Travel Weekends & Excursions: My Abroad Experience Wrapped
Hi everyone! My name is Megan Holleran, and I am the Communications Chair for BCFC! I am finishing up my semester abroad studying in Barcelona, Spain, where I attended UPF through a BC Spanish Immersive Program.
One of my greatest gifts while studying abroad was the ability to travel all over Europe. Barcelona is well-located, and I was able to get places fairly easily for relatively low prices. Travel is such a fun aspect of studying abroad, as it broadens your horizons to the world around you. However, it is also super important and valuable to spend time in your host city or country! Immersing yourself in the culture of the place you are studying in is really important to ensure your best experience.
That being said, if you are interested in traveling while you’re abroad or just want to learn about some places I visited, keep reading!
Sitges, Spain
Sitges is a coastal town about 45 minutes south of Barcelona by train. My friends and I went here one of the first weekends to soak up the sun and beaches that Spain offers, and it didn’t disappoint! There’s a rich culture full of art and language, and the streets are quaint and picturesque. We did an overnight to get some more beach time, but you can definitely do this as a day trip from Barcelona!
Munich, Germany
Like many other people who study abroad in the Fall semester, I went to Munich on the third weekend of September for Oktoberfest. Admittedly, I was there for less than 48 hours, so I really didn’t have a chance to explore the city aside from Oktoberfest, but it was still a cool experience! Some of my friends booked later flights out that weekend, though, and got to do some exploring! The weather isn’t great (in comparison to Barcelona lol), but it’s a fun city full of a lot of history. If you end up going abroad in the Fall and want to go to Oktoberfest, I highly, highly recommend booking your hotel and flights in the Spring before you go. It gets crazy expensive as you get closer!
Ibiza, Spain
This was a fun trip. My roommates and I were all abroad at the same time (which was so fun!) and booked this back in the Spring semester last year. We bought tickets to see David Guetta’s closing show on the island at Hi Ibiza, but unfortunately, he got sick right before his final shows and had to cancel the remainder of his tour. Even though we didn’t get to see David Guetta, the nightlife in Ibiza is certainly still lively. We went to Amnesia and Pacha, which are both pretty well-known clubs there. My favorite part of the trip, though, was a sailboat day trip that we did. Highly recommend this, especially with a group because it wasn’t that expensive!! It was so gorgeous and cool to explore the different little coves and such around the island. One of my favorite days from abroad!!
Lisbon, Portugal
As I mentioned before, 6 of my roommates from sophomore year were also abroad this Fall, which was so so nice. I recognize that this is definitely a unique experience, and I’m not quite sure how we all decided on the Fall, but having friends scattered across Europe makes it super easy to travel to different places and visit! Two of my roommates were studying in Lisbon, so my other roommate and I went to visit them for the weekend. Lisbon is a really cute city with scenic buildings and streets, but beware of the hills! It was so fun to explore, though, and we went to this awesome lookout point over the water. It was a quick trip, but Portugal is a gorgeous country to visit.
London, England
This was one of my favorite weekends. I had never been to London before this trip, but I ended up absolutely adoring the city. Coming from a Spanish-speaking program where I definitely struggled a bit with the language barrier, it was such a relief to hear everyone speak English and actually be able to understand what people were saying! Language aside, the city itself was just so beautiful and wonderful, and there was so much to do and see! It’s great because all of the most popular tourist attractions like Borough Market, the London Eye, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace are all relatively close to one another so you can hit them all easily in a day. I would have loved more time here to explore more of the city outside of the tourist attractions. I for sure want to come back!
Paris, France
Ahhh, Paris! I had the opportunity to go abroad through one of BC’s summer abroad programs earlier this summer, where I took an art class for the month of June. Paris was a dream in the summer and quickly grew to have a special place in my heart. So, of course, when I was abroad this Fall I had to go back and visit! I did some of the same things from earlier this summer, such as Versailles, the Louvre, and a Seine River Cruise, but they all still had so much to offer the second time around. I don’t think the city could ever get old. The charm is unmatched! One thing to note here is the language - I did not speak any French besides very basic phrases to get around, and I was able to get by. It would be a major plus with the French people if you were to speak French, though!
Córdoba, Spain
This was a class trip I took with my abroad program through our on-site coordinator. I would recommend the BC in abroad programs as the school does a great job of taking care of all the abroad checklist items such as visas, housing, and culture activities throughout the semester. I would have never thought to explore this city on my own, and it offered such a rich cultural experience that I’m so grateful for! It is in the South of Spain, where the weather is warm, and the streets are lined with orange trees. One of the main sights here is the Mezquita Cathedral, a mosque and cathedral combined, as both the Muslims and Catholics dominated the region at differing points in Spain’s history. Our program’s culture class covered this history, so seeing the culture and architecture in-person, resembling both Christian and Muslim aspects, was very cool!
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam was not on my radar before coming abroad, but I booked it with some of the girls in my program a few weeks before our trip, and I am so glad I did! This was also one of my favorite weekends. I feel like Amsterdam has a reputation for being risque and wild, but when walking through the city streets, you really wouldn’t get that at all. The city is quaint and quiet, with streets bustling with bicycles all around. The shops are so cute, and the food is incredible. There is a lot to see here, as well. We visited the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank Museum, and the Rijksmuseum, in addition to some popular food places such as Winkel’s for apple pie, Amsterdam Pancakes, and Van Stapele Koekmakerij for cookies. Another fun thing to do is a canal tour!! The canals in Amsterdam are such a unique part of the city’s charm, and the tour is a great way to take them in and see different parts of the city! Overall, such a great trip!
Bruges, Belgium
My friend and I went here the weekend the Christmas markets opened, and I am so glad we did! We flew into Brussels and took the train to Bruges, which was about a 2-hour trip. Bruges is a small town in the northern part of Belgium with picturesque buildings and adorable Christmas markets and shops! It looks straight out of a storybook. We spent a night here, which I felt gave us enough time to see everything the city had to offer.
Brussels, Belgium
After visiting Bruges, we then took the train back to Brussels and spent a night there, as well. The architecture in Brussels was incredible. The Grand Place had me in awe!! Literally, I think I spent a solid five minutes just looking around and staring at the buildings. It was stunning!
Dublin, Ireland
This was such a special trip!! My parents flew out for a long weekend to celebrate my 21st birthday! It was so good to see them and to experience Ireland for the first time. I liked Dublin, but I enjoyed the Irish countryside even more. We took a day trip to explore the Cliffs of Moher and the surrounding sights and towns. I definitely want to come back and explore more of the countryside!! The people are wonderful and the country is beautiful - I 100% recommend visiting!
