Studying in London has meant a lot of new changes from the usual university life, including travel.

For the first time, not including the plane ride over to London that was full of BU students, I was traveling to Europe on my own. This weekend, for my first trip of the semester, I traveled to the wonderful city of Frankfurt, Germany to visit my older cousin. I hadn’t seen my cousin in ages and we were celebrating my 21st birthday, so the weekend was set to be one of the best ever.

Thanks to a bit of luck, one of my professors cancelled class on the last day of the week and I was able to leave a day early for an extended weekend away. Traveling in Europe is similar to travel back in the States, with the difference being that you can hop from one country to the next in the same time it takes you to travel from one state to another back home.

And so, on Thursday I began the first leg of my trip. For those who don’t live in London, there is one thing you must know about the Underground – that you should never, ever, rely on it.

My first trip hurdle came early Thursday morning as I was making my way to the bus to the airport. Of course, with my luck, the train I needed was running late, and when it did decide to arrive, it ran delayed between stations. I arrived at my first destination thinking that my trip was completely crumbling. Thankfully my luck changed and I was able to catch a bus that brought me to the airport right on time.

From then on, my trip went off without a hitch and I made it to my final destination – Frankfurt! The weekend there was definitely one of the best I’ve ever had. Seeing my cousin helped eased my homesickness and I got to see one of the prettiest cities in Europe. Frankfurt was a definite surprise with its beautiful historic sites and its modern metropolis feel. Being in the historic area felt like being back at Epcot in Disney World except a thousand times better. I would definitely recommend it to anyone traveling to Europe.

When I got back home to my dorm, I was able to hear the stories fellow travelers had to tell. Everyone had a different adventure to tell – one was back from Paris, another from Amsterdam. Traveling here is a major part of the study abroad experience and makes you appreciate the opportunities you’re given. I would have never imagined I would be traveling to Germany for a weekend away or that I would be spending my spring break in Spain.

Although I’m glad to jet set my way throughout Europe, I’m still excited to get to know London. There is much more I need to see, and tons of experiences that must be had. Day by day I become more adjusted to living abroad and become less of tourist and it feels great.

– Nikki Rojas, Blog Contributor