscape. I fiddled with the different camera settings, and took the shot. I quickly became obsessed with my new craft.

A chance encounter that changed everything

On the last day of the trip, just hours before her flight, Corra stumbled into a photography gallery in Reykjavík, Iceland. The gallery technician mentioned that a world-famous photographer had captured the images on display—and was actually arriving at that very moment. Corra struck up a conversation with him, and they discovered they were both from California and loved the ocean. She asked him all about his career and how he captures his incredible images.

Chris Buckard (National Geographic photographer) and Corra Nordheim at a gallery in Iceland.

The chances of meeting a famous National Geographic photographer in a tiny town in Iceland from my home state seemed like fate. I’ll never forget our conversation and how it inspired me to dive further into photography.

A passion that’s lasted

Upon returning to Sweden, Corra kept her camera in her backpack. Photography helped her make new friends and bridge language barriers by sharing photos. Over the course of her study abroad, she documented her perspective of the places she visited and the place that became home.

Before studying abroad, she hadn’t picked up a camera, but now she brings one everywhere. She was recently followed by the head photographer of Surfer’s Journal and hired to take graduation photos. She plans to write a book one day, containing photos that document the natural world.

When people ask me about my study abroad experience, I proudly use those four words—“It changed my life,” because it did. I had a newfound appreciation for life, friendships, coincidences, and conversations, as well as a new passion: photography.

You don’t need to meet a famous photographer or discover a lifelong passion to benefit from documenting through photography, but you could also pack an old camera and see how it changes your experience!

5. Engage as a Creative (Jolene’s Story)

For artists, designers, writers, and other creatives, studying abroad isn’t just about experiencing adventure and a new culture—it’s about finding creative inspiration in every corner. When Jolene studied in Barcelona, Spain, she discovered that being abroad provided unique opportunities to enrich her work and spark fresh ideas. The key was actively engaging with the local creative scene rather than just observing from the sidelines. If you’re a creative, here are Jolene’s recommendations for documenting your study abroad experience.

Dive into the local creative scene

Barcelona is a city rich in creativity, color, and self-expression, and Jolene made it a point to get involved. She attended local events like the Mercat de Mercats at Plaça de Catalunya, which had a beautifully strong brand identity, and took home the free swag for future design reference. She actively participated in UCEAP Barcelona’s social events, which helped her meet people from Barcelona and the United States who shared her interest in graphic design. They shared internship opportunities and inspirational resources they found in the city.

Your home campus, social media, and local café flyers can be rich resources for connecting with students or groups who share your creative interests. Look for art exhibitions, music festivals, theater performances, and other cultural events. If you’re lucky, you may even land a volunteer opportunity to create work for the community you’re living in.

Museums are fuel for creativity

Museums and galleries became regular stops for the Barcelona student, especially the Design Museum of Barcelona near her apartment. She frequently visited when she needed new ideas or felt stuck in a creative rut. While major museums are must-visit destinations, smaller, lesser-known museums often offer thought-provoking exhibits that can provide unexpected inspiration.

Don’t just passively observe—engage with the exhibits. Read the descriptions, take the free audioguide, and take a moment to soak in pieces that catch your eye. Use your phone or bring a notebook to document your thoughts, draw, or make notes about exhibits that resonate with you.

Document everything that inspires you

As you explore, keep an eye out for anything from storefronts to local vendors that stir your imagination. The Barcelona student’s portable digital camera, extra iCloud storage, and journal were her best friends abroad. She scrapbooked physical memorabilia that inspired her, took photos of moments that captured her time abroad, and took videos of local events like Barcelona’s La Mercè festival to inspire her future work.

Create a passion project

Whether it’s during your study abroad or after you return home, a passion project can help you commemorate this special time in your life and strengthen your identity as a creative.

During my first month back, I created a photo series that captured how alive I felt during my four months in Barcelona. Take what inspires you most—whether it be your friends, the feeling of life abroad, your favorite works you discovered, or all of the above—and use it to further your creative journey!

Being a creative abroad offers a wealth of opportunities to find inspiration and gain a wider perspective of your creative field. By actively engaging in ways to strengthen your mind and abilities, you can make the most of your study abroad experience and enrich your path as a creative.

Bottom Line

Your study abroad experience will fly by faster than you expect, but the way you choose to document it can make those memories last a lifetime. Whether you’re drawn to blogging, journaling, filming, photographing, or creating, the best method is the one that feels natural enough to stick with. So grab that camera, open that notebook, or hit record—your future self will thank you for capturing this incredible chapter of your life.

There are just as many ways to document your study abroad adventures as there are students taking on very personal growth opportunities on study abroad—here are just a few:

• Alex learned that daily journaling led her on a 125-day path of personal growth and transformation in Chile.
• Three UC students explored all the ways that studying abroad tested and strengthened their personal identities.
• Harper’s anxiety said she should stay, but she ignored it and discovered five valuable lessons.