By: Hayleigh Bond

Travelling has been a big part of my exchange experience so far. I’ve spent a lot of weekends exploring new places, usually with a vague plan, a slightly malfunctioning bicycle, and the general belief that things will work out. Most of the time they do—although occasionally “working out” has meant walking 24 km at 3 a.m. because I had nowhere to sleep. Not ideal, but definitely memorable.

One thing that made travelling easier was having a British passport. I’m really lucky to have that opportunity, because it meant I was able to travel before my exchange even started. I ended up spending over a week each in Canada, Italy, Greece, and Morocco, and spent time with family in England—all before arriving in Cardiff. It was a great way to start the semester.

A highlight during the exchange has been Reading Week, when I hired a car and drove through the Scottish Highlands with my brother. It was beautiful, especially in autumn, but also slightly stressful. I kept asking things like “Is this a real road?” and “Are we actually allowed to be here?” The scenery was incredible—orange, yellow, green and red forests, misty lochs with amazing reflections, and dramatic geology everywhere honestly, it felt a bit like someone had over-edited the saturation settings.

Most of my other travel has been smaller and more spontaneous. I’ve taken random train trips around Wales and England, and I’ve spent a lot of time cycling to places that look “nearish” on Google Maps but turn into a 17-hour outing. Traveling by bike has helped me get around so easily… after I’ve fixed whatever part decided to stop functioning that week. But once it cooperates, it’s my favourite way to explore beaches, forests, Welsh towns I can’t pronounce and side paths that aren’t on Google Maps.

One thing that always stands out when cycling is how quickly the scenery changes. Sometimes I’ll be riding past long stone walls with the occasional sheep or cow, and then suddenly there’s a town with a Christmas market that opened at the beginning of November, a medieval ruin or a 200-year-old pub. It definitely keeps things interesting.

Travelling while abroad has added a lot to my exchange experience. I’ve seen a lot of new places, learnt how to be adaptable, and collected a fair number of unexpected stories. It’s been a big part of what has made this exchange so enjoyable.