Summer Abroad: Kaylee Britt

While some students discover a passion for travel at Kent, I have dreamed of London since childhood. This summer, I brought that dream to life during a six-week program at Roehampton University, studying event planning and travel journalism.

Arriving alone at Heathrow Airport, England, the daunting experience was soon met with comfort in new friends, Katelin, Isabelle, Jake, Megan, Kevin and Jordan, who made London feel like home. 

We always hung out after class in each other's flats talking about our lives back home and what we wanted to gain from this experience. These events challenged who I once thought I was as an individual, learning more about myself in these 7 weeks out of the country than I have in any Fall or Spring semester back home.

We did almost everything together, exploring museums, Stonehenge, Greenwich Park and the streets of London at night.

I also prioritized solo adventures, watching the live musicals “Wicked” and “Evita”, and traveling to Paris, where I watched the Eiffel Tower glow against the night sky. After my program ended, I visited Hamburg, Germany, reconnecting with a long-distance friend and discovering my father’s favorite places from when he was my age.

The buildings and parks felt like something out of a dream; I loved the architecture and the language. But the food was one of my favorite parts of Germany.

Those six weeks challenged me in ways no classroom ever has. I learned independence, embraced new cultures and built lifelong friendships.

If I could share any piece of advice, it would be to book a flight and travel. The world is bigger than you imagine, and so are you.

Move and don’t stop moving because there is so much world to see and so many versions of yourself you haven’t met. So take the risk and challenge yourself, because you won’t regret it, I promise.

---