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Intercultural contact may lead to temporary phases of acculturative stress but is also associated with personal growth. While this topic has been well studied, we argue that there has been a lack of systematic investigation in the form of panel data studies. The present article examines the temporal pattern of stress and self-esteem, with measures for sojourners and controls prior to, during, and post intercultural contact. The sojourner sample consisted of a group of Belgian adolescents who took part in a 1 year intercultural exchange program. Sojourners reported lower levels of stress and higher levels of self-esteem during the sojourn compared to pre-departure levels and controls. These findings were explained in terms of personal growth and acculturative resilience. Subsequent analyses also investigated whether stress and self-esteem could be predicted by intrapersonal (i.e., homesickness), interpersonal (i.e …