If you have the opportunity to study abroad as you finish classes, don’t waste a minute of it being homesick. If you miss your friends and family back home, that’s normal, but there are things you can do to ensure you feel close to them as you focus on your studies and enjoy learning about a new place and culture.

Make Friends

If you miss your friends at home, make new friends! You can have new adventures, make memories that you can share with your old friends, and you will fill a void (if only for a little bit) that being away from your friends has left.

Join Clubs

If you aren’t the kind that makes friends easily, try to join some clubs or other organizations that will allow you to meet people with like interests. This will also expand your knowledge and take up some of the free time that you would otherwise have and probably spend missing your friends.

Facetime

You can learn to Facetime (its free on iPhone devices) or video chat with your friends and family back home. This will allow you the actually see your loved ones as you talk to them, which can help eliminate some of that loneliness that a simple phone call cannot alleviate. Use VOIP calling to help cut costs.

Photo by Beverley Goodwin on Flickr

Bring Photos

Whether you keep them on an electronic device or you actually have them printed out where you can hang them in your room, bring photographs of those you love with you. This will keep them close to you when you feel lonely and miss them.

Call Home Often

Hearing a familiar voice can do wonders to make homesickness go away. Call your loved ones at least once a week (even more, now that you can use a great WiFi calling app  to make calling affordable!) so that you catch up with them and tell them about the wonderful things you have learned and done. This will also keep you enthusiastic about the things you are doing with your studies overseas so that you can continue to share fun stories and make memories that you can share with those you care about when you return home.

Photo by Prasad Kholkute on Flickr

Bring Something Sentimental With You

Don’t just bring pictures with you. Do you have a favorite stuffed animal or a favorite piece of jewelry? Bring it with you so that you can feel connected to those you care about most even when you’re far from them.

Buy Things for Your Loved Ones

For some people, remembering their loved ones by buying them gifts of new and fun things they find in their adventures helps them feel better about being away from their friends and family. If you see something your mother or father will love, pick it up and send it home to them. They will appreciate getting things from you and you will feel better about being away from them.