Every travel destination and experience is incredibly memorable and important to me regardless of when, where or who I went with. My family holidays to Cornwall or Greece mean just as much to me as city breaks to Dublin or London and girls’ holidays to Spain, though I find the trips where I go solo end up being the most challenging and therefore, the most rewarding. After spending the summer of 2023 working at a classic American summer camp in New York, it felt right to push my limits even further and complete a similar program in Austria.
For the summer of second year, I applied for Gotoco, a teaching program aimed at providing people across the globe access to English as a foreign language in fun, less traditional settings. For this, I completed a short orientation in Assisi, a highly religious town in Italy famous for its gorgeous wineries and plethora of churches. Fully immersed in the intense training, I connected with a host of trainee teachers from across the globe and got to experience Italy for the first time.
Following orientation, myself and two other tutors were shipped away on a 14-hour travel day to Perg in north-eastern Austria for the first two-week camp session. Living with a host family on a small farm, with donkeys, highland cows and pigs, in rural Austria was a huge adjustment but sparked such incredible experiences. I got to mingle with a vast array of people often at traditional parties celebrating the workforce in the neighbourhood. Taking a trip to the nearby, city of Linz was exciting as I learnt about the local history and had a well-earned break from teaching. The most rewarding, yet difficult, part of my stay there was definitely our visit to the Mauthausen memorial on the site of one of the largest concentration camps in Austria. Walking around such a prominent site was chilling while simultaneously being the highlight of my stay.
Once my two weeks at camp was up, it was time for a difficult goodbye and another long travel day to the alps of Austria, to the tourist destination of Sankt Johann. Living with another host family, this time in a modern neighbourhood surrounded by a surprising mix of people from across the globe. Overwhelmed by the scenic mountains and picturesque views, a lot of my time off was spent hiking and exploring the natural beauty I was surrounded by, including the assortment of gorgeous lakes with an attempt at yoga on a paddleboard going far better than anticipated. The weekly festivals across all neighbouring villages offered many opportunities to engage with the locals and many Austrian pubs. A beautiful excursion to Saltzburg and the Swarovski Museum was a highlight, as the glittering displays and exciting circus performers made for a fun filled day. Bizarrely, Cardiff City F.C were in St. Johann for a football match, so I dragged the other tutors to watch the match. Hearing familiar accents whilst in such an unfamiliar place was so extraordinary and brought a longed taste of home to Austria. After another exciting two weeks it was time to head to Venice for an end of program trip.
Reconnecting and listening to the other tutors’ stories waswonderful and was made even better with the backdrop of Venice, as we spent three days island hopping. Venice was stunning as we enjoyed a guided tour of the main Island and then took the water taxi across to Burano, Murano and relaxed for a beach evening in Lido. Once our three days were up, it was time for a final goodbye as everyone parted ways. During my final days in Austria, I planned a ten-day solo trip to Verona, Milan and Nice which I set off for straight away.
Verona made all my bookish, Shakespearean desires come true as a guided tour of the city focused on Romeo and Juliet, with the Arena di Verona and the quaint alleys being the standouts. A short stay in Verona, made way for a busy Milan where I experienced my first hostel and connected with strangers from across the globe. Witnessing the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio and the Basilica Santa Maria was awe-inspiring and surprisingly brisk, so it meant that I had the opportunity for a day at Lake Como (easily the prettiest place I’ve seen). Following Milan, it was time to commence my trip with a tranquilizing beach break in Nice, my days were spent beach hopping across the French Riveria, and nights watching the sunset. A bonus of my stay in Nice, was its proximity to many famously beautiful locations, my favourite being Monaco and technically crossing another country off my list. After almost two months of travelling, my flight home finally caught up with me and my European summer came to a close.
Words and photograph by Millie Higgins