If you’re anything like me, and in many respects I hope you’re not, you’re excited to travel all over Europe during your semester abroad. And, you can. You can travel all over Europe during your time here, but no matter how hard you try to save money, no matter how many friends you split Airbnb’s and meals with and whatever weirdly timed flights you take, those travel costs will rack up. However, if you’re studying in a country like the U.K., you’re lucky to live in a place that has a ton of great cities within it. These cities have their own cultures and atmospheres, so you’re still going to expanding your worldview. We shouldn’t treat nations and their people as monoliths, and traveling to different towns and cities within your home country will help dissemble that limited view. Here are some great trips you can take in the U.K.
1. Bath
You’ve probably heard of Bath. Not to be snarky, but it’s the place with the baths. The Roman baths. It’s a really charming small town and there’s some really nice nature scenery here. And it’s relatively close to London so you can make a day trip out of this and save a good amount of money.
2. Brighton Beach
Brighton will rejuvenate you. The peddled beach is expansive and fun to just hang around at, the pier is beautiful, and there are some great small restaurants and pubs lining the streets. And, the whole trip—if you choose to stay for only a day—will run you about £20.
3. Oxford
Oxford feels like you’ve stepped into a small town, if that town were literally thousands of years old. Oxford is tiny, but you can spend a whole day roaming around, gawking at how old and bookish everything feels. And, it’s only about 2 hours away from London.
4. Bristol
Bristol is a bit more expensive to get to, but the price is worth it. It’s not a huge city but there’s a lot to do, and there are some beautiful landscapes for picnicking or just reading a good book.
5. Explore places that ARENT Central London
This is subverting the premise of this post, but I can’t stress how important it is to see other parts of London. So many people study here and get stuck in a central London bubble when really you can go out and see so much in other parts of the city. Go to where people actually live. Head out to Brixton . Bask in how quiet things can be in Hammersmith parks. Go go go go go. London is beautiful, so go explore all its beauty