Writing a Thesis and Traveling

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A lot of people wonder how it is possible to even consider writing a thesis and managing to travel at the same time. To be honest, it is exhausting, it is not for everyone, and it can be stressful. But it is also incredibly rewarding. Since beginning my thesis in June 2017, I have visited 18 countries, 10 of which were new countries. Yet I still completed my thesis and even went over the page limit. Two weeks ago I wrote about how to travel in grad school, this week I am focusing on how to manage a thesis and a travel addiction. Here's how:

Read more about how to travel in grad school here

Try to travel to locations that further inspire your thesis. I made it a point to visit Romania over the summer since I was writing my thesis on Romania. But throughout the year, I focused most of my travel in Eastern Europe, which always gave me new ideas or inspired me to research more when I got home. Even in places like Belarus gave me more information about my thesis. That way your travel is still education and helping you develop your thesis but you still get to tame the travel bug beast. 

In May, I created a schedule for myself. I calculated how many pages I needed to read and how much I need to write. From there I was able to make a work calendar for myself. That way, I knew how many days I needed to work and how many days I could travel in order to hit my early deadline in March. And that is what kept me sane. I am sure if I didn't make such a strict schedule and I traveled as much as I did, I would still be working on my thesis. So the key is always planning. 

If you are constantly working on your thesis then jet setting every weekend, you're going to burn yourself out. So plan a few weekends where you don't do anything, or only do things that relax you. My January was so exhausting that I avoided doing any major events in February. However, in July, I planned two week trips then two week research binges, only taking a day off in between each phase. So it just depends on what level you can work at and how often you need breaks. But always prioritize your mental health!

Before booking a trip, I would always check in with my advisors to see my progress and make sure that I could afford to take a few days off. Most of the classes in Finland do not require daily attendance, and since I was not taking any classes, I would schedule my meetings around my travel. If I had a lot of work to do on my thesis, I would avoid traveling those weekends. But if I was in the developmental phases, such as research or the early stages of writing, I would travel. It really depends on what times you work best and how often you need breaks.