“To build a city where it is impossible to build a city is madness in itself, but to build there one of the most elegant and grandest of cities is the madness of genius.” – Alexander Herzen
If I could recommend one thing to a future study abroad student, it would be to obviously travel outside of your host country but also to take advantage of day trips. Days trips meaning you arrive and depart on the same day. I would recommend this for places you always wanted to visit, places that you have a shorter to do list for, if you don’t have time for an overnight trip, if you’re trying to visit as many countries as possible in a short time, or if you simply want a lower cost trip. Day trips are pretty convenient as well. You don’t have to worry about checked luggage or anything like that, which is ideal for many of these economy airlines that like to charge a ton for checked luggage. You can also take the train if you don’t necessarily want to fly.
And of course day trips will only work for some destinations. For example, it has always been a dream of yours to go to Dublin, Ireland. You find reasonably priced tickets for a day trip and you have your list of things that you want to do. But then you look a map and notice that the Cliffs of Moher, the hopeful highlight of your trip, are a 3 hour drive away from Dublin. So now you have to factor into your schedule being in a car or bus for 6 hours out of your 9 hour day trip, 6 hours you could have spent exploring. That being said, a trip such as this one would not be a smart day trip. If you plan accordingly, take travel time into consideration, and continuously reference a map, your day trip should go smoothly.
This week I took a day trip to Venice and I personally think the pictures say it all, but I will have to say that I am persuaded that Venice has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Luckily, a day in Venice was all that we really needed. From the canals, to all the masks, to the murano beads, and of course the gondolas…. I was in awe. And to think that I got to visit this beautiful city in an entirely different country, all in one day is remarkable.
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