Life in Recap: Globe Trotting

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

-St. Augustine

Growing up in Asia, living in London opens the door to endless opportunities for travelling within Europe. Being thousands of miles away, the only glimpse of Europe I ever had when I was younger was on the television or occasionally, travel magazines. So, the opportunity to study in the UK is really like a dream come true.

Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero taken on my second visit to Paris

Starting out, I was nothing but an amateur in travel planning. The first self planned trip to Paris was something I would called poorly planned with expensive air tickets and a lack of research on the destination. However, making mistakes are the best learning opportunities. At least today, I’ve learned to plan in advance, research on budget accommodations and eateries and take opportunities of all the deals available for students.

Among the things that I’ve learnt so far, most museums are free for residents of the European Union. With a student visa and the permission to remain in the EU for more than 6 months qualify you to receive the same benefits as the residents of the EU. The Lourve and Château de Versailles is actually free and during my first trip to Paris, I paid to enter like everyone else.

The journeys I’ve made in the past 2 years had made me fall in love with travelling and realise that to travel and see the world is an opportunity to learn more than what schools can teach.

I’m glad to have packed my bags and travelled. Watch the most breath taking sunset in my life thus far; stand on the Alps during the icy cold winters; cross crystal clear blue seas; explore ancient sites and of recent, travelling solo.

The majestic Eiffel Tower under an overcast sky.

St. George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle

Living in London allowed me to watch this over and over again. So far, I've watched it 5 times and having to battle the huge tourist crowd every single time.

Rialto Bridge in Venice. The Grand Canal of Venice is nothing but amazing.

An upclose pinecone in Zermatt. Something I don't usually see in my life for the past decades.

The Matterhorn viewed from Zermatt - till today, this is still my favourite place in Europe. Despite having visited Zermatt twice, there is always an urge to revisit. Coincidentally, this was taken exactly a year ago.

Sunset in Mykonos; the prettiest sunset I've seen in my entire life.

Ancient ruins in the grounds of the Acropolis in Athens. The hottest and dustiest destination I had ever been too. At the end of the day, there is nothing but layers of dust above the layer of sunblock.

Having traveled near and far, in groups and alone. Travelling companion can sometimes make or break the holiday. Thus far I'm thankful to have awesome travel buddies. Definitely had lotsa fun with this bunch in Greece.

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