Do You Have to Quit Travel in Med School?

“I love to travel and I am so worried I am going to have to give that up when I start medical school. How did you make time for the things that you love?”

I used to wonder the same thing. I love to travel. It grounds me, expands me, brings me back to myself. But when I started med school, I truly thought I’d have to give it up.

At first, I kind of did.

Med school knocked the wind out of me in the beginning. I’ll never forget the heavy, almost physical feeling of inadequacy that followed me around during those early days. You walk into a room full of people who are all just as smart as you (maybe smarter) and way better at projecting that they have it all figured out. Key word: projecting. None of us has it all figured out at first.

Still, I was determined to hold onto the parts of me that made me feel most like myself. With time, I did. It took better time management, a ton of planning (mostly by my very organized boyfriend, let’s be honest), and a lot of long nights and early mornings in between--but eventually, I was able to travel more than I did before med school. And to places I had only dreamed about.

I started using travel as a reward, a motivator. During the short breaks in preclinical years, I always made it home to Arizona to see my family. But the bigger breaks? I made them count. Between M1 and M2, I went to Puglia, Italy. After taking Step and Level 1, I flew to Ibiza to celebrate. I’m not kidding when I say that trip was my guiding light through every practice test. I even opened my Level 1 score on the beach. (It went well but this could’ve gone very differently.)

That year, we also visited Paris, London, St. Barth’s, and cities across the U.S. I probably returned to class jet-lagged more times than I’d like to admit. But I felt alive. It reminded me that I was more than a student. I was still a whole person.

So no…you don’t have to give up the things you love. But you do have to work for them. Be smart about your time. Know when your big exams are. Stay ahead of lectures. Make sure your trip isn’t going to set you back. But if you can make it happen, then take the trip. Book the flight. Do the thing that reminds you who you are outside of medicine.

Because if you’re not careful, this journey can consume you. Let it shape you, sure. Don’t let it swallow you.

You are allowed to be both: a brilliant future doctor and someone who feels joy outside of a short white coat.

Find time to live.