You Can Fly, You Can Fly, You Can Fly

Think back to when you were a child. What was your favorite movie? Some of my favorite movies were made by Disney. Take Peter Pan. He never had to deal with issues, such as growing up. Similiar to Peter Pan, I never had to deal with issues as a kid. For example, airports are a huge issue to parents all around the world. When I was a kid, I used to love airports. It was easy to love airports since I didn't have to check-in, weigh my luggage, print my tickets, or put everything on the belt to be searched by TSA. All I had to do was wait on line besides my parents. I didn't know how much aggravation and stress a person could be under in an airport until I left for London.

I flew out of John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. The last flight that I took before this was to Orlando, Florida from Westchester Airport in New York. At Westchester Airport, you can show up 30 minutes before your flight and still make it (a little exaggerated, but it's been done before). Driving into JFK was a nightmare. Granted, my flight was at 6:20 pm, so we had to drive in the middle of the afternoon. Honestly, it doesn't matter what time you get to JFK it's always busy. Thankfully when we got inside the terminal, it wasn't too terrible. We went straight to the weights to make sure both of my luggages were 50 lbs. or under. At that point, there wasn't much else to do with my parents and sister but say goodbye. I didn't know it was going to be hard to leave my parents. I've gone on a few trips without my family but never for 4 months. After the tears and hugs, I breezed through check-in and security. Unfortunately no one I knew was on my flight there, so I waited by myself. I made a few phone calls to family members and friends and waited for my incredible journey to Heathrow.

Heathrow is one of the most amazing airports I've ever been to.  It's clean, organized, and the people are friendly. I arrived in Heathrow at 7:00 am the next morning, and the bus to our flats was not picking us up until 12:00 pm. I ran into one of my flatmates who also arrived extremely early, so we sat and got breakfast together. I was very overwhelmed when we ordered our breakfast because everything was in pounds. It was a good thing that I converted some dollars into pounds before I left for London. There are also so many shops in Heathrow that are duty free so you don't have to pay taxes on the very expensive items you are purchasing.

Transportation to and from Heathrow is very easy. There are many ways to do it. First, there is the Heathrow Express. This is an overground train that runs from the airport to Paddington. This is the quickest way to get into central London and the second most expensive. A one-way ticket is 21 pounds, which is about $33. The next option is the tube. The tube is about 4 pounds one-way and will take you from Heathrow to many tube stations in central London. However, this will take about an hour and a half. The third option is to book a bus, either National Express or Easy Bus. Although not the most reliable, it is cost efficient and takes a little less time than the tube. The last option would be to take a cab. The most expensive option, this will take you directly to your flat and will be the second quickest way to get to your final destination.

There are other airports in London that I used to travel throughout Europe. The other airports are Stansted and Gatwick. I've never flown out of Gatwick. I frequently flew out of Stansted because it had the cheapest airlines. RyanAir is an extremely cost effective airline that flies to many major cities in Europe. My flight to Dublin was $20 on RyanAir. However, the seats are uncomfortable, the flights never depart on time, and if your bag doesn't fit in overhead storage you are forced to pay an absurd amount of money. The only way to get to Stansted is by bus or cab. Everytime we had a flight from Stansted, our cab was 60 pounds. Despite this, the cost of traveling evened out since our flights were so cheap.

My recommendation is to go flight shopping before you impulse book a flight from London. There are so many ways to get around Europe and you can definitely find cheap ways to travel if you spend enough time researching flights, trains, and buses. I took a bus from London to Amsterdam for $15 and a bus from London to Paris for $35. Although very long and uncomfortable, I got to save money! If anyone needs any specific recommendations for a trip they already have planned or for future trips, please contact me!

Pros and Cons to London

The idea of “studying abroad” stood out to me from the moment I took my first college tour and my tour guide discussed her experiences when she went abroad. She, too, packed her bags and shipped off to London for a semester and had a fabulous time in the city. I was so moved by the way she spoke about London that I knew I wanted to have the same experience that she did. When I decided to attend Fordham, one of the reasons I was attracted to the school was the study abroad program in London. Fordham University has a campus in the middle of the city (High Street Kensington, shown below) and students have the opportunity to apply for an internship at one of the Big 4 Accounting Firms, KPMG. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to embark on both of those adventures.

After my stay in London, I am biased on which city a student should choose when deciding where to study abroad. However, there are pros and cons to the city. London is the perfect location for travelling to other cities. There are numerous airports near the city that allow for inexpensive travel to any European city of your choice. The three airports are Heathrow, Stansted, and Gatwick. If you truly want to immerse yourself in British culture, you can travel to the outskirts of England, such as the landmark Highclere Castle (for any Downton Abbey fans) and The Warner Brothers Studios where Harry Potter is filmed. I wish I had the chance to see Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, and Liverpool, but there is only so much you can do in 4 months! Another amazing aspect of the city is the subway system, called “The Tube”. The Tube is incredibly simple to navigate and is a great resource to utilize when getting to know the city. On every Tube stop, there is a voiceover that states what famous landmarks are in the area where the tube is stopping. In this way, there is never anyway to get lost, you can never fall asleep on the tube, or miss your stop (very different from New York). There are beautiful and engaging museums, such as The National Gallery and the Imperial War Museum that truly bring history to life. That is one of my favorite parts of London: how all of the museums and galleries give history a meaning and show visitors the aftermath of events such as World War II or Princess Diana’s death. My entire semester abroad, I was learning something new with every area of London that I visited. For example, when I visited the Churchill War Rooms, I didn’t realize how much those working for the government had to sacrifice during that time until visiting the bunkers. That experience made me grateful for everything I have and all of the experiences I have had the chance to encounter. I wouldn’t have had that had I not gone to London.

If I’m being completely honest, there are a few downsides to studying abroad in London. To start off, London is incredibly expensive. This is coming from a girl who attends college in New York City. If you thought a grande vanilla latte at Starbucks was expensive in America, just wait until you get to London. For anyone interested in living in London, save up as many pennies as you can. With my internship at KPMG, I was paid in pounds, which was a lifesaver towards the end of my trip! Additionally, London’s public transportation train, called the “Tube”, shuts down at 12:00am. If you are out late at a show or are spending some time with friends at the pub, beware that you may have to wait for a bus or take a black cab instead of the Tube.

As you can see, there are many positive aspects of London that completely outweigh the negatives. Once you get to the city, you will realize just how lucky you are to be visiting one of the greatest cities in the world.