by Kate Dockerty

Planes, buses and minor mishaps

In an effort to save money, I booked the cheapest route to London and caught a bus to Cardiff. This was fine, and on both long-haul flights, I got the entire row to myself! However, after 40+ hours of straight travel, I was slightly delirious. When I was dropped off by the bus, I could not figure out how to get my data to work to get an Uber back to my hotel. Not my finest move, but I was able to find a kind stranger to hotspot me so I could get sorted. I think the trick with travel is to not panic because if you’ve got your head switched on (or even off in my case) you can generally figure it out.

Settling in

Cardiff University has been a fantastic host. I have met loads of other exchange students, and because everyone is in the same boat it’s easy to make friends. As well as that other students have been kind and welcoming as well. Jet lag is easily avoided if you’re tired because of nights out, rather than the time difference! The student support here is pretty extensive so it’s been straightforward to settle into classes.

Off exploring

Arguably the reason you go to study abroad is the travel and the chance to explore. Cardiff University also has a student-led program that organises day trips and weekend trips around the UK which is a very cheap way to explore. So far, I’ve been to the Cotswolds and Stonehenge, which were both absolutely gorgeous. The Cotswolds is a region in England which is known for its countryside and stunning architecture. One of the village’s newest buildings was built in the 1600’s. Stonehenge needs less explaining but getting to see it in person was incredible, and seeing the scale of not just the stones but surrounding structures was fascinating. On top of that there are very cheap flights to get around Europe, and there’s nothing like booking holidays with people you’ve known for 3 weeks! So I’m off to Prague for a weekend coming up, and then Dublin after that.

It’s so far been the trip of a lifetime, and I’ve got another 11 months to go!