How I Traveled Over 40,000 Miles in College

Hey everyone!

It's great to be back blogging! Hope everyone had a great New Year's. I vlogged my New Year's weekend, so be there and check that out here. Last month, I graduated from college, and I've had a little bit of time to reflect on my journey throughout my college career. I have added it up, and in my four years of college, along with getting a degree and writing an undergraduate thesis, I traveled to 7 different countries, and many of those countries I have been to multiple times. I traveled on planes, trains, buses, boats, and cars for a grand total of approximately 40,110 miles! I wanted to share with you a reflection of my college travels, why you should travel in college, and how I did it!

I racked up nearly 18,000 miles traveled by studying abroad for a semester my sophomore year of college. There I was in late August of 2014, about to board a plane for England, with my return flight nearly 5 months in the future. Rewind to 4 years before that when I found out about a program in college where I could go live in a country that I had dreamed about for years. It seemed impossible when I first told my parents that in college I could live in England in a castle (manor house lol)! I knew that for me to have a good chance of getting accepted into the program that I would need to get accepted to my university's honors college program. I had always been a pretty good student, but now I had this motivation to finish high school strong. In the second semester of my senior year in high school, I was accepted in the Honors College at my university. All that meant for me was that I would be able to go to Harlaxton, and I only had one more year to wait.

Before I ever started my first day of university, I applied and was accepted to Harlaxton College for the Fall of 2014, my sophomore year of college. I also began applying for scholarships and grants. So, this leads me to my first tip for traveling in college. PLAN AHEAD! It is so much harder to get funding for your travels if you wait until the last minute to decide that you are going. If you are traveling alone, and not with a study abroad program, planning ahead can get you good deals on hotels and flights.

If there is a program like Harlaxton at your college, this is an easy way to see more of the world in a study abroad experience. In fact, just go to Harlaxton College, not only because it's the #1 study abroad program in the US, but because it really does give you a springboard to see more of the world that you would get in any other program. I traveled nearly every weekend of the four months that I lived there, and saw more than I ever thought I would. Going to Harlaxton was also the push that my family needed to start traveling internationally. At the end of the semester, my parents and younger sister met me in London, so I was able to show them some of the places that I had been, and also, I got to go to a couple of new places with them.

My life in day trips and weekends at Harlaxton looked like this: London, Lincoln, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Ireland (Dublin, Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Connemara), North Wales, Southwell, Woodhall Spa, Oxford, Bath and Stonehenge, Cheshire, Paris, Donna Nook, Rome, Florence, Venice, London, back to Grantham, back to Cheshire, Liverpool, London again, Paris again, Bayeux, and finally Disneyland Paris.You can read about all of these trips here on this blog, and you can watch the vlogs that accompany them on my Youtube channel.

When I look at that list, I think about how lucky I am, and how thankful I am to the people that made it possible. I worked hard to be able to do that for a semester. It's incredible what an experience like that does to you as a person, and I've written about that several times. If you want more about Harlaxton, I am always happy to talk about it, so let me know what you would want to read about.

When I got home from Harlaxton, I honestly didn't think I would go back to England or any of the other countries that I had traveled to until I was finished with college and had a job. However, two and half years after I got home, I was spending New Year's Eve in London, and I was in absolute heaven.

My second study abroad experience came on kind of abruptly. I wasn't expecting my parents to say yes, since they are a big part of the funding for my travels. To my surprise, they said yes, and it was honestly so amazing to be back. The purpose of this study abroad trip was more business than leisure than Harlaxton. I conducted some research for my undergraduate thesis whilst I was in London, and I was able to give Dublin a second chance, and I actually really liked it the second time around.

That leads me to my second tip! I LOVE going to new places, don't get me wrong, but if a place doesn't go the way you planned the first time around, maybe you should go back. After my first trip to Dublin (search reviews for Paddy's Palace to understand), I thought I would never go back, however, I shouldn't have judged the city based on the fact that I stayed in a scary hostel the first time around. Dublin was way cooler and more fun the second time around, and I am glad that I went back and gave it a second chance.

For that trip, I was also able to find funding. However, I had a shorter notice than I did the first time around, so I didn't get as much as I did for Harlaxton, so I totally stick by my plan ahead theory.

Organization is also the key. If you are organized, you can take on as many projects and trips as you can safely handle. If I hadn't have been as organized, my college experience could have been a lot different. I was able to juggle traveling, getting great grades, writing an undergraduate thesis, and graduating near the top of my class all because I am organized and hard working! And there is no reason that you can't do that either!

I think my family also caught a little bit of my travel bug. So, this summer, we all took a trip together, and it was wonderful! If you want to watch the vlogs from those travels, you can find them in this playlist.

I am so thankful for all of my experiences in college, and I am looking forward to even more travel in the coming years, now that I am a break from school! If you have any questions about traveling in college, or traveling in general, I will always be happy to answer them. You can contact me by checking out My Socials. I love talking about my experiences and what I've learned from them, and I am open to blog post suggestions. As always, thank you for reading.

I want to take this opportunity to talk about some exciting things that I have planned in the new year. I am leaving for Walt Disney World tomorrow, and I will vlogging that trip over on my channel. I have been to WDW many times, as my family are huge Disney fanatics. I would love to do some blog posts related to tips for visiting WDW, so stayed tuned for that on this blog. I can't wait to make 2018 one of the best years. As always, you can follow this blog my email to get an email when I publish new posts, subscribe to my Youtube channel, and follow my socials for updates about both my blog and vlogs and of course, life in general.

All the love and Happy Travels!

Alexandria

xx

H A R L A X T O N

The most life changing experience summed up in one second clips from my vlogs from that semester. Three years ago today, I arrived at the manor, and lately, I've been missing it more than ever.
Get Free. xx

Two Years Too Long: My Return to London

Hey everyone!

I'm back, and I'm so excited to share the next chapters in my life (which include lots of traveling, I might add). My semester abroad nearly three years ago made me catch the travel bug, and also the blogging bug. One of my absolute favorite things of the semester was sharing my experiences online so that hopefully, people can learn my from my hits and misses of traveling. There's just something about writing about your experiences online that helps put things in perspective. I learn so much about myself when I'm writing and reflecting through this blog.

As I fall back into the groove of things on here, I can't wait to take you guys on very exciting journeys with me. 2017 will be the year of discovering new places, and...graduating college. A scary thought, but I'm confident that I'm ready to enter the real world (errr...maybe).

A month ago, I got home from my second study abroad adventure of university.  This one wasn't quite as long, a mere two weeks that left me wanting more, but it was still fun!

On this trip, I returned to London for the fifth...no wait sixth time. I'm not sure, but all I know is that it's definitely not enough times to visit my favorite city in the world. The second week was spent in Dublin, which if you'll remember wasn't the best experience the first time around. Find out if Dublin redeemed itself next week!

My return to London for the first time in two years was actually long overdue. I fell back into the London stride easily. I felt at home as soon as I landed at Heathrow (too cheesy? sorry).

But seriously, it was crazy easy to fall back into the swing of things. Even though I hadn't been there in two years, I navigated the tube with ease, and the map of London came back to the forefront of my mind. It was all so familiar, but I feel like it's something I'll never forget. Kind of like riding a bike.

The week started the day after Christmas. One thing I don't miss about going to London is the flying. I'm anxious at first, but then I try and just survive the overnight flight to London. I got two hours of sleep on the plane, which I believe is more than last time, but still not enough. The plane over this time didn't have the greatest amount of leg room, and I was in the aisle (boo!), but it didn't matter as soon as I landed in London again.

After waiting in the UK Border line at The Queen's Terminal forever, we were greeted by a native Londoner to be our tour guide for London.  We boarded the coach to head to our hotel. I was overwhelmed driving through London again. I just couldn't believe that I was back in my favorite city. It was truly one of those "pinch me" moments.

So, the class that I was in to get to go to London and Dublin over winter break dealt with the difference in healthcare systems. I'm a nursing major, and so that topic interests me quite a bit. Healthcare is also a hot topic in politics right now, and I feel that it's important that nurses know what healthcare systems would work best for their patients. I won't bore you with political things and healthcare talk, but it might help you understand why I went to some of the places I did whilst in the two cities.

Before actually settling into the hotel, I took some of my classmates to Nando's. You know I can't go to England and not have a Nando's.

So, the first afternoon in London, after getting settled in to our hotel room at the Courthouse Hotel in Soho (more details on that soon), I met up with the rest of my class in the lobby to travel over to Chelsea to visit the Royal Hospital Chelsea. It turned out to be a sort of retirement home for veterans, and much to mine and the rest of the class's surprise, it is the site of Margaret Thatcher's grave.

After a short visit here, we headed back to the hotel and had our class meeting to get to know one another and the expectations of class. If you want to know more about focusing on class and assignments while abroad (it's not easy), feel free to ask me any questions.

I decided to take some of my classmates to the Westminster area. The stairs out of the tube station that run right into the Elizabeth II tower (Big Ben) is my favorite place to take people who have never been to London before. Nothing says "I'm actually in London" more than walking out of an underground station into this...

I love seeing first time London goer's faces. After walking across the bridge for photo-ops with Parliament, we headed back to our hotel, and I ran into a Boots close to the hotel to get some things for the week.

The hotel I stayed in this time around was The Courthouse Hotel in Soho. Our hotel was literally right across the street from Carnaby Street and right around the corner from Oxford Street and Regent Street. The location was incredible and the history of the hotel was fascinating. It used to be an actual courthouse and jail. It was crazy to know that the likes of John Lennon and Mick Jagger were tried here. The bar of the hotel was actually the old jail cells, which was super interesting.

The study abroad program that I was with this time around set up a coach tour around London the nest day, which definitely reminded me of my Harlaxton days. The lady that greeted us at the airport was our tour guide. I got to see things and parts of London that I hadn't seen before, and that is what I love about London. Every time I go, I discover new parts of the city that I fall in love with just like the rest of it. Speaking of places I had never been before, this tour provided me with my first time in St. James's Park. I know, crazy! I think it may be my favorite green space in London that I've been to so far. I think this picture does a pretty good job at explaining why.

My classmates and I decided to go find some lunch after the tour. I suggested one of my favorite places for fish and chips (and anything on their menu, really). The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead is one of my favorite spots in the city. Hampstead in general is my favorite, and if you've read my blog posts from a couple years ago, you know how much I love it. We sat outside in the garden under the warmers. I ate my first fish and chips of the trip and washed it down with mulled wine, which I missed too much. After lunch, we walked down the high street in Hampstead, and then headed back to the hotel because some of the other girls wanted to take a nap.

My second full day in London was focused around my class. We visited Royal Hospital London in East London. As a future registered nurse, it was so interesting to go into a British hospital and see the differences and similarities.

I sort of became the tour guide during this trip, but I didn't mind. I love showing people London. I consider England my second home. It has been since August 2014, and it will be forever and ever. So, I took everyone to another London landmark, Tower Bridge. I love it at dusk when the lights start to come up on it. I love the views of the other iconic buildings in the city behind you when you're looking at the bridge like the Gherkin and cheese grater, and the view of the Shard directly in front of you.

That night, I went with my class to see In the Heights at the King's Cross Theatre.  You know the Broadway show Hamilton? Who I am kidding?! Everyone knows Hamilton! Lin-Manuel Miranda, the mastermind behind Hamilton, was also the mastermind behind this show. It was so good, and it's always a good idea to get to a show while you're in London.

Unfortunately, I woke up the next morning feeling sick, so I sadly missed out on the day-trip to Canterbury and Dover, but it's all the more reason to go back to England! It was nice, however to hang out in the hotel, watching a day-long marathon of the Great British Bake-Off and catch up on assignments for the class.

By the next day, New Year's Eve, I was well rested and feeling a lot better. We got up early to go to the Foundling museum with class. We had to get to the Russell Square station to get to the museum, which was so nice because that was my home station the first time I was London. After the museum, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. We decided to check out Covent Garden. Right across from the tube station is the cutest pub. The dining is upstairs, like in most pubs, and the food was delicious. The decorating was quirky, with different wallpapers on every wall and a variety of light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.

After lunch, we did some shopping in the Covent Garden area. It was busy, chilly, and had various street performers providing entertainment for all the shoppers.

That night, I decided to go up to the rooftop bar at our hotel with some friends to eat appetizers and have a Pimm's before heading to see the fireworks. We decided to head over to Buckingham Palace to see the fireworks. When the clock struck midnight, the firework display off of the London Eye started, but sadly the trees covered most of it. So, we grabbed our things and practically ran over to St. James's Park to get a good view. 2017 was probably the best New Year's I've had. I mean, what's better than ringing in the New Year in the most beautiful park in front of Buckingham Palace watching the glorious display of fireworks off the London Eye. I had another "pinch me" moment, but honestly, who wouldn't?

The next morning, myself, and from what I could tell, everyone else, slept in after New Year's Eve. Once I was up and ready for the day, I decided to venture out on my own for a little while. I feel comfortable enough with London to do so. I headed over to Abbey Road to take some vintage looking polaroid pictures and get away from the hustle and bustle of the area around the hotel to a quieter area of London that I loved a lot from a previous visit. I then headed over to Kensington and checked out that area over there. Newsflash! I loved it, just like every other part of London I've been too, haha!

The class activities for this day was to go to the Florence Nightingale museum. When I was at Harlaxton, I wrote my honors paper over her, and really, she's the reason that nursing is the career that I want to go into. She paved the way for nurses and nursing research and education. I'm a sucker for old things, and there was a recording of her voice circa 1890, recorded by Thomas Edison.

We went to an Old Operating Theatre after that, and that was really interesting to learn about as well. It was pouring down rain by then, but what's London without a little rain? It was fine though because we decided to have early night because we got up super early the next day to leave for London.

At Heathrow, I grabbed a full English fry-up for brekkie as I awaited my British Airways flight to give Dublin a well-deserved second chance. See you in 5 months, London. I won't stay away two years ever again.

So, my question for you this week is this: What's your favorite city in the world, and what's your favorite things to do there? What makes it your favorite? I would love to know, so make sure you leave it in the comments below.

I'll be back next week to let you know how I found Dublin the second time around!

All the love,
Alexandria
xx.

If you liked this post, check out my first time in London here.