In February, I found out that a few of my college friends were taking a school trip to London near the beginning of summer break. As the days went on, and as frequently as I heard them talk about going to London, the more I wanted to join them. There were so many things I knew I wanted to see and do in that city, so I scheduled a meeting with the professor in charge and signed up for the trip at the very last minute. Our journey began in May, so I figured I had plenty of time to prepare for it both mentally and physically.

Before I knew it, though, May had come, and I was packing my suitcase with two weeks' worth of clothing. I found myself running around my room on the day of my flight, triple-checking that nothing was forgotten, that I had everything I could possibly need for my trip across the pond.

Our flight left in the evening, and during the flight I found myself becoming more and more nervous. The farthest I had ever been from home was during a family vacation to the Bahamas when I was a little kid; now, though, I would be well over 4,000 miles away from everything I knew. I had to sleep on the plane so that I would be able to run around with my classmates once we landed, but it was hard to fall asleep knowing that, when I woke up, I would be on another continent.

Any fear I had was replaced by excitement, though, once we neared the airport and I could see London from my window. Even from up in the air, I could tell how large and beautiful the city was, and I couldn’t wait to get my feet on the ground to explore it. Customs took a long time to get through, as did our Tube ride to the hotel, but by noon we were touring the city streets.

Once our first class was dismissed, we had the rest of the day to do whatever we pleased. However, what we really spent the majority of the day doing was figuring out London. After getting lost multiple times, my friends and I finally managed to figure out the Tube system and how to get back to our hotel. We also had to scour around the unfamiliar city to find a restaurant to eat dinner in that night. Needless to say, by the end of our first day, we were exhausted and hungry. But, we were just so glad to be in London!

For the next two weeks, I walked miles upon miles, visiting neat locations with my classmates (Parliament, the Tower of London and the British Museum to name a few), and using the evenings to explore with my friends. Together, we took a Jack the Ripper informative tour, visited the supposed Sweeney Todd Barber Shop on Fleet Street, and even went to a local comedy show. We found some wonderful places to eat and walked around so much we had fresh blisters on our feet every single day.

Along with the fun we all had, this trip gave all of us a wonderful taste of real life. We had to learn how to navigate the Tube, the bus system and how to find food all on our own. After class was dismissed, if we wanted to go somewhere or do something, we had to get there and pay for it ourselves. We had to learn how to budget our money so we’d have enough for the entire two weeks. This adventure to London was not only a way for us to explore a new city, but it also gave us all a chance to prove that we can survive somewhere else without our parents or anyone else there to rescue us.

If someone asked me if they should take a trip such as this one during their college years, I would not hesitate to say "yes." Traveling to another country is terrifying and intimidating. It’s expensive. But, most importantly, it is the experience of a lifetime.