There Be Dragons: Marion and Colin in Staffordshire, England!

Greetings from Staffordshire, UK! My name is Marion, and my dragon Colin and I are going to offer you some tips and tricks when traveling while studying abroad.

I decided to take a risk and spend a week in London by myself before classes started. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Since then, I have had the opportunity to spend most of my weekends traveling. But there were certainly a few hiccups along the way. I wanted to share a few of the lessons that I learned and hopefully offer some advice along the way.

Colin climbing along the town walls of Conway, Wales

Tip #1: If you are traveling with approximately one hundred pounds of luggage, you should consider booking a hotel/hostel that is close to your point of arrival. Carrying luggage on a train, the Tube, a bus, and uneven sidewalks while getting accustomed to oncoming traffic coming from opposite directions is no easy task.

Getting lost in the Hampton Court maze

Tip #2: Maps, directions, and where in the world is this hostel? If you are in a major city, there may be maps scattered around the city. Most cities do not offer free maps (but most hostels do!), and the cheaper ones that can be purchased are often not detailed enough for tourists. If you are not good with directions (and functioning Wi-Fi hotspots can be hard to come by), I suggest screenshotting directions from Google Maps or downloading a city map onto your phone in order to save yourself some time. However, keep in mind that your directions may be incorrect. I have found that to be true when using Google Maps to find hostels. Most of the hostels that I have stayed at are in odd locations. I have had to wonder around late at night spending half an hour or more locating hostels. Maybe I’m not very good with maps. However, when Google is telling me that I’m supposed to be spending the night at a bank or a Starbucks, there must be some other factors at work.

Walking around the Markt in Bruges, Belgium

Tip #3: Bring medicine. I decided to do a weekend trip to Amsterdam. The trip started out nice, and I was feeling great. Then the coughing started. Then a headache. By the time I arrived outside of the city, I had a fever. I arrived in Amsterdam feeling like I had been hit by a train, but I didn’t bring medicine because who would think that it would be necessary for a weekend trip? There were no pharmacies so I decided to walk around and see the sights while looking for one along the way. Four hours later, I felt like I was going to fall over, and finally, I came across a store that sold medicine. Several euros later, I finally had some medicine in my system, but the effects wouldn’t kick in for another few hours. I still wanted to enjoy the city after coming all this way. But after queuing for two and a half hours, in the rain, to enter the Anne Frank House, I started to wonder if going back to the hotel to sleep would have been a better idea (which brings me to Tip #3.5: Purchase tickets ahead of time.) Learn from my mistake. Bring the medicine with you and save yourself the embarrassment of passing out at a table in the cafeteria of the Anne Frank House.

Marion walking along the beach at sunrise in Llandudno, Wales

Tip #4: Tour companies. One of the main motivations for studying abroad is to travel. However, it can be very stressful planning all the nuances of the trips. There may also be instances where you cannot find anyone to come with you, and you have to choose whether or not you want to travel alone or skip the trip altogether. Luckily, there are several tour companies that will eliminate several of these problems. They will plan all the details for you often for approximately the same cost as booking transportation, hostels/hotels, and activities on your own. While it may be daunting traveling with a group of strangers, it also provides a great opportunity to make new friends from all around the world who are studying abroad as well.

Learning to enjoy travel by coach

Alright, it’s time to bring on the clichés. I could go on and on about the wonders and new things that one will experience when they travel. But anyone who is reading this has probably heard all of that several times. It is true that being in a completely different place will leave an effect to some capacity. However, I wanted to talk about truly taking advantage of the experience.

Marion trying on armor in King John's Castle in Limerick, Ireland

Here is one of my experiences as an example: in London, there are several places where one can view the entire city. You can pay several pounds to ride the London Eye and see a spectacular view of the city along the river. It’s an amazing experience without a doubt. But you can also climb approximately 600 stairs in St. Paul’s Cathedral and have a view of the city that’s just as amazing. However, there is one major difference between these two venues. The view from the London Eye doesn’t require that much effort, but climbing 600 stairs in an old building where hand railings were only a kind suggestion way back when certainly does. I had the opportunity to see London from both of these venues. While both experiences were worth the time and money I spent, I would sooner climb those 600 stairs before I ever visit the London Eye again. Why? Because when I reached the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral, I felt like I had accomplished something great. I do realize that climbing up stairs doesn’t require a great deal of skill, but what I felt when I reached the top made me feel like I could do anything. I know it sounds clichéd, but it works so I’m standing by. So here is my final tip: Don’t cheat yourself. Work for it. The experiences that leave a lasting impression are the ones where the result required the most effort.

Enjoying the view of the River Thames and the Palace of Westminster from the London Eye

Viewing London from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral

I am truly having the time of my life. After having a very difficult semester, this was “just what the doctor ordered” as they say. To all of the honors students abroad, I hope you are all having a fantastic time, and if you are in the Manchester/Birmingham area of England, please feel free to stop by Keele if you get the chance. To all of the honors students in Greensboro, I hope you are enjoying spring break.