Escaping the Bubble
Making a great escape doesn’t have to involve Nazis; Nicola Kettell enlightens on breaking out of the bubble.
We all talk about escaping the confines of the bubble, but how many of us actually manage it? St. Andrews doesn’t have a railway station let alone an airport, but is it really as much trouble as it initially seems to get up and break away for a weekend, or perhaps longer? Granted we have a multitude of holidays in which to travel (after all, who really reads in ‘Reading’ week?!) all of which are for a substantial amount of time.
How about jetting off to Spain for revision week in May, as I did this year? Ostensibly we were revising, but really it was the perfect way to catch some early sun and enjoy eating and shopping.
Week long trips are all very well, but a perhaps easier consideration is a weekend city break. Obviously it is a great help to have friends studying abroad, providing accommodation and a local perspective for each destination, creating an opportunity to get to know another country – an opportunity which I have whole heartedly embraced, and used to my great advantage. My journey to Glasgow Prestwick Airport was not as complicated as I had feared, although the moniker splashed over the building’s facade – ‘pure dead brilliant’ - is perhaps not all that warranted. From there it was a short (and cheap) Ryanair flight to Frankfurt, just in time for the Christmas Markets. It’s just as easy to fly from Edinburgh Airport and to find cheap flights to many European destinations, and with a bit of advanced planning, or last minute daring, such trips can only become even more of a bargain.
Escaping the bubble doesn’t just have to be about living the jetset lifestyle – there are lots of things to do here in good old Blighty. Why not try a weekend trip to Edinburgh to see a Six Nations match at Murrayfield, or to shop ‘til you drop in Armstrong’s or Harvey Nicks? Even if you haven’t got conveniently placed relatives and family friends with a bed for the night, with a bit of searching cheap hotels can be found (for instance the dirt(y) cheap rooms at places like the Holiday Inn), and a lot of the bigger hotels put on promotional deals during the off-season.
Scaled down even further, escaping the bubble can be as simple and easy as going shopping for the day in Dundee, or, even better, a trip to Perth, for a glance around the shops, and a delicious and reasonable lunch at the amazing Cafe Tabou.
It’s fair to say then, that the beautiful bubble of St. Andrews doesn’t have to be as claustrophobic as we often make it seem, and be it by plane, train or automobile, any kind of trip can be easily within anyone’s reach (and price range!).
Nicola Kettell
Making a great escape doesn’t have to involve Nazis; Nicola Kettell enlightens on breaking out of the bubble.
We all talk about escaping the confines of the bubble, but how many of us actually manage it? St. Andrews doesn’t have a railway station let alone an airport, but is it really as much trouble as it initially seems to get up and break away for a weekend, or perhaps longer? Granted we have a multitude of holidays in which to travel (after all, who really reads in ‘Reading’ week?!) all of which are for a substantial amount of time.
How about jetting off to Spain for revision week in May, as I did this year? Ostensibly we were revising, but really it was the perfect way to catch some early sun and enjoy eating and shopping.
Week long trips are all very well, but a perhaps easier consideration is a weekend city break. Obviously it is a great help to have friends studying abroad, providing accommodation and a local perspective for each destination, creating an opportunity to get to know another country – an opportunity which I have whole heartedly embraced, and used to my great advantage. My journey to Glasgow Prestwick Airport was not as complicated as I had feared, although the moniker splashed over the building’s facade – ‘pure dead brilliant’ - is perhaps not all that warranted. From there it was a short (and cheap) Ryanair flight to Frankfurt, just in time for the Christmas Markets. It’s just as easy to fly from Edinburgh Airport and to find cheap flights to many European destinations, and with a bit of advanced planning, or last minute daring, such trips can only become even more of a bargain.
Escaping the bubble doesn’t just have to be about living the jetset lifestyle – there are lots of things to do here in good old Blighty. Why not try a weekend trip to Edinburgh to see a Six Nations match at Murrayfield, or to shop ‘til you drop in Armstrong’s or Harvey Nicks? Even if you haven’t got conveniently placed relatives and family friends with a bed for the night, with a bit of searching cheap hotels can be found (for instance the dirt(y) cheap rooms at places like the Holiday Inn), and a lot of the bigger hotels put on promotional deals during the off-season.
Scaled down even further, escaping the bubble can be as simple and easy as going shopping for the day in Dundee, or, even better, a trip to Perth, for a glance around the shops, and a delicious and reasonable lunch at the amazing Cafe Tabou.
It’s fair to say then, that the beautiful bubble of St. Andrews doesn’t have to be as claustrophobic as we often make it seem, and be it by plane, train or automobile, any kind of trip can be easily within anyone’s reach (and price range!).
Nicola Kettell