By: Ethan Norton

Hi, my name is Ethan. I’m a third year student at UOW studying economics and I am currently on an exchange at the university of Maastricht in the Netherlands. 

In this post I want to focus on travel, as that was a major reason I decided to come to Europe. Studying at Maastricht allows a lot of time for travel if you manage your time effectively. I have taken trips to the UK, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and France. Plus shorter day trips through Germany and Belgium. Through this there have been two standout experiences. The first being seeing a Six Nations game between Wales and Scotland in the Principality stadium, Cardiff. The atmosphere in the stadium and in the city the day of the game was something I can’t really describe. Easily the best experience I’ve had watching any sport live. The second experience was when I visited the Plitvice lakes in Croatia. The national park is in central Croatia and known for its cascading waterfalls and large lakes. It’s the most unique thing I’ve seen in Europe and was a great escape from the insanely busy cities.

The larger, longer trips are great, but I think having the ability to take spontaneous trips through the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany is what makes Maastricht shine. Many times when I didn’t  have anything planned I have gone to random towns and cities throughout these countries. They offer much more chill experiences compared to the main tourist hubs. Which I really appreciate as the large cities such as Paris and Rome can get overstimulating if you’re not used to them.