I usually try to stay upbeat when things go wrong. The way I see it, everything that goes wrong is just an opportunity for character building. However, I just have to put it out there, that I have met my match: showering in a shower/bathroom that has been infested with first mold and maggots, and now flies, is definitely not my favorite form of character building.
(I wish my bus looked like this. My bus didn’t move nearly this fast. Ever.)
I’m studying abroad in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. In addition to that, I’m a student, on a student visa, which means I can’t legally work or earn money in the UK. Essentially, I’m on the budget of all budgets, and I’m determined to stretch it so that I can make it to as many places as possible during my time in Europe. To kick off my year of travels, I planned my first trip to Amsterdam. I was going with three other girls, which would cut costs on where we stay. But first things first – how to get from London to Amsterdam.
I am quickly becoming convinced that London is home to some of the most creative night club and bar owners ever, and I say that coming from my past two years of clubbing in NYC. I thought I’d share some of the things I have experienced or have on my to-do list for the next few months:
Departure day finally arrived! I woke up this morning with a weird anxiety-excitement buzz, vibrating with energy in spite of the very short four hours of sleep I managed to get. I was anxious about leaving my family, but the anticipation has been building for this new adventure to start. I had a wonderful send off from my entire family, with lots of hugs and love and only a few tears on my part (don’t we look cute? The security guard was very confused on how to work an iPhone, but we finally got a good picture!). I am not a particular fan of flying, so I’ve been spending my days researching how to become a better traveler and at least relax, if not enjoy, flights. With one flight down (a short trip from Dallas to Austin), and my British Airways nine-hour flight to London looming in the next three hours, I’ve discovered some of the research I did was useless, some of it was on point, and that a large part of becoming a happy traveler is knowing yourself and learning what you need. So, what I have learned so far: