Most study abroad advisors will tell you that the most important facet of your experience is the academics. While it’s obviously important for you to excel in your coursework, just as you would at home, the truth is no one studies abroad to sit inside and study. Studying abroad is about so much more than academics — it’s a range of experiences that sum in growth, exploration and adventure. And though it has been quite the adventure trying to figure out how to register for classes in the U.K., I knew my most memorable experiences were waiting outside the walls of my host university.
One of the most wonderful parts of being abroad is having that sense of adventure and newness every day. Each morning I wake up in a foreign country, so even if all I do is go to a coffee shop to write this blog, I feel the exciting sense of being somewhere new and strange. As time passes, the small city of Leicester becomes less strange, but no less exciting and charming in its inherent difference to all that I’ve previously known. My semester-long stay is the perfect amount of time to continually find newness in the city, and yet feel comforted by a sense of familiarity — to have a favorite bookstore, coffee shop or place to study in this small corner of the world.
My weekdays are occupied by exploration around the city center, eating and shopping (and spending way too much money), along with my usual reading, studying and Netflix binging. My weekends are the time I have reserved for more daring explorations — trips in other European countries. This is the most talked-about aspect of studying abroad — the glamorous pictures advertised in program brochures. When I left the U.S., I had imagined myself traveling to a different country nearly every weekend. The reality is that’s not very probable.
Truthfully, outside excursions can get very expensive very quickly. And though 12 weeks may seem like plenty of time, four weeks have already gone by in the blink of an eye for me. Finding the balance of exploring your host country and taking excursions to other countries is key. It would be a shame to study in England, only to spend your weekdays in the library and your weekends in other countries. Why even bother studying in England at all? Though travel between European countries is significantly cheaper than traveling from the U.S., each trip can still put you out a few hundred dollars (between transportation, accommodation and food), especially because weekend travel is usually more expensive.
What is very inexpensive is travel within your host country, which can be just as diverse and interesting as travel within the U.S. (and it’s cheaper!). A reasonable solution is to pick two to three international excursions and spend the rest of your weekends exploring the country that made you want to study abroad in the first place. Trains and coach buses can be under $20, and you can make easy and inexpensive day or weekend trips. In my first three weekends in England, I took the first weekend to acquaint myself with Leicester and my new international friends. The second weekend, my friends and I traveled to Budapest, Hungary, and this past weekend to the capital, London.
Traveling in two very tourist-heavy cities made it particularly easy for us to navigate to the main sightseeing attractions. Even in Hungary — not speaking a word of Hungarian — we were able to effectively communicate, as everyone spoke at least a little English. (It’s a uniquely American/British privilege to be able to travel the world and have everyone understand you.) Both trips were planned with regard to transportation and accommodation, and I would highly recommend that anyone traveling book their hostels in advance. We usually planned one major weekend event — in Budapest, a visit to the thermal baths, and in London, a show on the West End — but the weekend was otherwise spontaneous. As long as you get to your destination, and back home again safely, part of the fun in traveling is wandering around a city of antiquities, marveling at the architecture and planning the day as you go.
My trip to Budapest was one of the international excursions I planned for this semester abroad, and it cost me about $400 (which included coaches, airfare, hostel, food, taxis and gifts). London, conversely, was only a 2-hour coach ride and cost about $150 (which included coach, hostel, food, taxis and the excessive amount of beauty products I bought at the Lush store on Oxford Street). Undoubtedly, Budapest was breathtaking, but London proved just as adventurous, although a little less of an undertaking.
Both experiences were valuable and memorable, but travel within the U.K. proved to be easier, less expensive and less time consuming. I don’t mean to discourage international travel; I would encourage anyone studying abroad to visit nearby countries. But don’t neglect travel within your own country, as it can prove to be fulfilling and adventurous in different, unexpected ways.
Explore where you are. Know your city inside and out and travel as much as you can, in and around your host country, if money permits. The most important part of your study abroad experience, in truth, is what you take away from it. The number of countries visited isn’t the ultimate goal, so don’t break your back or the bank to travel across Europe. Content yourself with a few international excursions, and invest time in exploring your semester-long home. That’s my plan.
Photo credits: Amy Coker (first in London, second in Budapest)