Preparing to study away causes a roller coaster of emotions.

When you get accepted, you’re on cloud nine and absolutely can’t wait to arrive at your destination.

But then it comes to down to planning the entire trip, and that’s where it becomes exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.

It’s an absolute privilege to be able to study away in Australia this summer, as I’m incredibly excited to learn everything I can in a place that I never thought I would be able to go to.

I will be studying photography at the University of La Trobe in Mildura, Victoria.

But preparing to study away is not as easy as it seems. It requires filling out lots of paperwork, applying for visas, booking flights, budgeting, etc.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

There’s so much more that goes into the preparation for the trip, and ironically, I’ll only be there for three weeks.

There comes a point where your excitement slowly starts to turn into nervousness, as I want to make sure I have everything figured out.

And even for a short trip, preparation can be a little stressful.

Things like budget, living accommodations, food and other things are a bit worrying to me.

Even things like the vast time difference and travel are very worrying.

I’ve never flown alone or traveled alone before, so this is going to be a massive learning experience for me.

This will also be the longest I’ve ever been on my own and I’m obviously very excited, but also a little nervous.

Overall, I’m incredibly excited for this trip and I can’t wait to experience something new and different every day.

I feel so humbled that I get to have this experience and I know it’s going to be amazing.

But for now, it’s just a matter of sitting down and making sure I’m prepared for everything.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com