International Travel Abroad

One of my main focuses when deciding to study abroad was to travel. I wanted to take advantage of cheap plane tickets and opportunities I do not have in the United States. After the past few months, I believe I did just that.

The first international trip I took was to Paris, France. This trip was only two nights, giving my two friends and me one full day in the city. Like all of my trips, we booked a hostel. We flew into Paris Beauvais Airport, which is a 2-hour bus ride from the city. I have learned over my trips that aerobuses are the easiest way to get into cities, but to check your hostel’s distance from drop-off points to help influence your decisions. We had to metro into and out of Paris because our hostel was further out from famous spots, but it was not too bad. I loved eating a million pastries and seeing sights like the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Louvre, Petit Palais, Jardin des Plantes, the Seine, and more. We booked a hop-on, hop-off Seine River cruise, which made it very easy to see all of these sights and have a fun experience. Of course, I was a bit overwhelmed by this first trip, but I learned a lot that helped me in the future.

The second trip I took was to Edinburgh, Scotland. I went with one of my friends from home who was visiting me, and we stayed in a hostel in the city for three nights, or two full days. Our hostel was very conveniently located close to the aerobus drop-off, making travel much easier than in Paris. For our first day, we booked a bus tour to Loch Ness, Gelncoe, and the Highlands, which was nothing short of phenomenal. I love listening to tour guides’ stories and getting to see much more of a country than I could on my own. The landscapes and opportunities were stunning, especially the cruise on Loch Ness. On the second day, we explored Edinburgh on our own by walking the Royal Mile, doing the Arthur’s Seat hike, and seeing some free museums. This was one of my favorite trips just because there was so much to do and the food was incredible. I even found out that I like haggis.

Me sitting in a field on the Arthur's Seat hike in Edinburgh.

Next, I went to Barcelona, Spain. This trip was with one of my roommates, and we spent three nights and two days in the city. Transportation for this trip was more difficult because the airport is far from the city, and our hostel was far from the drop-offs. Additionally, the day we left was on daylight saving, and our departure time was early, so we had to pull an all-nighter to leave. I was also pretty nervous the whole time because I felt guilty for not knowing Spanish. However, this was a growing experience, and it was a great time. We were trying to budget, so we did not pay to go into many places, but we walked all over the city. We saw the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, the outside of Park Güell, some city overlook hikes, the area around the Christopher Columbus statue, some beaches, some markets, and many restaurants. We also took a cheap sunset catamaran jazz cruise one evening, which gave us a great view of Montjuïc and the city. This trip was stressful, but a great experience.

The views from the Barcelona sunset catamaran cruise.

I visited Spain again the next weekend to see a friend from home in Seville. This was another one of my favorites because it was so nice to see someone from home and have her guide me around her favorite spots. I still stayed in a hostel because I could not stay with her and her host family, but we met up constantly over the two full days I was there. This city was gorgeous and I had a great time seeing her historic university, shopping at vintage stores, visiting the Torre del Oro and the river, walking Plaza de España, and exploring her favorite restaurants and spots. I also got to meet a lot of her new friends and just reconnect with someone I missed from home. I really did not want to leave this trip, which is my sign of how well it went.

The next weekend marked the start of my week-long Easter break. I started in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was a very rocky start to my break because I was supposed to catch three flights in one day to get to Sarajevo, but I missed my last flight due to a flight delay. My delay was not substantial enough for my airline to reimburse me, and there were no flights to Sarajevo until the next day, so I had to call my family and think about what I wanted to do. This was difficult and stressful, but my support system was very helpful and was the only reason I was able to buy another plane ticket for the next morning. I traveled to a new airport and stayed overnight to catch my flights the next day and meet a couple of friends from home in Sarajevo. I felt tired, disappointed about the money and time lost, and embarrassed by my stress, but I quickly overcame this. Sarajevo is the least tourist-oriented place I have travelled to out of Ireland, so it was challenging to navigate and find transportation, but once I met with my friends, everything went perfectly. I had so much amazing authentic food, met friendly locals, hiked some unreal views, and caught up with good friends. I am so glad this worked out and that I got to learn so much.

An overlook in Sarajevo.

After Sarajevo, I met one of my roommates in Milan. It was pretty rainy and overcast throughout this trip and the next, but we still made the most of it. We walked all around Milan, seeing the Arco della Pace, Parco Sempione, Sforzesco Castle, the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Villa Invernizzi, more parks, and Chinatown. These were all great sites and led us to fun food, shopping, and views. We are big foodies, so we had goals to eat pasta, pizza, gelato, and cannolis, all of which we fulfilled. One of my favorite places was Chinatown because of the fun Italian-Asian fusions and the abundance of street food and shops. I do not think you need more than a day in Milan, so this was the perfect length and gave us the chance to see and do everything we wanted.

After Milan, we spent a few nights in Marseille, France. The rainy weather continued, so we did not get the chance to swim in this beach city, but we still saw a lot. We saw the Cathédrale la Major, Notre-Dame de la Garde, Fort Saint-Jean, Cours de Julien, Palais de Longchamp, Marseille-Fos Port, lots of parks, and many cool streets in the city. We ate a lot of delicious food, including madeleines, pastries, macarons, pasta, African food, French burgers, French snacks, and more. On our last day, I found a way for us to bus to a nearby beach town, Cassis, and go to the Calanques National Park. This was my favorite day because I love to hike, and the views were so unique and stunning, the perfect way to end our trip.

Views in the Calanques National Park.

To end my Easter break trip, my roommate and I went to Brussels, Belgium. This was a phenomenal ending spot because we went there with the intent of just trying a bunch of food. The city is so unique and pleasant, with lots of nice architecture and gardens. The weather was also much sunnier, so it was a great environment. We got to try Belgian fries, Brussels waffles, lots of Belgian chocolate, Belgian cider, Indian food, and Syrian food. While restaurants were our main stops, along the way we saw the Grand Place, Manneken Pis, the Mount of the Arts, many parks, and many shops. This end was relaxing and rejuvenated us for the travels home.

The final international trip I plan to take is to Amsterdam, Netherlands, at the beginning of May, right before I go home. I am only spending two nights there with a friend I have not travelled with yet. We have bought tickets for the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens to see the famous Amsterdam tulips. I am not sure yet what else we will do, so if you have any suggestions, let me know!

This study abroad experience is not for everyone, and I definitely had my fair share of travel difficulties and exhaustion. However, I also learned so much and feel a million times more confident with travel than ever before. That being said, I know many people who only went on a trip or two out of their host country and still had an outstanding study abroad experience. Do not succumb to the pressure of others traveling. Make your experience unique and perfect for you!