Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Belgium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belgium. Show all posts

Sunday, 7 January 2024

A Christmassy Trip to Bruges

My first proper solo trip all the way back in August 2015 was to the beautiful city of Bruges (or Brugge) in Belgium! Although I'd been abroad alone twice previously for language trips, where I'd stayed with host families and studied at language schools, this was the first time I'd travelled solo purely for fun. I was a little bit nervous beforehand, but everything went to plan, and I had a fantastic few days walking all over the city, cruising round the canals by boat, exploring the various museums and shops, and of course, eating chips, waffles and chocolate!

I was really enchanted by the little city, which looked like something out of the pages of a fairytale storybook, and I always hoped to return one day. And since getting together with Claudio, who had never been to Europe when I first met him, I'd always wanted to show him Bruges, as to me, it's really such a quintessentially European place.

So after our wonderful few days in Paris, we took the TGV to Lille, followed by trains to Kortrijk and then Bruges, arriving in around three hours, without having to show our passports once (I love train travel on the continent!).

It was already dark and quite rainy when we arrived, so we weren't sure about going in to the city centre that evening. But after settling into our hotel and eating some (surprisingly good!) pasta at the train station, it had stopped raining, and we could hear some kind of event going on in a big square nearby, so we decided to go and investigate.

It turned out to be an outdoor Christmas party that was being broadcast on TV! We ended up staying there for a little bit to listen to the music.




We then went for a bit of a wander and eventually found ourselves in the city centre after all! The traditional buildings were all lit up with Christmas lights, and there was a Christmas market in Grote Markt, the city's main square. It really felt like the most Christmassy place I'd ever been to!







The next morning, we walked into the city via a different route, passing by the Poertoren (Gunpowder Tower) and Minnewater Park. I remember really liking this part of this city on my previous visit, as it's so peaceful and picturesque.







Of course, being in Belgium, we had to have waffles for our breakfast!




Our first bit of sightseeing of the day was at the Béguinage, or Begijnhof, a circle of traditional white houses that make up a little community where religious women live. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful places to see in Bruges.








We spent the rest of the morning wandering through the picture perfect streets of the city.








As Belgium is one of the world's chocolate capitals, it seemed only right to take the opportunity to pick up some Christmas presents from one of the many little chocolate shops in the streets of Bruges. As there are so many chocolate shops, it was hard to choose which one to go to! So we turned to Rick Steves' Europe (a travel programme we used to watch a lot on YouTube, back when we had our apartment in Santiago) in order to decide. As Rick Steves went to Dumon Chocolatier in his episode about Bruges, we decided to go there too. It turned out to be a good choice, as the Christmas presents ended up being well received!

After our shopping, we went over to Rozenhoedkaai (Rosary Quay), which is where you find arguably the most picturesque views in the entire city.





We also visited the Basilica of the Holy Blood, an unusual-looking church where you can see a tube that supposedly has the blood of Jesus Christ inside it.




By this point in the day, it was definitely time for some lunch, so we bought some chips and mayonnaise (another Belgian classic!) from a van in Grote Markt.

Afterwards, we decided to go on a boat trip along the canals, which is one of the nicest ways to see the city. Because there were quite a lot of people on the boat, it wasn't ideal for taking pictures, so we mostly just sat back and enjoyed the views.





After the boat tour, we went to a balcony that Claudio had noticed near Rozenhoedkaai. This is another beautiful viewpoint over the city's canals.






By now, we were very cold and it was starting to get dark. So we decided to go to a bar for some Belgian beer! Claudio chose a chocolate-flavoured one and I chose a cherry-flavoured one! I don't normally like beer that much, but these ones were very tasty, and it was nice to be inside the cosy bar.





We chose to end the day by visiting the Historium, Bruges's history museum. This isn't a normal history museum - it's a fully immersive experience, where you enter into a story about medieval Bruges, and learn about the city's history in the process. It's very fun and educational at the same time.

To make it even better, once you've gone round the museum, you can go out on a balcony overlooking Grote Markt. The views are absolutely amazing!






It was the perfect end to a lovely 24 hours in Bruges!

Although for Claudio, Bruges was never going to wow him in the way that Paris did, he still enjoyed our time in the city. What I liked about it was that it was a bit more of a relaxed time than our time in Paris (and later, Amsterdam), because we could just walk everywhere, and we didn't have to book anything in advance. It was nice to be spontaneous and just enjoy all of the city's sights, as well as its food and drink.

But the next morning, it was already time for us to move onto our next country! We had an exciting couple of days in the Netherlands coming up...

Saturday, 7 August 2021

Country Guide: Belgium

Name: Belgium (in Dutch: België, in French: Belgique, in German: Belgien)

Continent: Europe

Capital (and Largest) City: Brussels (in French: Bruxelles, in Dutch: Brussel)

Languages: Dutch (Flemish), French and German

Currency: Euro

Drives on the: Right

Time Zone: Central European Time

Adaptor Types: Type C, Type E and Type F

Description: Belgium is a small country in western Europe, bordering the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Germany. Its capital city Brussels is known as one of the capitals of the European Union (along with Strasbourg and Luxembourg), and the country as a whole is famous for its chocolate, beer, and picturesque towns and cities.

Why You Should Visit: Personally I've only been to Bruges (plus the train station in Brussels!), but it was one of the most memorable cities I've ever been to, thanks to its canals, beautiful architecture and entertaining museums. I would love to go back there in the future, and also visit other cities in Belgium.

Fun Fact: French fries were actually invented in Belgium!


My Blogposts About Belgium

Charlotte's Travel Adventures

My Gap Year 2014-2015 (Plus Gap Year Tips) (Bruges)

Travel Tips: My Top Ten Fairytale Destinations (Bruges)

A Christmassy Trip to Bruges





















Clockwise starting from top left: Markt (Market Square), the Béguinage, an old bridge over a canal, the City Hall, and a canal (all located in Bruges)

Check out the rest of my Country Guides here!

Sunday, 6 June 2021

Travel Tips: My Top Ten Fairytale Destinations!

Growing up, I always loved watching the Disney versions of fairytales. (To be completely honest, I still love watching them now!) The great songs, magical characters and beautiful settings always kept me entranced. And although I detest the institution of monarchy, and especially hate how the Windsor family are worshipped here in Britain (they're incredibly dull and "un-magical" compared to the likes of Elsa and Ariel!), I still have a fondness for fairytales.

This fondness translates into a love for visiting destinations around the world that look like they've come straight from the pages of a fairytale, including castles, palaces and charming little villages. And this post is going to be about some of my favourite fairytale-esque destinations. I've narrowed it down to a list of ten, which was surprisingly challenging. Here they are!


The Cotswolds, England, UK




















This is not really one single place, but a whole area of England. The Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which covers six counties in the South West, South East and West Midlands regions, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the whole country. It's known for its castles and manor houses, scenic countryside, and most of all for its picturesque little villages. The three most famous and beautiful of these villages are Castle Combe (pictured above), Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water. These three villages have a real old world, fairytale atmosphere, and are great places to escape to.

Read more here and here!


Bruges, Belgium




















My first proper solo trip was to Bruges, or Brugge, in Belgium back in 2015 during my Gap Year. I really fell in love with the city during my few days there, and hope to go back again sometime in the future. Being there really felt like being in a fairytale land; it's filled with canals, little bridges, pretty buildings, and lots and lots of swans!

Read more here!


Dieppe, France




















My favourite place that I visited in Normandy during the French part of my Year Abroad has to be Dieppe, mainly because of its fairytale-esque castle that sits on a hill overlooking the beach. Not only is it pretty to look at, it also has a great museum inside, featuring many impressionist paintings. The architecture of the rest of the town is very attractive too.

Read more here!


Vaduz, Liechtenstein




















Actually I think the whole country of Liechtenstein counts as a fairytale destination! But Vaduz is the only part I've actually visited (though I did see Gutenberg castle from the bus on the way in). For a capital city, it's very very small, which makes sense, given the size of the country it's located in. The whole city is a really great place to explore, with some interesting museums and nice architecture, but the highlight has to be the castle, overlooking Vaduz from a mountain above.

Read more here!


Salzburg, Austria
















Austria has to be one of the prettiest countries in the world, thanks to its lakes, mountains, castles and beautiful cities. Perhaps the most beautiful of these cities is Salzburg, a place which feels like it's barely changed for hundreds of years. It's filled with lots of stunning old buildings, and two of the most stunning are the Mirabell Palace and Hohensalzburg Fortress, both of which can be seen in the picture above. 

Read more here!


Hochosterwitz Castle, Austria




















One thing I really loved when I lived in Austria was taking the train to travel to various places within the country and beyond. I would always see amazing scenery wherever I went, including plenty of incredible castles. My favourite was Hochosterwitz Castle, located between Sankt Veit an der Glan and Klagenfurt, and one day I took the train to Launsdorf to take a closer look at it. I love how it's built around a mountain - it really is just like a fairytale come to life. 

I'll also take this opportunity to give an honourable mention to Landskron Castle, another castle in the Kärten region, that's almost as impressive.

Read more here!


Lake Bled, Slovenia




















Lake Bled in Slovenia is a tourist destination that's grown in popularity in recent years, and it's easy to see why. The place is so idyllic, with its medieval castle on a clifftop and its island in the middle of the lake, which you can only get to by rowing boat. It really looks like it's come straight from the pages of a storybook.

Read more here!


Bratislava, Slovakia
















An underrated capital city in Eastern Europe, Bratislava is a great place to visit, that can easily be explored in a day. Its sights include pretty squares, alleyways and churches, as well as the unique UFO Bridge. But the highlight has to be the imposing and beautiful Bratislava Castle, which overlooks the city and the Danube river below. It's definitely worth climbing up the hill to the castle to see it up close and to enjoy the amazing views across the city.

Read more here!


Stockholm, Sweden




















Stockholm is another European capital city with beautiful old buildings and a fairytale atmosphere. My favourite part of the city is the historic centre, Gamla stan, which dates back to the medieval period. Here you can find plenty of quaint cobbled streets and significant buildings, such as the Royal Palace, Riddarholm Church, and Stockholm Cathedral. But perhaps the most iconic part of Gamla stan is Stortorget (pictured above). This square with its famous tall, colourful buildings really is a picture perfect place.

Read more here!


Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve, Chile




















When people think of fairytale destinations, they usually think of places in Europe. And it's true that up until this point, this list has consisted entirely of destinations in my home continent. But I'm switching things up with this final destination on my list! Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve is an incredible area of natural beauty located in the Patagonian Rainforest in southern Chile, featuring waterfalls, rivers, lakes and volcanoes. It's also a hub for ecotourism, and features two amazing and very fairytale-esque hotels: the Nothofagus hotel (which looks like a giant treehouse) and Montaña Mágica (magic mountain) lodge (pictured above). Definitely one of the most magical places I've ever been to!

Read more here!


It's been a nice bit of escapism to compile this list and to reminisce about some of my favourite trips. (How great were those days when we could go wherever we wanted with no restrictions?) 

Although my lack of freedom to move on with my life is still getting me down, I'm feeling slightly more positive than I was this time last week, because I now have a couple of things to look forward to. I've got a short trip planned for tomorrow morning, which I may blog about next week, and I've also booked some time off in July, which I'll use to go on a short break away, or at least on a day trip or two. 

And hopefully, some bigger travel adventures are on the not-too-distant horizon...


Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!

Sunday, 14 March 2021

My Gap Year 2014-2015 (Plus Gap Year Tips)

Taking a Gap Year was a decision I took fairly late. From the age of 15, I'd wanted to study languages at university, so I knew I'd have a Year Abroad and all the travel and freedom that comes with it to look forward to. Therefore a Gap Year didn't really seem necessary.

However, my final year at sixth form college was a difficult one for many reasons, and choosing a university just wasn't a decision I was in the right frame of mind to take. And I certainly didn't feel ready to actually move out and start university. So taking a year out was the natural thing to do while I figured out what to do next and focused on things outside of studying for a while.

I hadn't really planned any of the year properly before it started, so it's no surprise that it didn't turn out how I'd imagined it would! It definitely didn't resemble the stereotypical image that most people have of a Gap Year - I didn't go backpacking in Southeast Asia, nor did I go and work in a bar in Australia. Despite this, it was still a great year, during which I achieved a few important goals in life and travelled to various places, including three countries I'd never visited previously.

So in this post, I'm going to break down the different things I did during the year, and I'll also share some tips on how to make the most of a Gap Year.


Work and Volunteering

My original plan was to spend the majority of the year working as an au pair in either France or Spain in order to practice my language skills and to experience life in another country. So after I'd finished my final exams, I applied for an au pair programme based in Spain that had been recommended to me. It was a voluntary exchange programme, and something I didn't believe you could be rejected for, and yet I ended up being rejected, which was pretty disappointing and humiliating. This put me off the au pair idea, which in hindsight was a good thing. (I actually ended up au pairing in France during my Year Abroad and had an awful experience, so it's not something I'd recommend doing.)

Afterwards I made a new plan, which was to find a job close to home for most of the year, save up money, and then travel somewhere new and exciting. Several of my peers were able to easily carry out similar plans, quickly finding work in supermarkets and shops, and then jetting off to places like Thailand and Australia. However, when I was a teenager, many things just didn't come as easily to me as they did to other people, and finding work was one of those things. Although I spent hours painstakingly working on job applications, I never heard back from most of the companies, and on the rare occasions that I did get an interview, I wasn't successful.

So it's fair to say that my Gap Year didn't get off to the greatest start! But in September 2014, things took a turn for the better. I realised that I needed to start doing something with my time - I couldn't spend the whole year constantly applying for and getting rejected from entry-level jobs. In the summer between my first and second years of A-Levels, I'd volunteered for a few hours every week at my local Red Cross charity shop, and so I decided to go back and volunteer there again, which I did once or twice a week from September through to January. This made a huge difference to my mental health, as I was getting out of the house, interacting with other people, and doing something with a purpose. The Red Cross is an amazing organisation which provides emergency aid to people all over the world, and it was really rewarding to play a small part in that process.

At the start of October, I decided to take on some further voluntary work and started spending one day a week helping out at my local primary school, which I continued with for the rest of my Gap Year. Not only was working there fun and rewarding, it was also very valuable work experience. It gave me a taste of what teaching is like as a career, and clearly I liked it, as I'm now working as an ESL teacher!

Volunteering was a great experience, but naturally I also wanted to save up some money too! Fortunately, in the middle of October I finally had some luck in this regard. I had heard about a local recruitment agency that offered various bits of work to young people, which I applied for and got accepted for! Soon I was working different jobs (mostly waitressing and cleaning) around the local area and earning my own money for the first time. Although I wasn't earning as much as I would have done with a stable full-time job, one of the advantages was that I got to try working in various places, including a university, a hotel and a golf club. I could also turn jobs down if I wasn't available, meaning that I had the flexibility to fit work around other things like travelling and volunteering. 

I was very happy to finally get my working life started, and luckily it had started just in time for me to have something to write in the "paid work" section of my UCAS application...


Education, Hobbies and Other Projects

As I already had my A-Level results, the process of applying to universities was a lot easier than it would have been if I'd done it a year earlier. I received unconditional offers for all 5 of the universities I'd applied for, and decided on Nottingham as my final choice (more on that later!)

There were a couple of other important goals I finally achieved during my Gap Year. One of them was passing my Grade 8 piano exam - something that I'd worked towards for 10 years. The other one was passing my driving test (and the Pass Plus), which was actually an even bigger challenge. Driving was another thing that didn't come as easily to me as it did to other people, but it was something I needed to do, as I lived in a small village without any public transport. Most people I know passed their test after a few months of driving lessons, whereas I needed nearly two years, so I definitely felt frustrated and demoralised at times. But when I finally got my licence, it was such a relief! It gave me the freedom to take on a lot more work with the recruitment agency, as well as to go and meet friends or go to the sports centre when I wanted. And although I've barely driven since 2015, I'm still glad to have the ability to drive, which may come in useful in the future.

During the year, I kept up with my French and Spanish studies, albeit in a much more relaxed and enjoyable way than during my A-Levels. I also had the opportunity to focus on hobbies, such as cooking, exercise, reading and watching movies.

But by far one of the most important things about my Gap Year was the fact that I got to spend lots of time with my cat Pickle, who was just the best cat ever. She died a few months into my first year at university at the age of 19, so I'm really glad I was with her for the majority of her final year. ❤


Travelling

One of the most exciting things about doing a Gap Year is having the chance to do plenty of travelling, or even living abroad. For me, the main focuses of my year were working, volunteering and learning to drive, so I never spent any extended periods of time travelling, although I did go on many great day trips and holidays. In hindsight, I don't think I was ready at the age of 18/19 to do something like working abroad or going backpacking on my own, and living at home was absolutely the right decision for me at the time. Part of me regretted a little bit that I didn't travel outside of Europe during the year, but I did visit various places around England, as well as five other European countries, and had some great travel experiences.

As this is a travel blog, it seems like a good idea to write a little bit here about some of the best trips I had! (Unfortunately, my photos are not the greatest - that's partly due to the Nokia phone I was using, and partly due to my own lack of photography skills at the time. I'd like to think I've improved a lot since then!)

July 2014: Slovenia and Austria
The first trip abroad of my Gap Year was a family holiday to Lake Bled in Slovenia, a country none of us had been to before. Although I was unlucky enough to be ill during the holiday and had to have an emergency minor operation there, it was still an enjoyable week. Bled is a really beautiful part of the world, with a fairytale castle and a little island in the middle of its lake, which we rowed to. 














One day we visited the picturesque town of Kranjska Gora and nearby Lake Jasna.






We also enjoyed exploring Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, a very attractive city featuring colourful architecture and a castle!








During the holiday, we went on a day trip to Austria, another country that I hadn't been to before. Here we visited Klagenfurt and Velden am Wörthersee in the Kärnten region. I didn't know it at the time, but I would end up living in the region three years later as part of my Year Abroad!








October 2014: Cannes, France
The second trip abroad of my Gap Year was to the city of Cannes in the south of France, where my Granddad used to live. Famous for its film festival, Cannes is a very flashy and expensive place, but it also has a beautiful beach. I spent a few days out there with my mum, and particularly enjoyed swimming in the sea.








October 2014: Sheffield and the Peak District, England, UK
Later that month I went up north with my parents to visit my sister, who was living in Sheffield. Then the four of us visited the Peak District National Park, including Chatsworth House, a stately home which has appeared in several films. Sadly, my picture of the house itself came out terribly, so here's one I took of the grounds.




November 2014: Birmingham, England, UK
Birmingham is the second largest city in England, so you'd think it would be something of a tourist destination. However, it's actually considered to be one of the ugliest cities in the country, so for most of the year no one visits! But at Christmas time, the city transforms into a winter wonderland, when the Frankfurt Christmas Market comes to town. It's the largest traditional Christmas market outside of Germany and Austria, and it really makes you feel like you've stepped into one of those countries. It was great fun to visit the market back in 2014 and to look around all the stalls selling things like gingerbread, beer and Glühwein. But I have to say my personal highlight was the singing moose (it's definitely a must-see)!





February 2015: Nottingham, England, UK
After I got into the University of Nottingham, I was invited to an offer holders' day to get to know the university better. I'd already visited the campus on an open day the previous year, but this time we stayed overnight and did some sightseeing in the city centre. Nottingham is not exactly known for being the most attractive city in the country, but it does have some interesting sights including Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem (the oldest pub in England), the Robin Hood statue and Nottingham Castle.








March-April 2015: Valencia, Spain
One of the two biggest highlights of the year was my trip to Valencia in Spain. I spent a week studying Spanish at a language school and stayed in the home of a really nice lady (and a sausage dog!), so it was quite an authentic Valencian experience. I had every afternoon free to go sightseeing, which I enjoyed a lot, as the city is very beautiful.














One of the most interesting parts of Valencia is the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències/Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias). It's a cultural and architectural complex, consisting of various museums and exhibition spaces, that looks incredibly futuristic and makes you feel like you've stepped into the year 3000!











May 2015: Blenheim Palace, England, UK
One of the most elaborate palaces in England is Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Both its interior and its exterior are incredibly grand, and the grounds of the palace are also very picturesque. I had a great day out there with my parents, and I'd love to go back again in the future.








June 2015: London, England, UK
I think my favourite day trip of the year was when I went to London to visit the Olympic Park. Here I swam in the Aquatics Centre, which is one of the best swimming pools I've ever been to (and surprisingly cheap). It was amazing to swim in the same place where the Olympic Games had taken place three years earlier. The Olympic Park is also a great place to walk around, as it's so futuristic and interesting to look at.







August 2015: Bruges, Belgium
The other main highlight of my Gap Year was my trip to Bruges, also known as Brugge. I'd never visited Belgium before, and it had been one of my dream destinations for many years, so I decided to use the money I'd earned from my work with the recruitment agency to take my first proper solo travel trip. I travelled there by Eurostar and then spent the next few days exploring the cobbled streets, canals and museums of the city. It's definitely one of the best cities I've ever visited; the architecture is so beautiful and it has a real fairytale atmosphere. I really hope to return there in the future.





















September 2015: Newark Park, England, UK
Newark Park is a nice National Trust property in Gloucestershire, which features a pretty Tudor house surrounded by the Cotswold countryside. I went there with my parents towards the end of my Gap Year, and remember meeting a very sociable peacock who lived on the estate!







September 2015: Nice and Cannes, France
I finished my Gap Year travels with another foreign trip, returning to the south of France with my mum. We visited my granddad in Cannes again, but this time we stayed in the nearby city of Nice. Unfortunately, I was ill while we were there and had to spend a whole day staying in the hotel room. However, I recovered by the end of the holiday, and we had a really nice day exploring the historic centre of Nice.















 

Gap Year Tips

The great thing about doing a Gap Year is that it can be whatever you want it to be! Unlike a university Year Abroad, you don't have to fulfill any specific requirements, so you can choose what you want to focus the year around. However, one thing I would definitely recommend is to have some idea at the start of what you want from it. It probably won't go entirely to plan, but that's part of the fun! 

Here are a few of my tips on how to make the most of your Gap Year:

  • Decide on your goals for the year. Most people associate Gap Years with travel, but they don't have to revolve around travel (though I do think it's nice to take the opportunity to see a bit of the world). They're also a great chance to achieve other milestones. For example, a lot of people leave school with no work experience whatsoever, so a Gap Year is a ideal time to start building up a CV. You can also use the time to work towards other qualifications, whether that's passing your driving test or getting a vocational qualification. I did my TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) certification after graduating from university, but come to think of it, it would be the perfect thing to study during a Gap Year, as it opens up a world of job opportunities to you, even if you don't have a degree.
  • Be wary of scams! It goes without saying that when you're looking for work or volunteering opportunities, particularly abroad, you're likely to find plenty of scams online. In addition to this, there are other offers, which while not illegal, may not be exactly what they seem. I think au pairing is particularly bad for this; although many au pairs have a great experience, there are also a lot of horror stories out there. Unfortunately, it's inevitable that some host families will be exploitative and will demand that the au pair does a lot of work for very little (or no) pay. So it's important to make sure you research any job offer carefully before committing to it, and if you have a bad feeling, it's best not to pursue it any further.
  • Consider volunteering. It's not easy for everyone to find paid work, so volunteering is a good alternative. Often volunteering opportunities are more interesting than the job opportunities that 18 and 19 year-olds can realistically aim for, and they can be a great way of finding out if you'd like a career in a particular sector. And of course they'll give you experience that will help you to find paid work in the future. 
Finally here's a list of a few organisations that might be useful: 
  • Blue Stamp Travel. Previously operating as Halsbury Travel, this organisation offers work experience, language school courses and home-stays in France, Spain and Germany. I used them to book my Gap Year trip to Valencia as well as several other trips before and since.
  • The TEFL Academy. This is the best organisation if you want to get TEFL qualified. Their Level 5 TEFL certificate is reasonably priced, can be completed online, and is officially recognised by both the UK and US governments.
  • Angloville. This is another organisation I worked with after finishing university, but I think it would be a great thing to do during a Gap Year. It's a volunteer programme that's mainly based in Poland and other Eastern European countries, during which you help people to learn English through conversation practice. In return you get free accommodation in hotels of varying quality, a city tour at the start of the programme, and another tour halfway through the programme. Each programme lasts a week, but if you like, you can join two or more programmes together and get to know various regions and countries. It's a very full-on experience involving long hours of talking, but it's a lot of fun!

Overall, I really enjoyed my Gap Year, and when it ended, I felt like I'd done pretty much everything I'd wanted and needed to do in those 15 months. It wasn't the most adventurous year in terms of travel, but to be honest, I wasn't really ready for major travel adventures. 

Fortunately, three years later I definitely was ready! From 2017 to 2018 I undertook a Year Abroad as part of my languages degree, during which I lived in both Europe and South America, and travelled on a very regular basis. It really was an incredible experience in many ways, and I plan to write a series of posts here on this blog about the highs and lows of a Year Abroad and how to plan an amazing one!