The first day of a study holiday abroad is often the most delicate moment for both students and parents. Excitement, anxiety, homesickness and the need to find your bearings all come together during those first few hours.
This page explains what to expect when you arrive, which emotions are perfectly normal, how to prepare your child before they leave, and which signs suggest they are settling in well. It’s a practical, reassuring guide to help families approach the start of the experience with greater confidence.
For many students, the first day feels like a major step. Until a few hours earlier, everything still seems theoretical. They pack their suitcase, check their documents, imagine the campus, wonder what their new friends will be like and picture the country they’re about to discover.
Then the moment arrives. The airport, saying goodbye, seeing new faces and hearing English all around them. It is during this transition that many of the strongest emotions are felt.
For parents, the first day is often the hardest too. Not because it necessarily signals a problem, but because it is the moment when they truly entrust their child to a new, exciting and independent experience. They hope everything goes well. They hope their child settles in, makes friends, enjoys the food, sleeps well and feels welcome.
The truth is that the first day should neither be idealised nor feared more than it deserves. It is a period of transition and emotional readjustment. In almost every experience abroad, the first few hours are a mixture of excitement and uncertainty, curiosity and tiredness, openness and the need for reassurance.
Understanding this makes a real difference. It helps students recognise that their emotions are perfectly normal, and it helps parents interpret those first few hours with greater perspective.
This page has been written with exactly that purpose: to explain what really happens on the first day of a study holiday abroad, which reactions are completely normal, how to prepare in the best possible way, and when it may be worth paying closer attention.
The first day is intense for everyone, even students who seem confident
One of the most common assumptions is that outgoing or naturally confident students take everything in their stride.
In reality, that’s rarely the case.
Even the most enthusiastic students suddenly find themselves having to deal with countless new things at once: unfamiliar routines, new surroundings, using English in real-life situations, different daily rhythms, people they’ve never met before, timetables to follow and customs they’re still trying to understand.
That doesn’t mean they’re unhappy. It simply means they’re stepping into a completely new environment, and their brain is processing an enormous amount of information during those first few hours.
For some students, this stage shows itself as excitement and boundless energy. Others become quieter, more observant, more tired than usual, or feel a stronger need for familiar points of reference.
Both reactions are completely normal, but one thing parents should keep in mind is this: if the first text message or phone call isn’t full of enthusiasm, it doesn’t automatically mean the study holiday is going badly. More often than not, it simply means their child is tired, slightly overwhelmed and still working out where they are and how everything fits together in their new surroundings.
What students really feel during the first 24 hours
The first 24 hours abroad are almost always emotionally intense. Students often experience completely opposite emotions at the same time. They can be delighted to have arrived while also missing home. They can be excited about everything ahead of them while worrying that they won’t settle in straight away. They may be looking forward to their independence while still wanting a reassuring word from home.
Some of the most common feelings include worrying about making friends, wondering whether their English will be good enough, feeling anxious about looking awkward, trying to work out “how everything works”, or worrying that they won’t quite fit in with the group or the situation.
All of this is entirely normal. The first day doesn’t determine whether the whole experience will be a success. It simply reflects a student’s first encounter with an unfamiliar environment.
Many students also make a conscious effort to keep their emotions under control. They don’t want to appear vulnerable. They don’t want to disappoint the people who encouraged them to go. They don’t want to feel like the one who isn’t coping. For that reason, it’s quite common for them to seem a little reserved during those first few hours, or to alternate between moments of genuine excitement and moments when they feel more vulnerable.
It’s simply part of the process of settling in.
What actually happens when you arrive?
One of the best ways to reduce anxiety is simply knowing what to expect. On most study holidays abroad, the first day follows a fairly familiar pattern. After the journey comes the arrival, the welcome, the transfer to your accommodation, getting settled, the first practical briefings and your introduction to the rest of the group.
For students, this marks an important shift. They are arriving somewhere they will sleep, study, eat, make friends and spend the next few weeks. It is a significant mental transition.
During the first few hours, students are almost always given the practical information they need: where meals are served, where they will be staying, how the timetable is organised, who the adult members of staff are, the main rules, and what will happen the following day. These details are incredibly reassuring because they help students realise they are entering a well-organised environment, not being left to fend for themselves.
For many young people, the first real sense of relief comes once they begin to understand the routine. They find their room, meet the rest of the group, sit down for their first meal, start chatting to a few other students and form their first impressions of the place. That is often the moment when everything begins to feel more real and far less daunting.
Signs that are perfectly normal and shouldn’t cause concern
Many parents worry about behaviours that are actually completely normal during those first few hours. A short text message, a phone call that sounds a little flat, a tired voice or not having much to say straight away are not necessarily signs that anything is wrong. More often than not, they simply show that a student is busy adjusting to an intense new environment.
It’s perfectly normal if your child doesn’t feel like talking for long when they first arrive. It’s normal if they say, “I don’t know yet,” if they sound quieter than usual, or if they need a little reassurance. It’s also very common for a touch of homesickness to appear on the first evening, particularly once the excitement of travelling has worn off and the emotional comedown begins.
Silence is another thing that is often misunderstood. Sometimes students simply aren’t messaging because they’re busy living the experience. They’re finding their feet, getting to know the people around them, moving between activities, unpacking or settling into their accommodation. During those first few hours, silence does not automatically mean something is wrong.
When it is worth paying closer attention
Being reassuring doesn’t mean dismissing every concern. There are situations where it is sensible to keep a closer eye on how the first few days are going. Not because the initial emotional reaction is unusual, since it almost always is, but because certain signs may continue without showing any signs of improvement.
For example, it is worth paying closer attention if a student continues to feel deeply unhappy after the first few days, repeatedly refuses to eat or take part in activities, becomes consistently isolated, experiences severe anxiety that doesn’t begin to settle, cries frequently while withdrawing completely from those around them, or develops genuine physical symptoms.
Even in these situations, it is important not to jump to conclusions. Instead, trust the experienced staff who are there to support the students and assess the situation calmly.
The difference between normal adjustment and a more significant difficulty usually becomes clear over time, through the wider context and the nature of the signs themselves. That is why the first day should be observed, not judged too quickly.
How to prepare your child before they leave
Much of how the first day unfolds is shaped before your child has even left home. Preparing them for a study holiday abroad doesn’t mean making them anxious in advance. It means helping them develop realistic expectations and feel ready to adapt to something new.
It helps to explain that the first day may be exciting but also tiring, enjoyable but also disorientating, full of new experiences without necessarily feeling perfect from the very beginning. Helping them understand that they don’t have to prove anything, that they don’t need to feel at home straight away, and that it’s perfectly alright to take time to settle in is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give.
The language you use before they leave matters too. Saying, “You’ll see, everything will be perfect,” can create unrealistic expectations. It’s far more helpful to say something like, “Everything will feel new at first, and that’s completely normal. Give yourself a little time and you’ll soon find your rhythm.”
It can also help to prepare a few small reminders of home: a familiar object, a favourite photograph, a simple routine or an agreed plan for keeping in touch. Small things like these can help a young person feel secure enough to embrace the experience without feeling that leaving home is a dramatic break from everything familiar.
