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North Carolina State University: How to Navigate your first week
By Phoebe, North Carolina State University Leaving home and starting fresh in a new university for a year can seem like a daunting experience. Trading a familiar city, routine, and support network for somewhere completely new inevitably brings a mix of excitement and uncertainty. But stepping onto campus as North Carolina State University for the first time, I quickly realised that a year abroad isn’t just about adapting to new places- it’s about discovering a new version of yourself along the way. Arriving in Raleigh after studying at UOM felt surreal. Manchester’s usually grey skies and tightly packed streets were replaced with the sun, green campus spaces, and a distinctly…
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17 hours from London to Osaka: A guide to survive
By Gloria Zheng, Osaka University, Japan It has been over a month since I arrived in Japan, so I figured it was time to sit down and write about my experience travelling alone for the first time. I flew from Heathrow Airport in London to Kansai International Airport in Japan (if you’re studying in the Kansai region you’ll most likely be flying here). 1. Book everything in advance I booked my flight the same day I received my visa from the Japanese Embassy in London. This meant that I could get the best savings as as prices steeply rise the weeks following the date you’re planning to fly. I also…
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Travel While You Can: My Year-Abroad Adventures
By Alex Toomey, Rutgers, USA One of the best parts of a year abroad is the freedom to explore. Rutgers’ location is perfect—you can hop on a train, book a budget flight, or pile into a car and see so many different sides of the U.S. I tried to say “yes” to every trip I could squeeze in between classes, and those journeys became some of my brightest memories. Here’s everywhere I went—and a few hacks to help you plan your own. Boston – 3 Days of New England Charm Boston was our first big getaway, and it ended up being more affordable than we’d imagined. We scored a $100…
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Finding Your People: Societies and Club Sports at Rutgers
By Alex Toomey, Rutgers New Brunswick, USA One of the quickest ways to feel at home at Rutgers is by joining a society or a club sport. These groups provide instant community, built-in adventures, and a welcome break from the library grind. Two of my favourite experiences were with the Rutgers Ski & Snowboard Team (RUST) and Rutgers Club Field Hockey. Rutgers Ski & Snowboard Team (RUST) I’m an avid skier, and even though I’d heard that East Coast skiing is nothing like the Alps I grew up with, I was determined to find a ski club at Rutgers. I’m so lucky I found RUST. This is a competitive team that races during…
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Korea’s South Coast: A Digital Archive
Our end-of-year Roadtrip along the South Coast of Korea will remain one of the most enjoyable trips I have ever been on. Good food, interesting culture, and most importantly… the best company! Myself and two of my friends I met in Korea had decided to take a 2 week trip around the South Coast of Korea at the end of our second semester abroad. We’d been talking about this for months, but didn’t end up booking anything until around two weeks before we left for our first destination. Even with the last-minute rush, it was well worth it! Our first destination was a culturally and historically rich area on the…
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From Amsterdam to Dunkirk with a bike and a backpack
Written by Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands My exchange in Amsterdam ended at the start of August, and if there’s one thing I’ve spent my year doing, it’s cycling. Wondering just how good I’d gotten on a bike by now, I carved out a few days and planned a 4-day route from Amsterdam to Dunkirk entirely by bike. My student loans had mysteriously ushered themselves from my bank account by this point, so I eschewed hostels and instead planned to stay at free campsites along the way. It all seemed easy enough: 5-6 hours of cycling a day, three nights camping, and take the ferry over the Channel.…
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How I Made My Journey Home More Interesting
By Alex Moore, Australian National University (ANU), Australia The thought of another 24-hour+ travel day was slightly daunting, but I managed to find the first and only layover I have ever been excited for. I found a $950 (c.£475) flight home that involved a 15-hour layover in Tokyo. This meant that I had a 9-hour morning flight from Sydney (a lot cheaper than flying anywhere from Canberra itself), then an evening and night in Tokyo before the 14-hour flight into London. I landed in Japan at around 5 pm (after having the whole row to myself), so I quickly got the train to my hotel to check in, shower, and…
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A summer spent in New Zealand pt.2
By Maja Peach, University of Auckland, New Zealand Hello! I have decided to centre this blog around the rest of my summer experiences during my Nov-March break in New Zealand. In my last blog I wrote about my first workaway and roadtrip around the South Island. This blog will pick up from Christmas Eve where I started my solo adventures and began another workaway on my own.
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How I spent my Summer Holidays in Australia
By Emma Pitcher, University of Western Australia Perth, Australia The best part of doing your year abroad in Australia is that you get an extra long break between semesters! Aussie summer holidays are over Christmas time so this gives you plenty of time to travel. Popular destinations included the east coast of Aus, New Zealand, and SE Asia as you’re so close. From Perth especially, it’s a shorter flight to Bali or Singapore than it is to Sydney. At the end of my first semester, I went to Kuala Lumpur and Bali, with a stopover in Jakarta, and then to Singapore where I spent Christmas. KL is a great city…
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Dealing with Political Unrest While Abroad
By Malaikha West, Seoul National University, South Korea Martial Law. Political Rallies. Presidential Impeachment. You never think it will happen around you.Until it does. It was 22:27 on the 12th of December when President Yoon declared Martial Law over South Korea. I was in bed doom-scrolling (as you do) when I got a notification about being under Martial Law. Martial Law? As in the same Martial Law that I have learned about in my studies? Surely not. Initially, I thought it was a spam notification, until two minutes later I received the same notification through the AIG Travel Alerts on my email. I sat up and looked over at my…
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It Was Not Supposed To Be This Good: My Trip to the Philippines
By Zahra Sachikonye, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong When I booked my trip to the Philippines, I thought I might meet some people to have dinner with one night but expected to be alone most of the time. I even brought a novel and colouring book, thinking I’d spend my time alone on the beach, reflecting and maybe journalling. I was not expecting to find myself in the presence of strangers and come back feeling like a piece of my heart had been left behind. What was meant to be a short solo getaway became one of the most joyful and memorable trips I’ve ever taken. I flew from…
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14 Days in Vietnam
By Anna Belsham, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong After finishing up my studies in Hong Kong I took the opportunity to make the most of being in Southeast Asia and met up with two of my friends from home to spend two of the most magical weeks in Vietnam. It was one of the most amazing places I have travelled to, bursting with culture, breathtaking scenery and the most kind people I have ever come across. Hoi An: 3 Nights Accommodation: Fuse Hostel Old Town. Would highly recommend staying here, was super social with so many hostel activities and lovely staff that will help you to book things. In…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
