When I was 19 years old, I went to France for 6 months for an internship at a campsite. I never had an experience as this before and I never traveled alone, everything was new for me. Now, after 7 years I am really proud I did it and I am going to tell you what I have Iearned.

1. Self-confidence

Because I am originally from a small village in the Netherlands, I grew up in a safe and small world. I moved to the other side of the Netherlands for my study (Tourism) and even there everything was easy and obvious. To leave my country for six months and going to the unknown made me more mature and gave me a lot more confidence. I was sure that if I could do this, I could do a lot more. Now, seven years later, I am traveling around the world together with my boyfriend and I don’t know any fears.

2. New friends

I worked at a big campsite and I worked and lived together with a lot of people my age. Besides working, we explored France and did a lot of fun stuff. After working and living with the same people for several months, they felt like family. I am still in contact with them.

3. Learn a lot!

I thought I was learning a lot at school, but experiencing an internship is a lot different than getting lessons in school. Other than learning the French and English language, I also learned a lot about finance, staff and organization. I really felt connected with the company and worked/learned a lot!

4. Travel

During my internship I have met a lot of colleagues and guest from all over the world. I learned a lot about other cultures. My curiosity resulted in me traveling around the world nowadays.

5. Improve my resume

My internship abroad really improved my resume and made me more professional. During a job interview I still tell that I went to France when I was 19 years old and people are still impressed by that. It shows that I can take care of myself and that I have international experiences.

This guestblog was written by Jessy, who has her own Dutch native blog called Jessy.Travel. If you're curious about more of her (travel) experiences, click here to have a look!