Planning for fall break is no easy task. First off, there's the issue of deciding where to go. I think my group's main problem was that every destination sounded so good, we could never choose. Sailing through Greece, traversing Italy, relaxing in Spain... who wouldn't want to do any one of those things?
Next issue- trips are a lot of work. There are itineraries to make and flights to schedule. On top of that, you have to figure out where you're staying in each city, and how to get from one city to the next. Which brings me to my next point-
Money. Trips through Europe are expensive! Even if a flight is cheap, you still have to pay for the room, food, alcohol, getting to and from the airport, taxi's, etc. Factor in the exchange rate and the fact that London is already an expensive city and this semester abroad could wind up as expensive as someone's college career.
Initially I wanted to travel through Italy for fall break, but when I realized how much work was involved in scheduling it and how much money it would cost, I started to have doubts. Plus, break is about 10 days long and, after visiting Paris, I realized that I don't enjoy rushing to sight see. Visiting a city or a country shouldn't be like a scavenger hunt to race through all the landmarks and cross them off your to-do list. I like to be able to move slowly and take my time through a new place. I'd love to see Venice, Rome, and Tuscany... but not if I have to run through them to do so.
So even though half the program saw around 4-5 different landmark cities on their break (one group saw 11!) I just saw one. In the end, I decided it mattered more to me to spend time with my parents while they were in London than to travel through Europe; so I waited until Monday to leave for break. My roommate's close friend from high school offered to let us crash at his place in Barcelona, and a week of (free!) hanging out in Spain looked good to me. For awhile I wished I was going on wine tours through Italy, but I think I would really rather do a trip like that when money and time aren't so limited. My advice through this whole, semi-stressful ordeal would be that if you are going abroad and have a mid semester break, you plan for it early and you solidify your decision quickly. There are so many options to chose from, but you need to pick one and make arrangements early in the semester (ie: the first month) if you want to find good deals. Ryan Air can offer cheap flights, but not 3 days before you leave. When it comes to break, planning is key.
