The Best of Bath Travel

December 20, 2012

With only two weeks left abroad, I think it’s fair to say that I’m panicking. It feels like there are a million things to do and a billion places to see before I pack my suitcase and head back to the States. I feel like I should be traveling every free second I have in an attempt to experience as much of the UK as I can before I leave. But, I set that fear aside this weekend. I took a deep breath and told myself that I didn’t have to travel far and wide to keep experiencing my time abroad. I could explore Bath.

I spent the day with three of my best friends here exploring the city we’ve been living in for three and a half months. It’s easy to settle into a routine in a place, even when you’re abroad, and forget that life exists beyond the bubble you spend most of your time in. Our day of exploring was a great reminder that life is larger than the grocery store, our classroom, and our houses. There is so much more to the city that we haven’t even seen yet, and we’ve been here for almost an entire semester.

Bath Travel

We started the day with brunch and then did some shopping at the outdoor Christmas market in the city center. We went to a caroling service at the Bath Abbey, did some browsing at funky local stores around the city, and ended the day with an afternoon tea. It was great. All of these things were activities that we’ve spent all semester saying we want to do and finally, with two weeks left, we did them. Sure it would have been nice to spend the day exploring a place I’d never been before, but honestly, I feel like I kind of did that. I saw and experienced so many things that were new and exciting and different from my normal routine that I felt like I was in an entirely new place.

The Best of Bath Travel.

With my time abroad rapidly winding down, I’m starting to think of what kind of advice I can give to my friends at school who will be traveling abroad in the next few semesters. After this weekend I think the best thing I’ve realized here so far is to not become complacent with the place you’re living in. Keep exploring, keep learning, and keep a sense of adventure and excitement. You’ll be surprised by how much you’ll find right around you that you would have overlooked otherwise.

About Laura Alexander

Since graduating from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Laura has traveled and learned and occasionally even taught. She’s a feminist who is passionate about education, survivor-centered justice, and coffee. After a year living in Malaysia, Laura is back stateside teaching sexual assault prevention to college students.

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